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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to report somebody for not paying tax?

155 replies

PramInspector · 07/02/2009 19:07

I'm really not sure about this one and would really appreciate some views as it is a bit of a moral dilemma which I just don't have the answer to.

I know someone (a guy) who runs his own business and who has not been declaring the large majority of his earnings (and thus not paying tax on them) for many years.

Now on the one hand, I think it is not my business to judge. On the other hand, I think this is clearly a crime which we are all paying for.

Why on earth should he get away with it? And why on earth should it be seen as any different to nicking somebody's handbag (which most people wouldn't hesitate to report and probably involves a lot less money)?

The other thing that makes this decision harder is that this guy has recently left his partner & 3 children, and I am not sure what impact it could have on them if this tax fraud was reported.

So what would you guys do?

OP posts:

ItsallaboutMEMEME · 07/02/2009 22:29

My friends born into money are the scruffiest and the other lot who are nouveau riche look like they've made a serious effort even when doing the gardening.

ItsallaboutMEMEME · 07/02/2009 22:33

Really Devine, I normally blame the gas companies for the folk freezing in winter.

tumtumtetum · 07/02/2009 22:34

You're wrong MEMEME.

The ones born into money are dousing their expensive jeans in Gucci whenever you're not looking.

ItsallaboutMEMEME · 07/02/2009 22:36

I wish they would, smelly bastards

tumtumtetum · 07/02/2009 22:40

ItsallaboutMEMEME · 07/02/2009 22:46

Op, what does this man do for a living?

sorrento · 08/02/2009 13:28

Divineintervention - when I think of the Home Secretary claiming £24,000 a year to live at her sisters house 35% of the time, it puts me off reporting anybody, but the biggest issue here is he is doing this to avoid maintance payments.

Penthesileia · 08/02/2009 13:35

Risk of black-marketeering, Desiderata?

No system would be/is perfect, I think.

violethill · 08/02/2009 13:36

Haven't read whole thread, but yes, if you have reason to believe he isn't paying tax then you should report him. It's no better than other forms of theft.

If he isn't doing anything illegal he has nothing to fear anyway.

paolosgirl · 08/02/2009 13:40

Absolutely report him. It's theft, it means that everyone else has to pay more, it means that the schools, hospitals etc don't get properly funded and it's morally repugnant.

There is a helpline - think it's listed on the Inland Revenue website.

Katiestar · 08/02/2009 17:28

Poorer people tend to be hit harder by purchase tax because they spend a larger proportion of their income.Richer people tend to invest.
Back to the OP.....I would stay out of it.When you think how much the scottish One-eyed idiot has squandered in his failed attemots to prop up banks and how much this govt has wasted on illegal wars ,then your friends few quid are hardly significant are they ?

tiredsville · 08/02/2009 18:37

Yes, and one billion pounds donated by us towards the RBS bonuses. Times like this, I resent paying taxes.

paolosgirl · 08/02/2009 19:34

None of us like paying taxes, tired! Fact of the matter is that those of us on PAYE have no option but to pay taxes. Those who aren't still have to pay, whether they like it or not. Leave GB and other politicians out of the equation for a moment and concentrate on the issue - should a man who has boasted about not paying the appropriate amount of tax be reported? Yes, of course he should. He's stealing from us all.

sorrento · 08/02/2009 20:11

So because you are being shafted then everybody should be cos if we're all being fucked over then it's fair

tiredsville · 08/02/2009 20:16

Of course the man is an arsehole and wrong, but it's not something I can get excited about and loose sleep over when we are being robbed daily by the ministers who make and break the rules.

violethill · 08/02/2009 20:31

Totally illogical argument tiredsville. We aren't talking about losing sleep or getting excited over it. We're talking about reporting fraud.

To follow your argument to its logical conclusion, you wouldn't bother reporting someone for snatching an old lady's handbag if it contained a couple of quid, but you would if it contained 50.

Absurd.

tumtumtetum · 08/02/2009 20:39

sorrento backatyou - the more people like the op's mate who don't pat their taxes, the more tax has to be paid by PAYE and honest people to raise enough revenue.

So we all have to pay more because of people like that. So we are all "fucked over" even more.

That is fair how?

tiredsville · 08/02/2009 20:39

What a suprise, an illogical example
I'll leave you to it.

paolosgirl · 08/02/2009 20:39

DH is currently investigating a couple for fraud. What he thought was going to be something fairly minor has now become well over half a million pounds in tax this couple owe. Have you any idea how many teachers or nurses that money could pay for? Their local economy should have benefited from their tax - instead they've lied about how much they've earned and they've kept the money. The man involved is completely unrepentant, and sees it as his money. The fact that his business depends on the roads that other taxpayers have paid for is beyond his grasp.

violethill · 08/02/2009 20:57

Yeah I think you need to go tiredsville - go get a grasp of logic.

sorrento · 08/02/2009 21:06

I don't disagree, of course he should be paying and as I've said about 4 times his main motivation will be lying to the CSA however maybe if we all got more vocal about our taxes being poured down the drain instead of snitching on each other to the tax lines etc etc then people would be happier to pay taxes in the first place.
Whilst we're busy arguing amongst ourselves it's a case of divide and concur isn't it.

violethill · 08/02/2009 21:12

I don't understand why being vocal about taxes being wasted on things like illegal wars, and being vocal about fraudsters who cheat their way out of paying taxes are seen as mutually exclusive by some people.

I am very vocal about my taxes being spent on things which I find morally reprehensible. I also find it morally reprehensible that anyone can feel it's ok to act unlawfully and cheat their way out of paying taxes. We cannot decide which bits of the legislation we want to abide by.

Two wrongs don't make a right do they?
I just find it very strange that some people trot out this argument every time.

paolosgirl · 08/02/2009 21:19

What on earth are you on about Sorrento?! You honestly think that people who evade taxation do so as some form of vocal protest about the amount of money this government throws down drains? And that they would somehow be 'happy' to pay their taxes if we were all a little more vocal about this government waste? You should speak to my DH - he will be able to reassure you that it would take slightly more than that for tax evaders to ever feel 'happy' about paying tax.

tumtumtetum · 08/02/2009 21:20

The majority of people aren't happy about paying taxes though - as demonstrated on this thread and IME of people in RL - many people see it as "the taxman" stealing their hard earned cash.

In my old job every single time we got paid the bloke opposite me would bang on about how much tax he was paying and how out of order it was and how well off he'd be if only he didnt have to pay.

I always said well if we didn't pay tax we probably wouldn't get paid so much in the first place as companies will pay as little as they can get away with and so you would probably end up taking home the same money. I never saw it as mt money in the first place - it was just some more writing on the paylip. I guess that's the difference which results in the different attitudes on this thread.

The thing is I think a lot of people divorce the idea of tax and what it actually pays for. They don't want to pay it but they damn well want to use the schools and NHS.

As for corruption - MP expenses etc yes it is appalling. But the amount going in corruption when compared to the amount being spent on our services in miniscule.

So yes stamp out corruption but not paying taxes isn't the way to do it - the only people who lose are ourselves and our communities. The powerful will just find another different way to grow richer.

sorrento · 08/02/2009 23:34

Well tum that is everything that is wrong with the system, you must see it as your money because it is and their needs to be accountability. And they should be accounting for every last penny.

I'm sure the people paolosgirls husband see won't ever be happy paying taxes, you're right but how about less resentful then ?

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