dell12 Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Where are your figures from? "According to the DWP, the government lost around £900m in "benefit theft" in 2005, but HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), when asked how much the government was missing out in terms of lost revenue from tax evasion, said that "it is not possible to quantify a negative figure". However, Treasury papers leaked in June last year reveal that the government estimates a staggering annual loss of between £97bn and £150bn to tax theft, representing an appalling 8% to 12% of the nation's GDP." So around 8.3 times more at the lower estimate. Even more than I imagined. From http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/jan/10/comment.society Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dell12 Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Tax evasion and benefit fraud are much the same, people working the black economy both as employer and worker are all the same Granted some of it will be. However I reckon a large proportion will be from those rich enough to employ accountants good enough to hide their fortunes from the tax man and those who bank in Switzerland for 'tax purposes'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 "According to the DWP, the government lost around £900m in "benefit theft" in 2005, but HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), when asked how much the government was missing out in terms of lost revenue from tax evasion, said that "it is not possible to quantify a negative figure". However, Treasury papers leaked in June last year reveal that the government estimates a staggering annual loss of between £97bn and £150bn to tax theft, representing an appalling 8% to 12% of the nation's GDP." So around 8.3 times more at the lower estimate. Even more than I imagined. From http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/jan/10/comment.society ANy idea how they worked that figure out? Isn't tax evasion illegal (as opposed to tax avoidance) how do they estimate how much illegal activity is taking place? or is it kust a "stick your finger in the air" method?...just to add I think tax avoidance is the use of legal means to minimise your tax liabilities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dell12 Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 ANy idea how they worked that figure out? Isn't tax evasion illegal (as opposed to tax avoidance) how do they estimate how much illegal activity is taking place? or is it kust a "stick your finger in the air" method?...just to add I think tax avoidance is the use of legal means to minimise your tax liabilities? Tax evasion, tax avoidance are pretty much the same thing. Of course they don't know exactly, because as you say it's illegal, that's why the estimate varies by over £50bn! However there are various ways of getting a decent estimate. It's clear though it's costing us much more than benefit fraud ever will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Tax evasion, tax avoidance are pretty much the same thing. . No, one of them is illegal,the other isn't.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linesman Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 No, one of them is illegal,the other isn't....They are pretty much the same in as much as both withold funds from IR; one through good accountants and one illegaly. It is usualy the most wealthy who can afford the accountants to work the system for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dell12 Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 No, one of them is illegal,the other isn't.... You're quite right I stand corrected. Whether it's morally right is another question.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFKvsNixon Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 No, one of them is illegal,the other isn't.... That's usually because the people that gain the most through tax evasion have close ties with the politicians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 They are pretty much the same in as much as both withold funds from IR; one through good accountants and one illegaly. It is usualy the most wealthy who can afford the accountants to work the system for them. One's like shoplifting ther other is like taking advantage of discounted prices,if the shop wanted you to pay full price they'd stop the discount....the government must agree with avoidance otherwise they'd change the rules..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Macbeth Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 (edited) Right now, this week, pensioners will die in this country through not being able to afford the high cost of domestic fuel. Just remember right now, this very week Last winter 46,000 excessive deaths of British pensioners. You managed to avoid commenting on much of my post. However, you might like to say where those figures come from? It would be interesting to see what incomes they had and how they spent them? For example, the poorest pensioners won't have any housing costs like rent or council tax, benefits will take care of them. A state pension, including pension credit for a single person is around £130 per week. Heating a home suitable for a single person shouldn't cost more than an average £30 per week over the year, that leaves about £100 for everything else. Thats a reasonable amount, surely? A lone pensioner will also get a winter fuel allowance of £250. There are other allowances for care, or disability that I've not counted. I'd like to see pensioners get more in the way of basic pension, many of my generation actually believed we'd be able to retire on it! Edited December 20, 2009 by Ms Macbeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now