Subject of tax avoidance is a very serious business

To treat a subject that is of serious concern to all fair minded people in such a frivolous manner is a travesty.

His comment that we would all like to pay less tax, whilst no doubt true, completely and maybe deliberately misses the point.

Ninety five per cent of us are bound by law and a rigidly applied system that ensures we don’t avoid paying.

I do not consider it a matter of amusement that according to figures issued last week that in each of the last three years tax avoidance has deprived the Exchequer of over £34,000,000,000 (34 billion pounds) each year.

I’ve used numerals because words do not necessarily impart the magnitude of the sum. Quite simply it should not be allowed to happen under any circumstances.

Such a vast sum would redress the problems facing the NHS, cuts in care and welfare services, cuts in services to the public, shortage of nurses and reduction in our armed services etc, etc.

Information given recently suggested that the legislation governing tax covers over 11,000 pages of manuscript, a veritable jungle of opportunities for lawyers to manipulate on behalf of tax avoiders.

I say scrap the lot of it and start afresh on the simple precept, if the money is made here, or from here, then the tax is paid here.

To me, the following comparison highlights the burning sense of injustice prevalent in society today.

The Chancellor removes the top rate of tax, which reports state has put a further £50,000 into the pockets of the already wealthy each year.

With a great flourish of publicity about how caring and considerate this government is in regard to the diminishing income of OAPs he introduces the pensioner bonds.

For an investment of a maximum of £10,000 for three years, the interest is 4%; £400 per year, taxable, which brings it to £320 per year.

It would take the pensioner over 156 years to benefit by the same measure as the relief granted to the former higher rate taxpayer in one year.

There is a deep sense of unfairness and injustice prevalent in society today, often remarked on in the Echo.

It is not engendered by jealousy of what those at the top have, but by the blatant unnecessary manipulation of the system against those at the bottom.

Any advance towards a fairer society is hardly helped by the contents of Mr Murray’s column.

To treat such a serious subject as a jolly jape does neither justice to the inequality in society or the intelligence of the readers.

Any measures taken by Mr Miliband to redress the system will be applauded by the majority, as will the return of the editor’s article each week to a balanced subject review.

Dr S Smith, Southampton. 

Editor’s note: The End of the Week column was not intended to make light of the tax regime. In fact it was intended to do the opposite – to show the many facets of the tax system and how complex it is and whether it is fair to all.