The next government should introduce new laws to prosecute financial advisers who help wealthy individuals and firms in aggressive tax avoidance, a comprehensive parliamentary report has found.
Tax avoidance is not illegal. Aggressive tax avoidance is not illegal. So it cannot be illegal to advise on such.
Tax evasion is illegal. So, it could be possible to create an offence of advising upon tax evasion. Although I would imagine that conspiracy to defraud the revenue already exists somewhere as an offence.
The cross-party group of MPs has called for legislation that will allow the prosecution of advisers who push their clients towards aggressive tax avoidance schemes.
MPs are, as it happens, the people who vote on what the law is. And when we get the laws being crafted by people who are this fucking ignorant no wonder the country’s in the state it is.
Politicians are the most aggressive tax avoiders and should be prosecuted. They avoid more tax for themselves with my money than I am allowed to, although I worked for the money and took all the risk.
Which idiot MPs? I wondered.
The PAC says the article.
Aah, that explains it
So we’re not just dealing with an ad hoc group of gobshites; this is the PAC we’re talking about. Our nation is in safe hands.
I wonder if this includes the tax-avoider-but-I-dont-count-because-Im-too-important Margaret Hodge.
@ Paul
Of course it does
Can we have a law making it a criminal offence to submit false expense claims? This law would, of course, be applicable to past crimes too, in the full spirit of Parliament’s current zeitgeist.
There is already an indirect “tax” on advisers who get involved in aggressive schemes. When/if the whole thing goes pear shaped and their clients have to pay penalties, the clients sue them. Not all is covered by insurance, and getting sued makes your insurance premiums go up.
Accountants already pay higher premiums if they advise sports or entertainment people, as they love dodgy tax schemes.
You already have to tell HMRC if you’re using a scheme. How much of a clue do they want.
And yes, there is conspiracy to defraud , as well as money laundering regs, a duty to snitch to the Old Bill if your client is evading and don’t forget the anti-bribery laws.
It’s Hodges’ disease;
Can’t be arsed to draft the legislation properly
Can’t understand what I’m trying to do
Can’t be arsed to read the legislation I’m voting on
I’d vote for it anyway cos the Whips told me to
Would it be illegal to advise against participating in a scheme because it is too tax-aggressive?
Wasn’t there a Monty Python sketch where someone’s in the dock being read a ridiculous charge sheet that includes “conspiracy to commit acts not normally considered illegal”?
How ’bout a law banning reporters from using superfluous adjectives?
“prosecute financial advisers who help wealthy individuals and firms in aggressive tax avoidance”
What is the distinction between tax avoidance and aggressive tax avoidance?
to be honest, I don’t mind who the fuckwits fuck, so long as it isn’t me!
@Neil:
Superintendent: Oh sorry! Right, here we go. You are hereby charged. One, that you did, on or about 1126, conspire to publicize a London Borough in the course of a BBC saga; two, that you were wilfully and persistently a foreigner; three, that you conspired to do things not normally considered illegal; four, that you were caught in possession of an offensive weapon, viz, the big brown table down at the police station.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JshcuLgIalM
So tax avoidance isn’ t illegal. It is if it doesn’t t work. So if the attempted avoidance is struck out by the courts then penalties should be payable. Do you agree?
That’s already the case; no need for further legislation.
Bloke in CR. No It’s not you idiot. Please try to learn a bit more about UK tax before you comment.