Prime Minister David Cameron has talked tough on tax havens but
his Government can’t be taken seriously on tax justice.
The Left Economics Advisory Panel has four reasons why:
1. Maude wants the UK to be a tax haven
1. Maude wants the UK to be a tax haven
In 2012, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said it was a “compliment
for” for the UK to be described as a tax haven.
2. George Osborne slashing taxes for big business and the rich
2. George Osborne slashing taxes for big business and the rich
A hallmark of a tax haven is low or minimal tax rates. Corporation tax has been slashed from 52%
in 1979 to 23% now, and Chancellor George Osborne aims to lower it to 20% by
2015.
3. Many Government Ministers' wealth is based on tax avoidance and evasion
3. Many Government Ministers' wealth is based on tax avoidance and evasion
As Guardian investigations have proven in the case of Cameron’s family
fortune, and Channel 4’s Dispatches showed in the case of Osborne, Andrew Mitchell,
and Phillip Hammond.
4. You can't collect taxes without the resources to do it
4. You can't collect taxes without the resources to do it
Combined the annual tax gap is estimated at £120 billion. Yet the government is slashing HMRC’s resources.
For a serious look at tax justice, see taxjustice.net
