I do think the problem of immigration and benefit fraud is the most important thing we need to sort out as at least with these rich people they are actually contributing to the country these ****ers are not.
My point is that, while he hasn't actually done anything wrong per se, as an outspoken liberal and proponent of paying taxes, he should not have used this loophole.
I understand the implications of it and how the tax burden on me and other tax payers would be increased. The bigger issue here is the cultural one. It's fine writing off benefit fraud as not that big an issue, but as the pool of lazy cheats gets bigger and the pool of tax payers gets smaller - who will pay for the benefits so many people think they have a right to? We can't let our culture become one of 'its fine not to work, if I don't want to' - we need people to 'work to live' - to ensure we can afford to provide benefits to those who really need it. Closing the tax loopholes will give the government more money, but it'll simply go to the increasing number of lazy skiving cheaters claiming benefits they don't need.
You seem to forget that benefit fraud is illegal and that law is actively enforced. Tax avoidance is legal and widespread and tax evasion, although illegal, is poorly enforced and is also widespread. You cannot just decide you are too good for work and get unemployment benefit, to qualify for that you need to attend the job centre every week and show them that you are actively looking for work. If they are not satisfied with that they will stop your benefit. It's not an easy option and most lazy individuals would be far happier in work! That is, if they can find work... And really, you are enormously overestimating the number of benefit cheats, and the cost they present to the country.
I've known people to buy big TVs and PS3s with their allowance, and justify it by saying that they need it to use the internet and therefore it's a necessity. I'm not going to complain about this too much though, as it's just a downside of something that is very good overall. You always have to take some bad with the good. The downsides of living in a country where there is no welfare would be a whole lot worse. The only way to stop people cheating benefits, is to stop giving them benefits, and that's just not a viable solution.
Should see how ATOS make their money, there is approx a 60% appeal success rate for every wrong decision they make (£14,000 on the tax payer per appeal), plus bonuses they get for finding people with genuine needs fit to work.
The reason the goverment keep cracking down on people on benefits (cheats or people that deserve it) is because they are easy targets. No money grabbing lawyer to deal with. My mates brother is disabled, unable to move from the waist down and many other problems. Yet the government in their wisdom said he was ok to go back to work :S
Most peole want to work if they're able to. Given the choice between earning a living and sitting in front of Jeremy Kyle all day, most people would choose the former. It's simple psychology where one feels the need to earn their way through life. There are a few slobs, but the only way to get rid of those would be to cut them off and let evolution see to them, which would be utterly wrong. We need to accept that people will try to abuse the welfare state while it is providing for those who genuinely need it. The serious benefit fraudsters simply don't exist in the number the Daily Mail would have you think. People in council estates don't live in luxury either. The three main reasons for unemployment are: 1. A temporary or low paid job won't feed a family. 2. There aren't enough jobs. 3. The education system isn't giving people appropriate qualifications for the jobs that are out there. '2.' and '3.' could really do with seeing to.
Some immigrants do, some just come over here to ponce off the state. Make benefits and houses only available to someone who has worked for 5 years or more in this country,and the longer they have worked and paid their way,the longer they are able to claim benefits. So if someone has worked for 20 years,then gets struck down by an illness, they can claim the benefits they are entitled too. But if someone jumps off the back of a lorry, runs to the nearest bennefit office to claim asylum,a house, and loads of benefits, tell them to do one,and send them back to where they came. On the flip side of this,how many of you have had the tax office contact you to tell you that you are eligible to reclaim money as you havent claimed the full allowance you are entitled too? I know i tried to claim some back,and they said i was eliglible for it, but i could only go back 1 year,where i had been paying it over 5 years. But if they find you have been underpaying, they can go back 6 years i beilieve. Of course most of Camerons backers are also involved in tax dodging,virtually all big businesses are i should imagine,but obviously he wont be naming all of them.
You can go back 6 years if you have overpaid. It's not very common for people to overpay though as most people pay via PAYE. By the way, the stuff about immigrants jumping off the back of a lorry and going straight to the benefit office is bollocks. They're not entitled to housing or anything else. And your assertion that you go to the benefit office to claim asylum is frankly bizarre.
Some of them try to claim political asylum,saying they will get persecuted in the country they have come from if they get sent back, then as soon as they are able to claim benefits they are down there. Brits that have never worked and have no intention of working,as they are better off on benefits piss me off just as much.
The length of time to claim tax back must have changed in the last 10 years then,as it was about that long ago that i was only able to go back 1 year before.
Tax avoidance / evasion pisses me off more - you only just have to compare the amounts between that and benefit fraud to see why, benefit fraud pales in comparison (not condoning it), and whats worse is the Governments (Red or Blue) that are in charge make it legal. http://twitpic.com/9zbf2w - Daily Mail have got Jimmy Carr's own dad blagging about him now.
Scenario for you all. You receive money that you should pay £3000 tax on, and the tax office are aware that you have received the money,but they havent taken the tax off you. Do you contact them to tell them that you have that you have 3 grand for them,or do you keep quiet, and hope they forget?
If you're self-employed you'll find yourself in that scenario every time you get paid, and you don't get away with keeping quiet for very long!
