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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think it sets a really bad example for the country when the PMs family have tax dodged millions

458 replies

Chloefairydust · 25/10/2022 22:05

Just that really…

Im really surprised Sunak actually made it to be prime minister considering the recent stories that have been in the news regarding his family avoiding millions of ££ in tax . I actually thought Boris would have been more likely to have been PM. (Not that he’s any better🤔)

OP posts:
Berrylina · 26/10/2022 20:57

qualitychat · 26/10/2022 19:41

Do people not get that he was Chancellor and that his wife was using non dom status to avoid millions in tax. The various celebrities who used a loophole to avoid tax were berated. I agreed with the OP. If you are in the Government you and your family need to be seen to be doing the right thing. They are incredibly rich and their extra tax would be a drop in the ocean for them.

You make it seem like a bad thing or something illegal. Why do you want Akshata's Indian income from her family's business? She is paying UK taxes on UK income. She is paying Indian taxes on Indian Income. There are 250-300K people who are non-dom. I would never pay tax here on income from abroad if I had it.
It's not like they aren't spending their money here.

Why not tax the hundreds of thousands able bodied sitting at home waiting for the right job instead of picking up any job to pay bills?
You'd rather we hounded dual nationals for their income form abroad?

Berrylina · 26/10/2022 21:01

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 26/10/2022 19:07

And being an MP is not like any other job - there is an implicit understanding that you have a long term interest and commitment to the country

Is there? someone needs to tell Milliband and Clegg then, altho I suspect this 'implicit understanding' is one of those made-up unwritten rules. I'd also guess that most MPs commitment stretches to the next election and their chances of re-election and no further.

I think one of them is in a 7.5 million mansion in Silicon Valley. Nice life if you can have it! Nobody is giving him and his family a hard time.

derxa · 26/10/2022 21:36

It's attack attack attack isn't it. The last spouse to be attacked was Carrie. I couldn't stand her but she got the full treatment on lovely woman friendly MN

LadyWithLapdog · 26/10/2022 21:46

Did Carrie get bad press on MN? I don’t remember any threads. There were plenty about MM, if we’re talking spouses.

MarshaMelrose · 26/10/2022 21:49

Did Carrie get bad press on MN?

Is that serious? 😂😂😂

LadyWithLapdog · 26/10/2022 22:00

Ha, I must have missed it. I read the first page only. Bravo to the person saying in January that Sunak will be the successor.

minou123 · 26/10/2022 22:02

LCopp89 · 26/10/2022 20:01

This is exactly it!!

What are people not getting?

  • This is nothing to do with the colour of their skin or heritage
  • This is nothing to do with Sunak's background - I'm what you would call a "leftie" and have no problem acknowledging his humble background, his parent's hardwork and his obvious intelligence to go as far as he has. Keir Starmer has a very similar background. Used his talents on human rights instead of crashing the world economy as part of a hedge fund, but never mind.

He and his wife need to be seen to be doing the right thing with tax. And hey guess what - they agree they've been setting a bad example! That's why she's changed it! Doesn't that say it all?

Show quote history

I am also a "Leftie".
I would rather poke my eyes out with toothpicks, than vote Tory.

There is a lot of things to criticise Rishi Sunak. A lot!

He and his wife absolutely do need to do the right thing. And she did.
I get it. People don't like the Non Dom Status laws, but that doesn't mean what she did was wrong.

In the UK, everyone needs to pay the correct amount of tax they owe. Not a penny less and not a penny more.

You would be very pissed off if I came along and told you you are no longer allowed to claim the tax reliefs you are currently getting.
And you would be very angry if I said, you are the only one who doesn't get the reliefs. Everyone else who qualifies can have it, but I've decided you are setting a bad example and therefore I'm forcing you to pay more tax than you should be.

Hawkins001 · 26/10/2022 22:03

rosangelanne · 26/10/2022 11:11

Does having "strong moral values" include honesty? Or does that not matter?

As far as I'm aware they were honest and followed the rules, how were they not in your view ?

UnicornRidge · 26/10/2022 22:22

Correct.
Who are the saints here who pay more income tax than they have to? Tax Planning is what everyone does in this country? Do you write to HMRC and voluntarily pay more taxes than you have to? If you don't, you can't critise other people for not paying more taxes.
Do people chase Johnson to pay more taxes? Do people track Truss' husband down and ask him to pay more taxes? No. There is a racist undertone to this accusation.

FurAndFeathers · 26/10/2022 23:09

qualitychat · 26/10/2022 19:41

Do people not get that he was Chancellor and that his wife was using non dom status to avoid millions in tax. The various celebrities who used a loophole to avoid tax were berated. I agreed with the OP. If you are in the Government you and your family need to be seen to be doing the right thing. They are incredibly rich and their extra tax would be a drop in the ocean for them.

You mean like parents who use the child tax credit ‘loophole’ to avoid paying tax? Is that the right thing to do?

which legal tax planning strategies are acceptable and which aren’t? Clearly legality isn’t the barometer.

rwalker · 26/10/2022 23:14

UnicornRidge · 26/10/2022 22:22

Correct.
Who are the saints here who pay more income tax than they have to? Tax Planning is what everyone does in this country? Do you write to HMRC and voluntarily pay more taxes than you have to? If you don't, you can't critise other people for not paying more taxes.
Do people chase Johnson to pay more taxes? Do people track Truss' husband down and ask him to pay more taxes? No. There is a racist undertone to this accusation.

Non of trusses or Johnson partner have non dom status it’s not racist

FurAndFeathers · 26/10/2022 23:21

rwalker · 26/10/2022 23:14

Non of trusses or Johnson partner have non dom status it’s not racist

Show quote history

Why is the non-dom status relevant?
the fundamental issue is that folk are arguing she should pay tax she is not legally liable for but that other (white) politicians should not.

UnicornRidge · 26/10/2022 23:34

How do you know they don't? Have you looked into it?
Jacob Rees-Mogg did not declare his £6 million in personal loans from his Cayman Islands-linked company. He has an investment company in Cayman Islands. Funny why you don't have a problem with that.

UnicornRidge · 26/10/2022 23:35

How do you know they don't have tax planning? Are they paying more taxes than they have to legally? I doubt it.

PickAChew · 26/10/2022 23:42

Many ordinary families use tax avoidance to their advantage. I do it. I'm a stay at home parent carer snd I have savings in my name. As I am not earning, so not paying income tax, I don't need to pay tax on any savings interest, while DH does. The raw numbers might be smaller but it's the same idea.

minou123 · 27/10/2022 00:00

PickAChew · 26/10/2022 23:42

Many ordinary families use tax avoidance to their advantage. I do it. I'm a stay at home parent carer snd I have savings in my name. As I am not earning, so not paying income tax, I don't need to pay tax on any savings interest, while DH does. The raw numbers might be smaller but it's the same idea.

@PickAChew that's not tax avoidance
That's just normal tax rules.

Rishi Sunaks wife also isn't involved in tax avoidance.And nor are you.

Well, unless your savings account is in the Caymen Islands?

MarshaMelrose · 27/10/2022 00:06

JRM was cleared by the parliamentary watchdog over those loans.

EsmaCannonball · 27/10/2022 00:06

Putting a billionaire tax avoider in charge of the Treasury is like making Pablo Escobar the Minister for Justice.

Did the issue of the green card ever get cleared up or do we have a Prime Minister who is wanted by American law enforcement?

It isn't sexist to criticise Rishi over this because if he didn't want his wife's finances to be considered jointly with his then he shouldn't have entered into a legal contract with her.

It isn't racist to criticise Rishi over this because, IIRC, the people of India would have quite liked his wife to pay taxes there, too; instead of, where was it? Mauritius? The Cayman Islands?

The argument that it isn't against the law doesn't wash as he's one of the people who makes the laws, and he doesn't appear to be changing any of the ones that benefit rich tax avoiders. If it's legal it's because he wants it to be legal.

The argument that it's sensible financial planning makes it sound like he's saving up for a motorhome or dreaming of an early retirement to the Algarve. He's got oligarch-level money. Once you're in the realm of hundreds of millions, going out of your way to cling on to every penny is just greed. What was he financially planning for? What was he going to have to go without if he didn't keep his wealth in a tax haven?

Rory Stewart has said that when he was Prisons Minister he tried to persuade Rishi that non-payment of council tax or television licence fines shouldn't lead to custodial sentences, but Rishi wasn't having it. If you're too poor to pay tax, he would happily send you to prison. If you're so rich that you could pay tens of millions in tax and never even notice it, he'll make sure you can hoard your wealth offshore.

He's part of the problem. He's part of the world's financial corruption.

Hawkins001 · 27/10/2022 00:09

EsmaCannonball · 27/10/2022 00:06

Putting a billionaire tax avoider in charge of the Treasury is like making Pablo Escobar the Minister for Justice.

Did the issue of the green card ever get cleared up or do we have a Prime Minister who is wanted by American law enforcement?

It isn't sexist to criticise Rishi over this because if he didn't want his wife's finances to be considered jointly with his then he shouldn't have entered into a legal contract with her.

It isn't racist to criticise Rishi over this because, IIRC, the people of India would have quite liked his wife to pay taxes there, too; instead of, where was it? Mauritius? The Cayman Islands?

The argument that it isn't against the law doesn't wash as he's one of the people who makes the laws, and he doesn't appear to be changing any of the ones that benefit rich tax avoiders. If it's legal it's because he wants it to be legal.

The argument that it's sensible financial planning makes it sound like he's saving up for a motorhome or dreaming of an early retirement to the Algarve. He's got oligarch-level money. Once you're in the realm of hundreds of millions, going out of your way to cling on to every penny is just greed. What was he financially planning for? What was he going to have to go without if he didn't keep his wealth in a tax haven?

Rory Stewart has said that when he was Prisons Minister he tried to persuade Rishi that non-payment of council tax or television licence fines shouldn't lead to custodial sentences, but Rishi wasn't having it. If you're too poor to pay tax, he would happily send you to prison. If you're so rich that you could pay tens of millions in tax and never even notice it, he'll make sure you can hoard your wealth offshore.

He's part of the problem. He's part of the world's financial corruption.

Where is the logic then of putting a poor person in charge ?

Berrylina · 27/10/2022 00:21

@EsmaCannonball Did the issue of the green card ever get cleared up or do we have a Prime Minister who is wanted by American law enforcement?

I am not sure really, what about the issue of a Prime minister who only gave up his American citizenship in 2016, years after being London Mayor and Henley PM. Was he wanted by American law enforcement or did that not matter because he wasn't brown?

Your post has so many flaws. The simple fact is that they aren't breaking any laws. It's not a loophole. There are over 250000 people in the UK who have non-dom status.
Why do you want Akshata's Indian money to pay for you in the UK?
There are many other ways you can benefit the country via investments and receive tax relief. I bet you wouldn't take it then.

MsMoody · 27/10/2022 00:21

Quite frankly she had a nerve claiming that she was only a “temporary resident” when she lived at bloody 11 Downing St next door to the Prime Minister!

minou123 · 27/10/2022 00:28

MsMoody · 27/10/2022 00:21

Quite frankly she had a nerve claiming that she was only a “temporary resident” when she lived at bloody 11 Downing St next door to the Prime Minister!

She didn't
She didn't say she is "temporary resident"

That never happened.

toomuchlaundry · 27/10/2022 00:36

@MsMoody do you understand tax rules?

EsmaCannonball · 27/10/2022 00:36

Yes, she was claiming to be only staying in the UK temporarily and planning on returning to India in the near future. Meanwhile, her husband was Chancellor of the Exchequer, with his sights set on becoming PM. I wonder if he knew she was planning to live separate lives? 😉Oh, and then they were both simultaneously planning to take up permanent residence in California. It gets very confusing. (One suspects deliberately so.) Anyway, the money wasn't in any of these places.