General News The Panama Papers - UK PM David Cameron's father evades tax

Just because his name came up on the list DOES NOT mean he evaded taxes. It's more than likely that the arrangement was perfectly LEGAL. It might not be moral but just because it's immoral does not mean it's a crime.

 

It's not just David Cameron that has benefitted from Tax Avoidance schemes and investments. Many others have as well.
Labour has called for his resignation yet were they not part of the expenses scandal like many other politicians?

How many of us - if we were honest enough to tell the truth and not hide behind pretended morals - would opt out of paying tax if we were able? I would for sure.

 

No, the legality is the key question in here and that what is I am challenging you.

There very definition of tax evasion is "an illegal practice where a person, organization or corporation intentionally avoids paying his/her/its true tax liability". The tax evasion you call legal is called "tax planning", "tax minimization" or "tax avoidance".

Tax Evasion Definition | Investopedia

It's important to use the correct terminology not to create more confusion among the public. I'm not saying that what he did was morally right or non-hypocritical but it's not right to accuse him of a crime that he most likely did not commit. Laws should reflect what is deemed morally acceptable. If planning taxes is deemed immoral it should be made illegal.

 

I find it somewhat intriguing that David Cameron sold all of the shares immediately before becoming Prime Minsiter in 2010. All the time he was Leader of the Opposition he had the benefit of those shares in Blairmore Holdings. If it was all squeaky clean and above board, why ditch the shares?

I don't think there is any suggestion of illegality, but Cameron has opened himself up to questions as a result of his own behaviour. He has also opened himself up to charges of hypocrisy after attacking celebrities who used the very same tax avoidance schemes. If it was "morally wrong" for them, it has to be the same for him.

 

I think that people in the public eye - especially politicians - would be better off if they made sure their houses were in order before they took their positions. It probably wouldn't look so bad for them afterwards.

 

I think that, yes, many of us would opt to pay for less tax if given the choice, but most ordinary people don't have the means to avoid paying tax, and even if they did that wouldn't make it right. Taxes go to many vital public services without which this nation would be significantly worse off. We all have a duty to pay a fair amount of tax - we all take advantage of public services.

From a personal point of view, I wouldn't feel comfortable avoiding tax, even using legal loopholes. I definitely do not want to contribute to the further degradation of the UK's public services.

In any case, a tricky period for the Tories - I see Cameron resigning, but there isn't anyone particularly good to replace him - or at least, nobody that isn't contaminated by scandals or incompetency. John Major repeated?

 

I've always thought Cameron is a horrible snob out to look after the interests of the wealthy; I hope this gets rid of him, finally.

 

I'm no fan of Cameron but he seems a better alternative to Corbyn.

 

Oh, also: When I first read this, I thought it said,

"The Pajama Papers"

And I was hoping for something a bit more spicy...

 

Well, I definitely don't see it. Corybn is the type of guy you'd trust to park your car. I wouldn't trust Cameron to walk my dog - he'd probably try and privatise him or flog him off to the Chinese for half the original price, such is the Tory way.

 

I do not think politicians are the most honest people in the world so this does not come off as a surprise to me. There are other concerning matters that need to be attended to. It is quite unfortunate that Cameron and his relatives were part of this major tax evasion scandal. However, I am more concerned about the upcoming referendum in June. I'm afraid that this will affect the results and instead of having a sound and logical reason for voting, people would be motivated by anger and confusion instead- not very good for Britain.

 

No, the real problem is the people who fail to grasp that the tax code is the problem and are too lazy to inform themselves about it. If we don't want to people to minimize their taxes through offshore investment arrangements then the tax code needs to be amended. Rules are there so that we can know what can and cannot be done. Just because the end purpose is the same does not mean that the two acts are equal.

The relevant word to check in the dictionary is not the words "to avoid" vs. "evade" but "tax evasion" vs. "tax avoidance". If you check the Oxford dictionary you will see that the meaning of tax evasion is very different from tax avoidance.

Before talking to you I have never heard anyone talking about "legal tax evasion" (which is oxymoron). All the people who I have talked about this issue know the difference between tax evasion vs. tax avoidance. Calling "tax avoidance" "tax evasion" even colloquially is equivalent of calling a boxing fight in the ring a "battery".

Did Cameron's father actually falsify records or information? I'm not entirely familiar with the details of this case but my understanding was that this was not the case. Just because you keep your holding company in a tax haven doesn't mean it's tax evasion.

It is entirely besides the point to compare the two situations to each other. The relevant question is was the tax code followed. You cannot and you should not punish someone for following the rules as the whole point of rules is to outline what can be done and what cannot be done. You wouldn't accept a punishment to yourself if you followed the rules even if someone feels that you have done morally wrong. If people feel that the rules are unjust then the rules need to be changed, not to burn those who we don't like on a stake. Soviet Union was a place where you could follow the law and still get punished because the Party feels that your actions were not to their liking.

 

:roflmao:

 

Meh. Skimming through the news I don't really see any big issue here, just the media hypes things up and plays into people's natural resentment of the wealthy and politicians. As usual.
Beside, nothing can top "Cameron put his dick in a pig's mouth"

 

I'm not trying to be funny here, but isn't David Cameron the fellow who had sex with the mouth of a dead pig?

 

threadkiller much?? 0_0

Anyway, I am no expert here but I am sure some folks, especially UKIP will interpret this as "The EU made it possible for Cameron to hide taxes, hence he wants us to stay in the EU".

I don't think there is any connection whatsoever with EU or German banks or whatever but I'm sure people like Farage and Le Penn will find a way to blame it on the EU, even when Le Penn's father is also in the "mud".

 

I don't think they'd be that daft to blame it on the EU though. Hahahaha I think this will have an effect on the people who are skittering between voting in or out. I mean Cameron is for the EU so without a doubt, this scandal might affect his campaign to remain within the union... You know how it works~ Tainted reputation makes people doubtful about his leadership.

People are calling him to resign but I really do not see anyone else who is fit to be the PM. Exciting times for the UK. The most exciting it has ever been since the world war and the beatles.