Will he or won't he ?

[electric*mayhem*band]

He might, but on the other hand he might not.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/gary-barlow-tax-avoidance-scheme-3529831

Personally, I think Mr Potato Head should be scrubbed clean under a cold running tap, pricked with a fork, brushed with butter and sprinkled with salt, bunged in the microwave for 15 minutes, taken out and drizzled with grated Cheddar cheese, then chucked in the bin.

But that's just my opinion for what it's worth. (And maybe Robbie Williams' too).

[evoman3957]

Funny thing TAX........the more you work, the harder you drive yourself, the more ambitious you are........the more you pay. The more you sit on your backside, do nothing, don't care whether or not you do well in life.......the less you pay. Not exactly the greatest system or encouragement to those who have to keep the rest now is it ??

[ed_blackadder_1]

Small point, would any of us if asked if we would like to pay less tax - actually turn around and say no. Honestly.

If you were shown a way of paying less you would take it.

[joe_bloggs*]

[merehazle]

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@ed_blackadder_1 wrote:

Small point, would any of us if asked if we would like to pay less tax - actually turn around and say no. Honestly.

If you were shown a way of paying less you would take it.

---

The fact is that most of us cant avoid tax and struggle to give our families a decent life, shouldering the burden of the country's debt while paying the share of Barlow's, and other members of the British Honours brigade. Think about that before you cheerleader  these 'heroes'.

Yes, I will go along with the OPs thoughts.  And perhaps the Queen should have hung something else round he's neck. I know I would.

Yes, Joe # 4 spot on: ''The Prime minister has no comment to make on Gary Barlow's tax affiars''. David Cameron's official spokesman. (heh!)  But Jimmy Carr's tax affairs ARE morally wrong. (heh!).

[electric*mayhem*band]

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@evoman3957 wrote:

Funny thing TAX........the more you work, the harder you drive yourself, the more ambitious you are........the more you pay. The more you sit on your backside, do nothing, don't care whether or not you do well in life.......the less you pay. Not exactly the greatest system or encouragement to those who have to keep the rest now is it ??

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Yes, I'm all for Joe Bloggs who grafts for eight hours a day on a building site, or spends his working life cooped up in a factory sweating over some boring lathe or conveyor belt, getting a bit of tax relief. But those people can't afford the expensive accountants that multi-millionaire spud head can. And don't tell me he works for a living. Cavorting around on a stage warbling pop ditties for dewy-eyed pubescent females, or sitting on his backside writing love songs (Lennon did that on the back of a napkin while he was waiting for his starter to arrive), and swanning around mustering up turns for the Queen's Birthday Jubilee. I'd hardly call that 'working', would you ?

[electric*mayhem*band]

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@merehazle wrote:

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 ''The Prime minister has no comment to make on Gary Barlow's tax affiars''.

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Well as Mandy Rice-Davies once famously said, "He would say that, wouldn't he" ?

[evoman3957]

I wasn't aware that i implied, in my post which you kindly reitterated, that what Mr. Barlow did was work ( in the true sense of the word ). To go down the road of saying this person works harder than that person, is to start a no win debate; because it's relative to the work a person does. Certainly if a person does a good deed, expecting to be rewarded for it in some way, then it is hardly a good deed is it !! So, if for all his charitable deeds, he expected to be let off his fair share of tax.........then I assume He will be disappointed and quite rightly so. It's just a shame that the Bums & Parasites in our society, who don't pay any tax, don't have any such moral conscience or sense of shame!!

[calibra101]

I am sure ed- blackadder was not "cheerleading heroes" simply asking if YOU could find a way to pay less tax would you, I know I would.

[al**bear]

Most of these schemes aren't to LESSEN paying Tax, it's to get away with NOT paying ANY Tax on £millions£ of earnings

I'll believe Cameron is really making sure, 'we're all in this together' , when He aggresivly goes after the Tory partys main contributors' offshore Tax avoidance schemes = Lord Ashcroft

or when Osborne stops giving major Tax breaks to large companies to move their 'main offices' to the City of London, much to the ire of Germany & France. While at the same time , denouncing Ireland & the Multinationals who move there to get an even better deal (Amazon, Sky  International, Google, eBay etc)

Or when Multinationals are 'caught' , they are not allowed to employ the best People (usually ex-Tax office bigwigs) to have friendly chats with their old workmates on working out a nice little deal to make it all go away for a payment of a fraction of the Tax bill. 

or allow companies to right off £billions of Profits (by putting all your cash through Luxenburgh), so slashing your Tax bill (Vodaphone)

But of course these 'Tax crimes' pale into insignificance against the hienious crime of getting an extra £ 40 a week for sweeping  out a Pub, if your on Benefits, then the full weight of the Law, DWP and the Daily Mail will come crashing down on your head

[electric*mayhem*band]

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@calibra101 wrote:

I am sure ed- blackadder was not "cheerleading heroes" simply asking if YOU could find a way to pay less tax would you, I know I would.

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If that's to me - which your post implies - I never mentioned ed-blackadder, or in fact anything that he quoted. With regards to your question, I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave some time ago - vis-à-vis: 'Yes, I'm all for Joe Bloggs who grafts for eight hours a day on a building site, or spends his working life cooped up in a factory sweating over some boring lathe or conveyor belt, getting a bit of tax relief'.  And I'd include myself as a 'Joe Bloggs', so that clears that up. 

[blackburn_stevie]

The thing is, there's tax avoidance and tax evasion. One is illegal and one isn't.

What I don't get is this. If one is illegal, why not charge the guilty and take them to court and get them sent down?

As for the question about, would you if you could? Why not ask, "Would you rob a bank if you thought that you could get away with it?" .... Most people would say, "No I wouldn't. It's not legal. I don't do illegal things except maybe doing 35 in a 30 zone at 2 am when there is no other traffic aound."

They are both crimes.

[ed_blackadder_1]

I am not saying it is morally right and Personally on a pittance I don't pay any tax,  what I was saying is until they make Tax avoidance illegal it is Legal rightly or wrongly.  If you were earning loads of money and some accountant said to you I can save you loads of money in Tax, would you say is it legal, he would say yes, then you would say OK do it.  I am sure he doesn't do it himself he like tons of other very wealthy people have people that do things for them.

Robbing a bank is illegal, Tax evasion is illegal, Tax avoidance is not. (It should be in my opinion)

Stevie, devils advocate here, if something is illegal then surely it is illegal all the time, including 35 in a 30 zone, just because there is no traffic about at 2 am doesn't make it any less illegal. (if that makes sense)

Yes Gary Barlow should pay the tax back, but what about the person who recommended he ( and others ) did this.

Sits back and waits.........................

[ed_blackadder_1]

By the way I  wasn't actually cheerleading those heroes as you put it..................  Just asking a question. You did put my post in quotation so it looks like that is what you were saying.

I am not saying that it is right, why should my OH pay it and someone with mega wealth not.

[lhasa.two]

I don't imagine Gary Barlow knew much about his tax affairs if the arrangements went through his manager, then the accountants/ lawyers who decided to use the investment company. They obviously were duped - maybe their due diligence wasn't very thorough, who knows. Many other people lost millions and the company went under with losses of over £300million.  This was used for a business investment which was more than likely managed by others. 

I don't think he should lose his OBE because of it.