Jul 05 2007
The Inland Revenue and Customs now want to seize our money
It is a dreadful idea that the taxman should have the power to take money out of our bank account when he judges it right to do so without a by your leave. There will, of course, be no reciprocal ability for us to take money out of the taxman’s bank account when he has wrongly taken our cash.
The tax authorities under Brown have become aggressive and are losing their reputation for fairness. They are busily reinterpreting tax laws to take as much money off enterprising and prudent people and companies as possible. If they were also armed with this extra power it would be a nightmare. Indeed, it could bankrupt people and companies who did not have enough money to pay what the taxman wanted and to meet their other requirements, when they had good reason to disagree with the taxman’s view of how much he should take.
I used to live in a democracy, where the tax authorites were fair and tried to interpret the law sensibly. We are losing this as??the tax collectors push new boundaries to take ever more money from us.
John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
If anything, you are being generous to the Revenue these days.
Two objections to this immediately spring up:
(i) Given the total lack of accountability of the Inland Revenue, who never pay a cent when they screw up people, how long before people lose their home and business on the word of an uncontrollable bureaucratic bully.
(ii) This is supposed to be a “last resort” ; presumably this is in the same way that terrorism laws aren’t going to be used against heckling pensioners.
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As an example, I received a demand from the tax office one morning a few years ago for
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These powers are always requested with good reasons. Its explained how they will only get used as a last resort.
Until after they are passed some civil servant will wisper to his minister - you know what we could do ***** its on the statute books you know.
Anyone remember the Argentine government helping itself to its citizens savings ?
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Thanks for reminding me John, I’m due a tax rebate. I’ll pop down the Inland Revenue tomorrow morning after I’ve been the the doctor and let you know how easy it is to get my couple of hundred quid off them.
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Truly a worrying situation amid worrying times.
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