Cameron brands tax avoiders as dodgy and morally wrong
PRIME minister David Cameron yesterday brutally spoke out against people who avoid paying tax, calling them “morally wrong”.
The comments came after it was unearthed that a string of celebrities and high earners were understood to be involved in severe tax avoidance schemes.
Responding to allegations made by The Times that comedian Jimmy Carr cuts his tax bill by millions of pounds, Cameron said it was “very dodgy”.
“Think of all those people who work hard, they pay their taxes, and out of that post tax income they save up to go to see Jimmy Carr [perform]. He is taking that money and stuffing it into somewhere he doesn’t have to pay taxes. That is not fair, and that is not right,” the Prime Minister said in a series of TV interviews yesterday.
Carr was outed as being part of K2, a legal Jersey-based scheme whereby the majority of an individual’s income is received as an offshore loan, rather than a salary, which renders it untaxable.
Cameron said he had not yet had time to read or respond to claims that Gary Barlow, who was recently awarded an OBE, is also involved in tax avoidance.