To not "get" all the fuss about tax avoidance?

[Peppin]

There is a difference between tax avoidance an tax evasion. Tax evasion is unlawful, tax avoidance is working within the law to minimise tax liability.

I should caveat this post with the fact that I am employed and all my income is taxed through PAYE. If I had more sources of income and more of it, I would not object to paying tax on all of it (by way of example, I never seek to reduce payments by paying cash to plumbers etc.), but equally, I would not want to pay more tax than I had to in order to remain on the right side of the law.

It seems to me that for wealthy individuals, paying an accountant to advise on minimising your tax liability is perfectly reasonable. If the government doesn't like the net effect of this, then it is the job of parliament to pass legislation that closes the loopholes that permit the "avoidance". So why is David Cameron bleating on about tax avoidance as though it were some sort of criminal offence?

It may be naive of me, but I'm hoping this type of publicity means that, eventually, aggressive tax avoidance will become as socially unacceptable as drink driving, racism, etc. I do feel a bit sorry for JC, when so many other far wealthier individuals and corporations have committed worse "crimes".

I think those posters suggesting that people like me are being hypocritical for using our personal tax allowances and ISAs are being disingenuous to say the least.

As an aside, I actually like Jimmy Carr, but think this is going to have an adverse affect on his career - how is he going to do his usual left leaning, corporate-lampooning jokes when everyone knows he's guilty of the same behaviour himself? People would just be laughing at him, not with him. For people like Gary Barlow, not so much; I can't imagine many people refusing to buy his music because of this.