But when Lewis Hamilton lends his jet to Mo Farah, well that’s just taking the piss.
Anyway this thread has gone off the original point of scroungers on benefits that makes such magnificent tv programs.
I think the Jimmy Carr scheme was successfully challenged by HMRC, and I agree that's beyond what's reasonable. The problem is that everything gets chucked into one pot and tarred with the same brush.
For example, a couple of weeks ago, there was a leak relating to the tax affairs of a number of well known people including the Queen. Much was made of assets being held offshore and the people doing it widely criticised in the press. There's absolutely nothing wrong with holding assets offshore (abroad). HMRC are fine with it and there is no issue. Holding assets offshore is more about tax planning than tax avoidance...because it doesn't avoid any tax. It simply gives flexibility on when any profits are realised and repatriated and the appropriate tax paid. But that's not what gets reported, and it leads to a great deal of misunderstanding.
But when Lewis Hamilton lends his jet to Mo Farah, well that’s just taking the piss.
Anyway this thread has gone off the original point of scroungers on benefits that makes such magnificent tv programs.
Because of the K2 scheme and others the Government changed the rules to stop such schemes. The K2 scheme was abandoned. The same "make hay while the sun shines" accountant apparently then tweaked the scheme so that some of the "stars" of "Mrs Brown's boys" could shuffle a few million off to Mauritius and dodge tax in the same way. Hopefully the tweak hasn't worked and the dodgers get hammered and, better still, the series gets cancelled. Paddy Power are giving odds of 20/1 that the next series is filmed in Mauritius and 150-1 that Brendan O'Carroll is jailed for crimes against comedy
A spokesperson for Paddy Power said: “I know it’s achingly cool to hate Mrs Brown’s Boys but, for once, the hipsters are right.
“So this leak has put a lot of hope into the people of Ireland, Britain and anyone who owns a television set. A Mrs Brown’s Boys-free year of telly really would be Paradise.”
Anyway that's me done on the subject. Thanks for an intelligent and non-abusive debate Lasterman. We are poles apart on the rights (?) and wrongs of tax avoidance but at least you've seen the error of your ways in your "if it's legal it's ok" stance - a u-turn in the right directon
I'm convinced that you are a thoroughly decent chap with a social conscience and, obviously a great sense of humour (Your "tax avoiders only want to be fair" point could migrate to the Bugle with little amendment )
I've enjoyed the thread - despite it being hi-jacked from its "benefit cheats make me sick" theme
Citizenship doesn't matter. Residence and Domicile for tax purposes do. Quite complicated. Statutory Residence test incorporates automatic overseas tests and automatic UK tests, how many days you spend in the UK/abroad, where and for how long do you have a home, whether or not you work full time in the UK. etc. etc. You can even be resident and liable for tax on the same income in 2 different countries (although double taxation agreements usually allow you to claim tax paid in one country against liabilty on the same income in another). So - a bit messy. In the case of the Mrs Brown's boys actors tax is reported as being avoided in both the UK and Ireland.
Ah one of Mrs Brown's ploys.
I thought they were citizens of the republic and that the series was filmed there.