Legal Tax Avoidance, Jimmy Carr apologises....

1. 76

   kirstenblogposted 12 years ago

   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18531008
   This story has me fascinated. If Jimmy was a US citizen he would probably be heralded a hero by some, since so many say that taxes equals theft.
   
   In the UK it is legal for the rich and for companies to avoid their taxes, as did the comedian Jimmy Carr. He was called morally wrong by David Cameron and has both apologised and stated that he will be more responsible with his finincial affairs in the future.
   
   The issue I see here is that this tax avoidance is totally legal. I can't avoid paying my taxes, I would get into trouble with the tax man if I did. Yet if I made enough money, I would legally be allowed to use any tax avoidance scheme I wanted and only have to worry if it might effect my sleeping? I guess the worst thing I see Jimmy as having actually done wrong is making fun of CEO's and companies that avoid their taxes while he himself has been doing the same. Then again being a hypocrite isn't illegal either.
   
   I can't help but wonder what others here in the UK think as well as what my fellow yanks would think if Jimmy Carr was as big in the states as he is here. Should he have apologised? Was he morally wrong (even tho legally speaking he was just fine)?
   
   To be honest, I sort of hope that this raises a problem that has needed to be addressed for some time. He is a lot easier to lambast then those CEO's with so many politicians in their pockets. He cannot stay out of the media for this and as such will keep the issue in the media and public mind for more then 5 seconds, maybe this will get folks demanding the laws be made fair?

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2. 97

   CMHypnoposted 12 years ago

   No individual should have been named and shamed like this.  Jimmy Carr was using a legal financial instrument to save on tax.  All the people howling in outrage need to stop and think what they would do in the same situation - after all nobody was breaking the law.
   
   If the Government does not like these schemes they need to shut them down - end of!

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      kirstenblogposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      This is pretty much how I felt when the story first aired. There is a problem alright, just not with Jimmy or any of the CEO's out there using a perfectly legal loophole to avoid contributing their share. It's a system that forces the little guys to pay their taxes but gives the rich legal ways out of having the same responsibilities.
      
      I gotta say, Jimmy is still one of my fav comedians and how he has handled this is totally amazing! I saw his first '8 out of 10 cats' after this story and found his attitude refreshing. If anything, he was to hard on himself in my eyes, not like he was doing anything illegal.

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      1. 97

         CMHypnoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I think the only thing Jimmy Carr can be accused off is hypocrisy, as slagging off tax avoiders in your show when you are doing the same thing is a bit rich.
         
         But it is also a bit rich for Call Me Dave to talk about moral repugnance, when his own father ran one of these schemes, and was one of the first Britons to move his money offshore.  Not to mention the fact that most of our MPs got away with fiddling their expenses for years, and only a few of them eventually got rapped over the knuckles.  An employee in any other organisation would have been dismissed on the spot for expenses fiddling and possibly have had the police called

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   Uninvited Writerposted 12 years ago

   I get the feeling most entertainers don't think of their own taxes and who is handling them. Look at all the celebs in the US who have done jail time due to tax evasion.

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4. 61

   John Holdenposted 12 years ago

   What Cameron didn't say was far more telling than what he did.
   Not a word about massive handouts to bankers, both in cash "gifts" and easy taxes.
   How much tax did Green avoid? Not a word against him.
   
   I take it Carr doesn't vote conservative, he'd have been all right if he did.

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   1. 76

      kirstenblogposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I wonder how many of Cameron's friends are using tax avoidance schemes as well?
      I hear his father used tax havens and is his inherited wealth. He just isn't in a good position to go throwing stones, what with his glass house and all....

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         Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         And his father-in-law, Sam Cam's dad. Apparently he's still using tax havens. And as for the bankers we all know how little tax they pay, suppose that's different though given that they're tory party funders.

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            kirstenblogposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I thought we put up with it because 'we need the talents of these bankers' and wouldn't want them to move somewhere else (never knew why we needed people so talented in foolishness tho?).

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               Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Yep, this has been said hasn't it. These bankers have hidden talents, none of us know what they bloody well are exactly.

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                  kirstenblogposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Maybe ruining economies is considered a valued talent these days?

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5. 85

   jadesmgposted 12 years ago

   it is a shame jimmy carr was so slated when many others ge awy with it. I heard Gary Barlow and take that were pretty big in tax avoidance to. I guess comedians are asy targets in this, publically popular andwell known but ruining their reputation tend not to have further consequnces.
   I wpersonally have no issue with Jimmy, surely he was just trying to earn as much as possible and proably didn't wolly consider the cosequences. He'snot an idiot but still.
   I do though think i should definately be made much more difficult to avoid tax i this way, taxes are generally a praiseworthy idea surely, the NHS and public help for a start.
   Hopefully these kinds of issues do get addressed but I wouldn't old my breath, especially as the Torries are in charge at the moment.

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