Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Noblesse Oblige Makes It OK For Me To Be A Tax Dodger, You Oiks!
In today’s ‘You couldn’t make it up’ news, multi-millionaire Conservative candidate tax-dodger Zac Goldsmith has furiously defended his “non-domicile” tax status… Because he gives away some of his tax-dodged wealth.
As he nearly said,
It’s not yet known whether Mr Goldsmith has been defended by billionaire tax exile Tory bankroller Lord Ashcroft – perhaps he’s too busy buying the next election – but, apparently, millionaire Tory bloggers have backed him. Bless.
Every time the Tories delight in putting the boot into the poor with shrill accusations about ‘benefit scroungers’, I wonder just how many thousands of actual rather than rhetorical benefit cheats they’d have to find to save the same money they’re happy for just one mega-rich Tory donor to pocket as bonuses from the taxpayer for dodging their taxes (good news, though: the tax authorities may yet catch up with Mr Goldsmith, whose tax-dodging may not be as clever as he thought it was).
In unrelated news, the Liberal Democrats yesterday launched our new tax policy, aiming to reverse the disgusting situation where the richest in Britain pay a smaller proportion of their income in tax than the poorest. Under Lib Dem proposals, income tax allowances will be raised so that no-one earning under ten thousand pounds a year will pay a penny in income tax, paid for by green taxes, cutting tax giveaways for the very rich and putting a very modest 1% tax on mansions worth over two million pounds.
Of course, we won’t be able to tax all of Mr Goldsmith’s inherited mansions, because some of them are in other countries. I wonder why, while refusing to back the Lib Dems’ plans to cut income tax for everyone on low and middle incomes, the Tories are so keen on giving handouts to the spoilt children of millionaires in inheritance tax…?
And now my arm’s got very painful, so I’d best stop typing for a bit…
I was also linked to (that I know of) here, here, here (snarkily) and here (which is very worth reading). Corks!
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As he nearly said,
‘How dare you criticise me, you plebs, just because you get taxed for working hard for a living and I dodge tax on my unearned millions! I spend all my money how I like, and if I’m bountiful enough to drop a few coppers to paupers, they should be jolly grateful, so I’m jolly cross they don’t doff their bally caps. Let them eat environmentally-friendly cake!’Thanks to Paul Walter for this latest eye-boggling story of aloof Tory arrogance. Liberal Democrat Voice also have a comprehensive round-up of newspaper and blogger comment on Mr Goldsmith’s tax-dodging. Even that well-known far left rag the Financial Times thinks he’s a bit out of line with his tax avoidance. Uncannily, only Tories seem to think he’s done nothing wrong. Fancy!
It’s not yet known whether Mr Goldsmith has been defended by billionaire tax exile Tory bankroller Lord Ashcroft – perhaps he’s too busy buying the next election – but, apparently, millionaire Tory bloggers have backed him. Bless.
Every time the Tories delight in putting the boot into the poor with shrill accusations about ‘benefit scroungers’, I wonder just how many thousands of actual rather than rhetorical benefit cheats they’d have to find to save the same money they’re happy for just one mega-rich Tory donor to pocket as bonuses from the taxpayer for dodging their taxes (good news, though: the tax authorities may yet catch up with Mr Goldsmith, whose tax-dodging may not be as clever as he thought it was).
Tax Fairness From the Lib Dems
In unrelated news, the Liberal Democrats yesterday launched our new tax policy, aiming to reverse the disgusting situation where the richest in Britain pay a smaller proportion of their income in tax than the poorest. Under Lib Dem proposals, income tax allowances will be raised so that no-one earning under ten thousand pounds a year will pay a penny in income tax, paid for by green taxes, cutting tax giveaways for the very rich and putting a very modest 1% tax on mansions worth over two million pounds.
Of course, we won’t be able to tax all of Mr Goldsmith’s inherited mansions, because some of them are in other countries. I wonder why, while refusing to back the Lib Dems’ plans to cut income tax for everyone on low and middle incomes, the Tories are so keen on giving handouts to the spoilt children of millionaires in inheritance tax…?
And now my arm’s got very painful, so I’d best stop typing for a bit…
I was also linked to (that I know of) here, here, here (snarkily) and here (which is very worth reading). Corks!
Labels: British Politics, Conservatives, Corruption, Liberal Democrats, Tax, The Golden Dozen
