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Tom

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    And people condemn benefit fraud!

    in Other Topics

    Posted

    Concerning the HSBC Swiss bank files that were leaked, these contained the names of UK citizens with secret accounts.

    There is no law against setting up  a Swiss account, but as far as I know it is tax evasion if you don't inform  HMRC about it, as a certain amount of UK tax would be due.

    HMRC  has had the list of names for about 5 years. No one has been prosecuted.

    Better out of the EU?

    in Other Topics

    Posted

    edit

    [quote user="Quillan"]

    [quote user="ebaynut"]But your views as a

    Jewish person of a mixed race marriage, with gay people in your family (

    you often state these facts, so clearly you are very proud of them)

    would be completely different to a white English straight persons view.

    So you will never understand, or would I expect you too. Or would I

    waste my time trying to explain it to you.[/quote]

    And you don't

    think that is insulting to Jewish, coloured and gay people especially

    when you added "would be completely different to a white English

    straight persons view"? I think that is blatantly anti-Semitic, racists

    and homophobic but perhaps I am wrong, perhaps it's just me

    then?[/quote]

    It's not just you.

    And people condemn benefit fraud!

    in Other Topics

    Posted

    This is from 'Tackling Tax Avoidance' document published by the Treasury in March 2011

    .....But I want to be clear that being open for business does not mean being open to tax avoidance.

    We are committed to creating the right tax environment for business and individuals, which

    encourages enterprise and minimises red tape. In return we expect everyone to pay their fair

    share. And where we see tax avoidance, we will crack down on it. That’s particularly important

    at a time when the Government has had to make tough choices elsewhere.

     We inherited a tax system with a ‘tax gap’ of around £40 billion. More than a sixth of that is due

    to tax evasion – that is, illegally understating tax liabilities. But a further one sixth is estimated to

    be due to tax avoidance – that is, reducing tax liabilities by using the tax law to get a tax

    advantage that Parliament never intended. And the problem is a persistent one – only this

    month, we have moved to close down an avoidance scheme using contrived, circular

    transactions claimed to generate tax relief twice for effectively the same expense.

    So these people with  HSBC Swiss accounts seem to have been getting  an advantage that Parliament never intended.  They should hve been investigated by now.

    What is likely to happen if a country runs out of cash ?

    in Other Topics

    Posted

    [quote user="Gluestick"][quote user="PaulT"]Sorry, going to take this off course and perhaps Gluestick has some thoughts on this.

    We bought our house in early 2007 and the exchange rate was about 1.485 euros to the £. Since then it has been down to virtual parity and today at about 1.34.

    Obviously, if the UK had joined the euro then there would be no exchange rate or ups and downs.

    So how would the UK have fared if it had joined the euro?[/quote]

    Utter financial, fiscal and monetary disaster, Paul.

    Mainly since Britain would have lost its ability to:

    Adjust Base Rate/s:

    Money Supply: (e.g. no QE):

    No sole intervention in Northern Rock, RBS, Lloyds, etc.

    And finally, the exchange rate on joiing would have been fixed (very much to UK's disadvantage) on the benchmark of ERM.

    Which, if you remember, cost the exchequer £1 billion.

    Interestingly, I am attending an economics seminar in early March, when the speaker is Lord Lamont: and I am determined to pose the question, "Does George Soros send you a Christmas card each year?"

    [:D]

    [/quote]

    In Gordon Brown's defence, he was dead against the UK joining the euro. What with his five tests for joining that were never going to be met.

    library ebooks

    in Books and Literature

    Posted

    I have a Kindle and a Kobo. The Kobo is clunkier to use, but in UK libraries you can download and 'borrow'  ebooks for 3 weeks on to the Kobo format but not yet the Kindle. The selection at my local library isn't huge, but recently read  Nesbo, Kate Atkinson, Le Carré and William Boyd books for free.

    Do French libraries offer ebooks?

       

    So what?

    in Other Topics

    Posted

    The Philippine government does  gets criticised at home for the economy depending too much on remittances. And for ignoring the social costs of families being split up. 

    Plus migrants often have to pay high fees to actually transfer their money.

    Prince Philip obviously recognised it as an important issue.

     

     

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