Inland Revenants: The 'Zombie' Department of the State
Here's an interesting quote:
I thought Osborne reached new lows last week.
This week he ’s going out of his way to support
the criminal classes - albeit those, no doubt, drawn from amongst his friends.
It's from Richard Murphy's tax blog. Yes, I know: taxation isn't bedtime reading, unless you suffer from insomnia.
One of the comments on the blog post describes the hollowing-out of the Inland Revenue's internal culture - pursuing investigations against prominent citizens and international companies is now a very career-limiting move - and that remark rings true. It sounds a lot like the after-hours conversations among traders, bankers, and -especially - the 'sales traders' and account managers at two of my previous employers, and I am certain that the anonymous commentator is an accountant or solicitor assisting tax evaders.
The Vodaphone debacle is the most extreme known example of this moral decay. As it was well underway when New Labour were in power, there is no reason to believe that a change of government will have any effect. What's new is the overt support at ministerial level: I draw your attention to this blog post, which explains how the latest concession to the Swiss places inherited wealth beyond the reach of the Revenue, and acts to entrench the economic priveleges of the latter-day aristocracy.
Acknowledgements and thanks to juggzy, who gave me the Link to Richard Murphy's blog.
I thought Osborne reached new lows last week.
This week he ’s going out of his way to support
the criminal classes - albeit those, no doubt, drawn from amongst his friends.
It's from Richard Murphy's tax blog. Yes, I know: taxation isn't bedtime reading, unless you suffer from insomnia.
One of the comments on the blog post describes the hollowing-out of the Inland Revenue's internal culture - pursuing investigations against prominent citizens and international companies is now a very career-limiting move - and that remark rings true. It sounds a lot like the after-hours conversations among traders, bankers, and -especially - the 'sales traders' and account managers at two of my previous employers, and I am certain that the anonymous commentator is an accountant or solicitor assisting tax evaders.
The Vodaphone debacle is the most extreme known example of this moral decay. As it was well underway when New Labour were in power, there is no reason to believe that a change of government will have any effect. What's new is the overt support at ministerial level: I draw your attention to this blog post, which explains how the latest concession to the Swiss places inherited wealth beyond the reach of the Revenue, and acts to entrench the economic priveleges of the latter-day aristocracy.
Acknowledgements and thanks to juggzy, who gave me the Link to Richard Murphy's blog.