Yesterday I noted the anti-democratic nature of tax havens.
Interesting thought really. It’s simply a restatement of the old colonial attitude. We solid Brits want to run our country our way. That means foreigners must do what we tell them.
Because that is what he’s saying. That foreigners cannot have different rules from us because that would offer Brits and alternative to the Curajus State.
Today I note the UK has refused a full visa to Chinese artist Ai Weiwei
Stop the bus, I need Ai Weiwei.
Err, unlike an all powerful Marxist State run in perpetuity by a succession of Jeremy Corbyns?
That sort of nice democracy?
At least we do not have the American system of citizen based taxation.
Yet. I know that there are those on the left who thinks it would be a good idea.
I wonder if Ritchie agrees with CBT?
I think he agrees with UK citizens paying UK tax.
Non-UK citizens not paying UK tax is an area he seems to have a bit of trouble with.
I sometimes think that in his view any sort of connection with the UK is enough to bring you into the UK tax net – whether that’s residence, citizenship, owning UK property, selling to UK taxpayers, buying from UK taxpayers, working for a business that has a presence in the UK, featuring in UK newspapers, playing a British person on TV… all good 🙂
Salamander – At least we do not have the American system of citizen based taxation.
Crazy, isn’t it? I know a few American expats, it’s a pain in the arse for them even though they don’t actually owe the IRS any tax.
Here’s what the IRS says:
Your worldwide income is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you reside.
And to think these ungrateful colonials rebelled over being asked to pay a few pennies on a barrel of tea.
We should take them back into the British Empire.
From what I have heard, the septics have enacted a new law called Fatca that will enable them to draft the world’s banks into helping them track down all the American citizens so that they can collect an indeterminate amount of money from them. It all depends on which lefty you ask as to how much money could be collected.
The young turks of YouTube reckon an additional $300 billion could be collected. I have my doubts.
Murphy’s always had a bit of a problem with black, brown and yellow folks managing their affairs in a non-white manner. But I’m not sure it’s a product of the old colonial attitude. I think it has more to do with the fact that he’s more or less a dyed in the wool totalitarian… The British government is closest, so it will do.
Dennis
He did bridle when I described his demand for a ‘passport tax’ as ‘outright racism’ – fourth ban from the site as a troll even before I was permanently barred about a year ago – as you see pretty much a proto-fascist/ stalinist……
I’m of a similar mind to Dennis the Peasant.
I think Dickie is speaking more to the UK population and authorities than to foreign tax havens – that he leans towards preventing relatively free access to tax havens rather than telling them how they should regulate. And the worst of it is that he is convinced of his own good intentions.
From Dickie’s post yesterday [Archive.is link] his opposition to tax havens is apparently for the benefit of “democracy, the rule of law, the power to regulate and the survival of society as we know it.” and to fight the dastardly scourge of capital roaming free “ignoring the will of the world’s people as it does so”.
Such a modest man.
I have just looked up the passport tax. It appears to be almost like Americas CBT. Given that there are over 8 million Americans living outside the USA and most pretty much ignore CBT and do not file tax returns, how does Ritchie expect it to work with the UK? OK, America has created FATCA and that might enable them to find out where all the Americans abroad are, but that would still leave themthe issue of getting them to comply and pay up.
The left seem to be trying to create a global system of monitoring every persons ons fart and bowel movement so that tax can be extracted from them. And they do not seem to understand that this is more creepy than be stalked by a rabid bunny boiler.
If you were to don the biohazard suit and climb into the squirming mess inside his head, you would find his definition of ‘democracy’ to be quite unusual.
Inside Ritchie’s brain.
@Steve
Worried that was a risky click. It was not. Seems quite apt.
Salamander
Despite Lawrence from Guernsey’s denials, the closest model to the ‘Courageous State’ of Murphy’s vision is North Korea where all movement is monitored and permits to travel are needed to move from one settlement to another. Many people view this with abject horror – for Murphy, as Steve’s excellent link emphasizes , it just gets his appetite whetted – if anything he’d probably lecture Kim Jong un about the ‘Joy of tax’ that could be extracted from the system. An appalling individual.
To Gareth’s point, this quote from the lyricist Friedrich Hoelderlin is worth bearing in mind:
‘What has always made the state a hell on earth has been precisely that man has tried to make it heaven’
He would no doubt be dismissed as a ‘Neo liberal troll’ by RM….
FATCA is materially affecting the ability of US citizens to live and work as expats. I know people who have had to jump through some terribly frustrating hoops just to open a current account. It’s one of the most abominable bits of legislation that has been enacted in recent years, and remember that is a list that includes Dodd-Frank, Sarbanes-Ovley and Obamacare. It’s really quite explicitly totalitarian, in the old Mussolini niente al di fuori dello Stato sense.
Philip Collins has some funny things to say in The Times today. Talking about the Labour left, I can’t help thinking lots of what he says applies to Murphy…
“the tip-off for this sort of rubbish is the use of the meaningless term neo-liberal. Anyone who dares compromise with reality is a ‘neo-liberal’…I’d rather be neo-liberal than Neolithic”
“…nothing to offer bit puerile slogans and a road to oblivion”
“And to think these ungrateful colonials rebelled over being asked to pay a few pennies on a barrel of tea.”
Thanks Steve, I’ll have to remember that one for next time I hear an American whining about FATCA..:)
BiCR: “An abomination” – indeed.
I would guess – on the grounds of transparency, paying the State its due, and being “a good citizen” – that Richard must be a big fan of FATCA? I’m curious, has he ever openly supported it?
Shoudn’it be who’s?
shoulda gonna ta ample forthe
“PF
that Richard must be a big fan of FATCA? I’m curious, has he ever openly supported it?”
He doesn’t read enough to have heard of it, although now its been mentioned on here I’m sure it will feature soon, but with his own interpretation.
Richard, its been around for quite a few years and you can read about here: http://www.cato.org/blog/fatca-law-nightmare-cross-border-economic-activity
BiND
One can’t help thinking, with that kind of utter nonsense, that if you’re a US ex-pat, and don’t believe in being a slave to your Curajus of Birth, there may be benefits to bailing out completely, ie just go and get a fresh ticket?
Land of the free!
PF: there’s never been more people relinquishing their US citizenship than at present. Bearing in mind what a total burn-your-boats act it is, that’s saying something.
Bit of a spat going on over on Murphy’s site about HMRC supposedly not asking for tax returns from UK companies trading overseas. Sounds nonsense to me as UK companies are taxable in the UK no matter where in the world they trade (albeit subject to tax relief on foreign tax paid).
Anyway, a friend of mine has emailed me to point out that Murphy has claimed that a director at HMRC called “Jim O’Hara” has confirmed that Murphy is right.
No such person – operations director at HMRC is Jim Harra.
What a dufus Murphy is. Can’t remember the guy’s name but claims he remembers exactly what he said. Mr friend has a post pending pointing this out. Wonder if Murphy will publish it.
Seamus O’Leary (whoever he might be 😉 ) got Ritchie to U-turn categorically on citizenship-based taxation a few months back. A proper “We have always been at war with East Asia. I have never claimed otherwise” U-turn.
Google is your friend for finding the threads in question (there’s only 3 or 4)