Tag Archives: general anti-avoidance rule

Tax reform news: pick your own post

If you are generally a supporter of the government, read Version A. If not, read Version B.

Version A
In excellent news that the government is taking cracking down on tax seriously, the government has appointed a heavy-weight team of tax experts to review the case for introducing a General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR). The selection of legal, judicial and tax experts means the case for a GAAR will receive expert scrutiny and make it very hard for the government to reject any recommendations for action.

Version B
In appalling news that shows how the government has sold out to rich tax-dodgers, …

Posted in News | Also tagged | 3 Comments

Government steps up action on tax avoidance

Though the timing is rather politically convenient, bringing welcome news for Liberal Democrats just ahead of the tuition fees vote, the substance of today’s news on tax avoidance is very welcome.

Two steps are being taken immediately with another three to follow and, crucially, a study into introducing a General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) has also been commissioned.

This review will be carried out by Graham Aaronson QC and consider whether “it could deter and counter tax avoidance, whilst providing certainty, retaining a tax regime that is attractive to businesses, and minimising costs for businesses and HMRC”.

The two immediate steps are:

Posted in News | Also tagged and | 12 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • David Allen
    British politics since the 2008 crash has been a contest between establishment Governments and insurgent opponents. The Tory and Labour establishment parties h...
  • Kevin Hawkins
    I have frequently commented on Lib Dem Voice that we should not take one week’s by-election results (or even several week’s results) seriously. We have goo...
  • Dan Falchikov
    Well said: "David Howarth’s Being Liberal explores the Liberal disposition: open-minded, suspicious of abuses of power, uncomfortable with hierarchy, treatin...
  • Pawel Urbanski
    This is the clearest statement of the case I have read in a while, and "competence is not a destination" is the line worth repeating. One worked example from ...
  • Simon McGrath
    @jennie "“Liberals have always been suspicious of too much power in too few hands.” *looks at direction of travel of internal party mechanisms the last fiv...