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As readers of this forum will know the country is absolutely awash with benefit fraud. Everyone is at it. Hey as Max Tranmere pointed out in another post, these bastards are even begging at the same time and coining it.

It just aint right is it? How on earth can this country recover with these scroungers getting away with it? We would all like to pass on our thanks to the good ole Daily Mail, Daily Express and the Sun for highlighting these bastards who are taking the Great out of Great Britain.

So can I ask Max, Dick, Porn Historian et al to share their collective wisdom with us forumites and answer the following questions?

What is the government's own estimate of the total yearly value of benefit fraud in the UK?

What is the estimate of the total yearly value of tax evasion in the UK?

How much has HM Revenue and Customs spent on advertising for the purposes of preventing tax evasion last year?

How much the Department of Work and Pensions budgeted for advertising tackling benefit fraud last year?

I would be surprised if any of the above mentioned posters reply to this message. Easier to slag off the obvious targets than to understand the pros and cons of an issue, I guess, in the overall tax take.

Answers to be published on Monday morning.

Bet ya all can't wait, eh?

Cheers
D

Interesting article in the current edition of Private Eye highlighting how a company close to Tory hearts has been allowed to avoid paying ?6billion in tax.

http://www.private-eye.co.uk/sections.p ... _the_back&

How much was it that the Treasury are trying to cut in expenditure this year???

Answers on a postcard (slipped into a brown envelope along with a couple of hundred thousand quid in "donations") to:

Michael Spencer
Conservative Party Treasurer
30 Millbank,
London, SW1P 4DP

Strange that during 13 years of New Labour rule, nothing was done to tighten up the tax loopholes for the rich. I wonder why? !confused!

[quote]It just so happened that we were talking about the latter.[/quote]

It just so happens we're ALWAYS talking about the latter. Slagging the poor, depressed and uneducated fraudsters off compared to the rich, avaricious and clever fraudsters people seem to get more upset and angry at the former. Pointing at someone poorer, lazier and less motivated/educated than you is the easiest thing in the world. There isn't much comeback belittling someone worse off than you while doing the same to someone richer, who has a bigger house, sexier car and prettier wife.....now....that just sets you up for the obvious comeback: "you're just a jealous under-achiever compared to this guy. You're jealous!"

Slagging off someone further down the social ladder, and pointing out where they're going wrong in life is just a round-about way of telling others where you're going right. It's an ego trip, whether you realise it or not. It's comforting to know you're not 'like them'.

Sorry David, I'm working overtime all weekend so I'm not about to spend my spare time looking up figures online. The taxman will cream off a large part of my overtime payments so I'm doing my bit to help that single immigrant mother with 7 kids who's a few bob short for that new 50 inch Plasma screen TV.
I've no doubt you will be supplying all the figures shortly anyway (well the ones that support your point of view)

"Strange that during 13 years of New Labour rule, nothing was done to tighten up the tax loopholes for the rich. I wonder why?"

Very true, very true Jim.

I don't recall any of Blair's book reviewers pointing out that there is a missing chapter or two on what he didn't but should have done whilst Prime Minister.

Cheers
D

"I've no doubt you will be supplying all the figures shortly anyway (well the ones that support your point of view)"

I will be supplying the figures given by our esteemed Coalition Government in response to questions which I include in my original post.

Cheers
D

Fair enough David.
I've a very heavy workload just now and next week there will be 2 men on holiday but if I get a chance,I'll see if I can find some figures which disagree with yours. I don't think it will be too hard.