Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Yes, theres no good reason for the nuc station to be farmed out.

Still, Cameroon will be looking for a few good positions after he gets slung out on his ass at the next election.

His hero bliar has shown the way.

the uk GOVERNMENT IS ROTTEN TO THE CORE

I hear the MPs are now claiming wads of £50 notes with their expenses.

The notes are for stuffing down their vests so as to keep warm

Hinkley Point - nuclear power
i understand the concerns about nuclear power, but i also recognise the benefits, and on balance, i am pro - but that is somewhat irrelevant

i am pretty sure the key is that the chinese will have a 30/40% stake, and thus the deal will be inter-governmental between france/uk and china .... it is equally certain that there will be a suitable quid pro quo with china, though the details of that are unlikely come into the public domain

This coalition government reminds me of passed dictators of a "banana republics" scurrying around with suitcases in hands packing into them any of the proceeds they can, before being "kicked out of power" and they attempt to catch the last plane to another "banana republic".

The only thing here is that this time they are probably leaving London rather than coming to it.

There will be room left for Manuels.

ExecLine is showing all the traits of Iain Duncan Smith.he he.

fred - one of your more meaningless posts i'm afraid

fred good post . Cameron and is liars would sell their mothers for a quick buck or a vote . Cameron and clegg will go down in the history books as the two who sold the souls for their own ends

The nuclear plant deal has cross party support. Labour is just as keen as the Conservatives on the China/France/UK deal.

is that true hays?
i'ld guess labour will just give tacit support so they can deny, but assuredly i see no squawking from that quarter

All this tax dodging cant be an accident.




Tax Special Investigation: Firms running NHS care services avoiding millions in tax


First of a series: companies running care services are among many avoiding millions in tax through a legal loophole


Richard Whittell , Emily Dugan

Monday 21 October 2013



Companies receiving lucrative government contracts to run care services looking after tens of thousands of vulnerable people are avoiding millions of pounds in tax through a legal loophole.


The firms are cutting their taxable UK profits by taking high-interest loans from their owners through the Channel Islands Stock Exchange, an investigation by Corporate Watch and The Independent has found. By racking up large interest payments to their parent companies, they are able to reduce their bottom line and cut their tax bills.

The news will increase concern about NHS reforms that are seeing private companies take more responsibility for services. It also raises questions about the Government’s commitment to tackling corporate tax avoidance, which David Cameron has said “corrodes public trust”.

Over the course of this week, The Independent will reveal how more than 30 UK companies, including some of the UK’s most recognisable brands, are benefiting from this legal tax loophole, known as the quoted Eurobond exemption. HMRC considered restricting the use of the loophole in 2012 but never took action.

The care companies known to benefit from the loophole are: Partnerships In Care (several of whose mental health facilities have recently failed inspections), Independent Clinical Services, Priory Group, Acorn Care, Tunstall, Lifeways, Healthcare At Home, Spire Healthcare and Care UK.

Margaret Hodge, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “Companies have a duty to pay their fair share of tax relative to the profits they make in this country. Yet it seems every week brings a new revelation of another business that is using artificial structures to move profits out of the UK, seemingly for no purpose other than to avoid tax.

“The case of these private health companies, which The Independent has brought to my attention, I find particularly depressing. These are companies who get their income overwhelmingly from taxpayers’ money, for the purpose of providing a vital public service, yet do not appear to be making their fair contribution to the public purse.”

One of the companies, Partnerships in Care, managed to turn what would have been a hefty tax bill into a tax credit in 2012, according to accounts filed at Companies House. It owes £321.9m to its owners Cinven, a European investment firm. By paying interest of £29.7m on these borrowings in 2012, it helped to turn a healthy operating profit of £31.7m into a pre-tax loss, leaving the group with a tax credit of £629,000.



More: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tax-special-investigation-firms-running-nhs-care-services-avoiding-millions-in-tax-8892925.html

H/S, Alf and any other "Con" party individuals, you really must wake up and realise that it's "your" party that is in Government... and no other.

quite probably true, but as it says "avoiding millions in tax through a legal loophole" .... so what's wrong with that? .... as has been written before, if you want to stop tax avoidance, then close the loophole(s), but if the loopholes are there, don't complain if they are used

this has always been the "problem" of complex tax laws .... the more complex, the more legit ways to avoid paying it

I agree with cynic , its not a loophole its the tax law. Why Jimmy Carr didn't stick two fingers up to the critisem he got I don't know., grovelling on tv saying his so sorry , I made a error of judgement. You don't get the Tax office saying sorry but we have found a loophole in the law and we want more of your money.

and your point Stan is what exactly?
the labour gov't shut all tax loopholes and the conservatives re-opened them in the last 3 years??????
I don't think so, do you?

Yes, you are right, close the loopholes.

Easier said than done...simpler to say, if you want to trade here, you pay primary tax here, no excuses, don't like it, go elsewhere.

Like the healthcare groups above, coffee shops and no doubt the Chinese and French will find a way of pocketing the proceeds from the power station bottomless pit.

I don't believe you cannot design a tax regime that cannot be got around, therefor, I suspect it's all built in and part of the game.

MK - you're right it's complex to the extent that i couldn't even start to complete my own tax return ...... however, while it is certainly true that personal taxation is a quagmire, company taxation is an absolute minefield with all sorts of hidden nasties/benefits if you start to mess about too radically - e.g. international companies may choose to avoid setting up biz in the first place

H/S, Alf and any other "Con" party individuals, you really must wake up and realise that it's "your" party that is in Government... and no other.

... That's my point Alf.

and ???????????????
all the current "wrongs" belong solely to the party in power?

try being less ovine - i.e. being less woolly (and not just bleating along after fred)

Get back to work... You great Bonzo -):