To think its fine for Bono to put his money in offshore tax havens while...

[MelodyvonPeterswald]

he encourages the rest of us ordinary mortals to do more to alleviate poverty and debt. This man deserves to be canonised.

The companies and individuals taking advantage of legal but innately immoral schemes just look down at us PAYE plebs and think they are the clever ones for playing the system.

The crux.

Anyone legally avoiding tax is OK in my book. You’d have to be a complete fucking moron to pay more tax than you’re legally obliged to. Let’s not forget, we want the super rich in our country and we want them to spend money here. We want them to run businesses here. They pump shitloads of money into our economy which HMRC certainly get their fair share of.

They pump shitloads of money into our economy

I think what these new leaks show is that they pump "shit loads" of money out of the country. Are we reading the same thing?

They pump shitloads of money into our economy

Employees of large corporates and businesses do, via their individual NI and PAYE contributions.

The large corporates and businesses per se will have complex schemes to legally minimise the contribution that their profits make to the economy.

And as for the Queen. Money stashed away in tax havens and yet begging bowl out for renovations to Buck House. It's like some third world dictatorship.

Agree with you Vivienne.

Having an ISA is hardly in the same bracket

The large corporates and businesses per se will have complex schemes to legally minimise the contribution that their profits make to the economy.

As do pop stars, film stars, TV personalities, media slebs, top athletes, premier league footballers, best selling authors, etc. Why does everyone ignore the elephant in the room and just whinge about businesses???

That was my point Manitoba. The tax generated is indirect but there’s still plenty of it which there wouldn’t be if they took their business elsewhere. A company employing 10,000 people in this country is still a massive benefit even if the company pays zero tax itself.

Apologies Badbadbunny, I should have mentioned the slebs, sports 'stars' and luvvies. I was contrasting the taxes that employees pay with the taxes on the profits that their work generates.

Agreed shark, but it's the hypocrisy that angers me.

A company employing 10,000 people in this country is still a massive benefit even if the company pays zero tax itself.

Which is exactly why there are tax havens. The Isle of Man, for example, would be a lot poorer if it weren't for it's low tax regime - they wouldn't have a financial services industry otherwise. Ireland's boom years were down to multi-nationals locating there mostly for tax reasons. It's the rationale for the UK lowering it's corporation tax rates, i.e. to encourage multinational HQs to stay in the UK rather than leave or to come to the UK and bring all their employment with them.

I love all these coming on this thread calling it ‘envious’ and ‘rich people bashing’. I’m extremely comfortable with what we have but at the same time I also pay my fair share and therefore I’m actually bashing the selfish bunch of arse crawlers who don’t feel the need to chip in for the greater good and all that - and especially those who are going out of their greedy slimy way to evade avoid doing so. Tomaytoes tomatoes.

And as for the Queen. Money stashed away in tax havens and yet begging bowl out for renovations to Buck House. It's like some third world dictatorship.

The Queen does not have her money stashed off shore. She invested in an offshore investment fund. That then invested in a private equity fund which invested in UK companies.

When you do this, the tax effect is no different to if you had invested in the UK companies yourself.

When you do this, the tax effect is no different to if you had invested in the UK companies yourself.

A lot of people don't let the facts get in the way of a good rant and their prejudices!

The Queen is stashing her hard earned dosh offshore because she objects to her money being used to pay for spongers and freeloaders off the state.

Wait...

Why not put the Queen on UC. No extras for more than two children per family and cap on Housing expenses. ] Oh yes and no help from the state when savings go above a certain amount. Which certainly doesn't include off shore accounts. Or perhaps they're exempt.