Tuesday 6 November 2012

DO POLITICIANS AVOID PAYING TAX ?


Ask any man in the street if he thinks politicians pay a fair amount of tax on their income and the immediate answer is "NO" !

In Britain and in other countries as well, there have been numerous occasions when an MP has been caught out because he has "fiddled" his expenses and tax liabilities ! However, the problem is not just a simple question of whether the tax due has been correctly reported.  

Particularly in international organisations, politicians have generous (tax-free) allowances designed to avoid the submission of expense reports.  They also have rent allowances for their flats.

This is on top of a generous remuneration package which includes (non-contributary ?) pension schemes which are Government funded and guaranteed against inflation ! 

This priviledged situation is enjoyed by not only MPs but Diplomats working for their countries or in an international organisation.  This is the priviledged cream of society. They are normally not bothered with mundane tax matters !

When political leaders are obliged to seek funds to cover overspending, they could profitably analize operations for which they are directly responsible, just like professional businessmen !  Taxpayers would appreciate   that !   

Most of the foregoing is "legal tax evasion", but is this morally right ?
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