In the interests of fairness - I have to praise the Condems for something

[LadyBlaBlah]

As some of you may know, I am not a fan

However over the weekend I was talking to a friend who is paid using a 'loan' system, which means you end up paying 20% tax instead of the standard 40% tax (yes it did mean these people would qualify for CB!). This is a well know and well used tax avoidance scheme used by many contractors and business owners.

They have closed the loop hole with immediate effect

I am

These people are now having to pay 20% more tax, from now - even for Christmas.

Credit where credit is due - I never thought they would do that.

blimey, well done the government.

Now, there's just the small matter of Vodafone... and Tesco.. and Boots...

How about the bankers, Philip Green, Ashcroft.

Silly me, all Tory supporters

and the Guardian Media Group too perhaps?

Very possibly, Bob.

Is it the first bullet point in this?

www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_68_10.htm

Strange, n'est ce pas, that UK Uncut haven't "occupied" the Guardian, insisting that their parent company stop using offshore trusts?

I think Polly Toynbee, if she has any morals, should certainly resign, and so should the rest.

After all, could such doughty anti-tax campaigners work in good conscience for an organisation which avoids tax on such a large scale?

I do hope the lefties here are boycotting the Graun. If not, it might be time to start examining your conscience.

It was extracted by the Lib Dems ahead of the tuition fees vote - here (at the bottom of the page) (Lady B, you may want to cover the right hand side of the screen )

It also covers inheritance tax avoidance www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336056/Inheritance-tax-clampdown-Treasury-closes-2bn-worth-dodges.html.

sorry, here at the bottom of the page.

? do some pages not like being linked to or something?

what it said was
In exchange for his support on tuition fees, Nick Clegg appears to have secured firm commitments to take on corporation tax avoidance - a key plank of youth protests in central London this weekend, which targeted Top Shop.

Treasury minister David Gauke is expected to announce plans for legislation on the subject tomorrow.

Well done.

longfinger - I used to work for a company that was taken over by Guardian Media Group. IME GMG are just as bad as any other corporate sharks. Amazing how many of the people they 'chose' for redundancy just happened to be women on maternity leave, for instance.

edam Interesting.

I dont doubt that the GMG is as bad as other companies but this does not distract from the fact that the positions they take are sane and sensible compared to the Torygraph and Mail.

It's like a "bad" person preaching a "good" message.

newwave - so hypocrisy is OK? Do as I say, not as I do?

I had an email from 38Degrees the other week, inviting me to sign up for their new campaign targeting corporate tax dodgers. It cited various articles in the Graun. I emailed back to ask what their view of the allegations of tax/stamp duty dodging against GMG was & how it fitted with this campaign. Answer came there none .

According to Sunny Hundal GMG was 'forced' to go offshore when they bought EMAP & Apax 'because of the way Apax is structured'. I presume no-one forced them to buy EMAP & Apex?

The Graun has even set up its own 'Tax Gap' blog looking in-depth at big companies and their tax set-ups. If anyone can point me to where they clarify GMG's please do so. Otherwise I think they need to come clean.

vesela - that is loophole that has been closed

An update on the situation is that the company have come back to my friend and said there is a work round which means that the loophole still hasn't been closed. Shame.

I admit I didn't know much about GMG's tax avoidance. I presume that most corporates do it. It is an acceptable part of our culture. Shame.