Harriet Harman tries to end lap dancing tax break

[Ewe]

Link here

So ladies, what do you think?

I think on the whole it is a good idea, it does rather assume however that women don't attend lap dancing clubs which ime isn't true.

Bloody HELL it never even occurred to me that a night out with the "lads" from work to Spearmint Fucking Rhino would be tax deductible!!

HH rules. And she's my MP. Aren't I lucky

Women do attend lap-dancing clubs but I would imagine that lots of them would rather NOT. Generally it is seen as being prissy if you don't come along with the lads, but it is a bloody JOKE that this is considered something that is acceptable to put on expenses.

That is shocking, I too never imagined it could be put on expenses.

I didn't think so either (the company I work for has very strict policies on not allowing adult entertainment to be claimed on expenses) but apparently (as also said in the article) the clubs themselves don't come up as Spearmint Rhinos on receipts, but as other stuff (someone told me that Stringfellows comes up as Bob's Steak House). I have also been told that it is really common in the organisation I work for (they just don't invite women). DP's experienced this before, where the clients he was taking out for entertainment purposes tried to drag him along to a strip club with them, he refused, called his friend and met up with him instead. Apparently these guys spent EVERY night in strip clubs. I don't think it's just women who don't like being dragged to these places; a lot of men don't like it as well.

They should have stricter controls about what companies are allowed to put on receipts, so it's easier to catch this. There was a bar in Edinburgh called Rush that used to come up as Dr Watsons' Library.

I also like that she's planning on making childcare tax deductible. Apparently chauffeurs are, but not nanny's/CMs. This law was OBVIOUSLY written by a wealthy man.

I think there's a lot of misdirection about this. Corporate entertainment is not allowed as an expense. If you take a client out for a meal, then you would still pay tax on that money. Same goes for lapdancing.

That's not to say a company can't spend its money on Chateau Margaux, Gordon Ramsay, and Stringfellows - just that it is taxable.

The idea that there is somehow a 'lap dancing taxbreak' is complete bollocks designed to fill newspapers/for Harperson to make a point. The ONLY situation where you can get a tax break for entertainment is for a 'qualifying annual event', such as a Christmas party, which must be open to all staff, and for which there is a £150/head cap.

See www.hmrc.gov.uk/paye/exb/a-z/s/social-functions.htm

If a company uses that for all-company lapdancing trips, then they could very well find themself up before the Industrial Tribunal on sexual harrassment claims.

The Treasury says it's total bollocks:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8263284.stm

"Corporate entertainment of any kind is not deductible for corporate tax or VAT purposes.

"Knowingly claiming for corporate entertainment is tax fraud and those who try to evade their legal obligations will face penalties in addition to paying back any evaded tax" "