32% of British taxpayers believe it’s acceptable to legally avoid paying tax. 66% think authorities should name people who have been forced to pay back tax they have avoided. 66% believe the tax authorities treat rich offenders more leniently than other offenders. (YouGov/The Sunday Times)
Tax is the cost of living in a liveable country. We should be glad that previous generations paid the taxes that helped create schools, hotels, roads, law courts, and a host of other things we take for granted. It is un-Epicurean, and selfish, to avoid paying tax. No civilisation has been built upon charity donations.
They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it certainly wasn’t built for free either. The Empire had a rigidly enforced system of tax collection, however regressive, but without which none of the Roman aqueducts, roads or amphitheatres we see today- marvels of engineering even by modern standards- would be there. I hate almost everything he stood for, but the one thing Stalin got right was the potential of collective endeavour. By pooling our resources, we can achieve far more than if we act on our own- the achievements of modern-day China are testament to that eternal truth.
Bravo! it would be o.k if these tax dodgers were rugged individualists, but in reality they are a selfish bunch that takes its cue from Reagan, who invented the ” government is the problem” mantra. Caring not a jot for the 95% of poorer people they look after themselves alone,rejecting government unless it benefits them personally. For that they hire lobbyists.