Gravy train ?....what gravy train

[bazwillrun]

Another fine example of do as they say and not as they do

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/331884

http://order-order.co...ndy-eu-can-avoid-tax/


"The European Court of Justice has ruled that retired Eurocrats including the yacht-loving Lord Mandelson will be allowed to dodge tax on a huge scale. Brussels pensions are exempt from national taxes, meaning that the likes of Mandelson and Neil Kinnock only have to cough up 8% on their five-figure taxpayer-funded EU income. Am guessing the Euro-Judges will benefit from their ruling too. The decision to permit an official tax avoidance scheme for former EU officials comes as Brussels cracks down on tax dodging across the continent.

*** wonders whether George Osborne thinks his old friend Mandy is morally repugnant…"

Absolute disgrace

[bazwillrun]

So it would seem that the name G U I D O is not allowed on here...brilliant

[MarkRae]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_(slang)

[bazwillrun]

From your link

"Fishermen of Italian descent were once often called "Guidos" during the medieval time period."

So this is yet another example of kow-towing to the PC mob !

[bazwillrun]

"Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as *** Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605."

[jake-the-peg]

What not more anti-EU propaganda from the Express?

Pensions paid by foreign organisations have attracted 10% tax since 1988

http://www.legislatio.../1/section/58/enacted

UN is the same

Taxation in the UK is dealt with in BAFUNCS Information Leaflet INF 5 which should be read in
conjunction with this document. United Nations pensions paid in the United Kingdom are
subject to income tax, but 10 percent is tax exempt because the pension comes fromoverseas. The
relevant tax reference is 65(2)ICTA 1988.

I'd blame whoever was in power in 1988 if I were you!

[emmie]

there are two stories in todays paper, that illustrate quite clearly the divisions regarding tax avoidance, fraud, if you have money to pay for good lawyers, or at least are so well known that you get off with a fine.
One woman, who has been working as an escort, prostitute, avoided paying tax. Her earnings over several years was considerable, she has gone to jail for 17 months i think. A man who doesn't seem to have been particularly pleasant, but let's leave that out, has gone to prison for 17 years. This was also for tax avoidance, of course there is more to it than that. But if this had been Mandelson, or any politician, footballer, or so called comedian, then the chances of getting any kind of custodial sentence are very slim, to none. Why such disparity i wonder.

[jno]

distinguish between tax avoidance, which is legal, and tax evasion which is not. Mandelson is not "dodging" any tax he is supposed to pay.

[bazwillrun]

You mean like jimmy Carr for instance , who for some reason was singled out and subsequently made an apology for not doing anything illegal !

[emmie]

baz, if we all did that, used a loophole to avoid paying tax, then who would pay for all the services that we need.

[TheNovice]

Jake - don't think anyone's blaming anyone, just the hypocracy of it all.

Don't really think Osborne and Mandy were buddies, shared a mega rich chum or two tho!! Mandy.......champagne socilaist extrordinaire!!!!! And as for the Kinnocks, rejected all over the land but lords it in Brussels......says it all

[emmie]

so it does ^^^^

[ABerrant]

"Pensions paid by foreign organisations have attracted 10% tax since 1988"

Nice try, but that piece of legislation is utterly irrelevant.

Since 1965, The Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Communities (as amended by later Treaties) has ensured that earnings/pensions from EU institutions are subject to EU Community tax paid into the EU budget and now prohibits the levying of national taxes on such earnings.

Thus the UK gets 0% (making the 10% received from UN pensions etc. an infinitely larger amount) and the 'blame' for this principle arose 8 years before the UK joined the EEC.

[bazwillrun]

"baz, if we all did that, used a loophole to avoid paying tax, then who would pay for all the services that we need."

but the fact of the matter is that it is not illegal in any way or form, and the vast majority of taxpayers dont earn enough to take advantage of these schemes so the problem doesnt really arise.

Why doesnt the government close these legal schemes down or change the tax laws. ?

Because theyd be shooting themselves and all their high earningbuddies in the foot.

You think Phony Blair is paying the same sort of tax like Jo Schmo down the road ? of course he isnt he has tax advisors/accountants etc that will make sure he pays as little as possible within the law, thats their job thats why he pays them, to keep his tax bills as low as is legally possible.

Anybody that isnt PAYE should be doing the same, why should people just accept that the "sheriff of nottingham" is entitled to everything you earn but luckily lets you keep a little bit so you can survive.

People are being robbed blind, nothing much has really changed since the "Robin Hood" like times of mediaval Britian.

Look at the £billions of tax revenue that is thrown away to non UK "causes" no wonder people get p'd off and try and not pay any more than they can get away with, and how can you really blame them

[youngmafbog]

Answer is simple, get out of Europe, but Cameron wont let us vote. Perhaps he has an eye on a Bxls job with a huge tax free pension too.