One of the Tory party’s biggest donors has been ordered to pay back millions of pounds in tax after a judge ruled against an offshore scheme he had used to slash his bills.
The judge said a Guernsey-based trust set up by hedge fund boss George Robinson, one of the City’s highest-paid financiers, was ‘cosmetic’ and told him and three colleagues to pay the taxman £13 million.
Mr Robinson, who is facing a personal bill of more than £2 million, used an arrangement favoured by top footballers and City banks such as Goldman Sachs after being advised it could help him avoid tax.
But Revenue & Customs challenged the offshore arrangements, and now a tax tribunal has ruled in its favour. This will embarrass David Cameron, who has called aggressive tax-dodging ‘morally wrong’.
Subscribe
-
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
-
Like us on Facebook
-
Subscribe to our feed
-
Sign-up for our daily email digest
Most Read
- Andy Burnham has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to renew British democracy. He should take it.
- Why the Lib Dem Defence Bonds plan is a bad idea
- William Wallace writes: What do Liberal Democrats have to offer the "left behind"?
- Liberalism must mean something again
- The Jenkinsite Policy Network present a new vision for British liberalism
Search
Op-eds
-
Mathew on Monday: Carl Cashman is a Liberal Hero – and his critics would love his media reach (Mathew Hulbert)
-
Welcome to my day: 6 July 2026 – a nation dares to dream? (Mark Valladares)
-
The Jenkinsite Policy Network present a new vision for British liberalism (Rosemary Runswick)
-
Observations of an Expat: I am an Immigrant (Tom Arms)
-
Liberalism must mean something again (Stephen O'Brien)
-
A Liberal England guest blogger shows us around Snailbeach Mine
-
Parents shocked after children's paper hedgehogs found to contain pages from explicit novel
-
Dan Boatright-Greene re-selected by Lib Dems for West Worcestershire
-
Write a guest post for Liberal England
-
Farage and the gifts from crypto entrepreneur convicted of fraud
Recent Comments
Selby Whittingham
I recall Dennis at the regular Liberal dinners at the Manchester Reform Club in the late 1970s and also ran into him later at a London museum....
David Allen
England fans would have been crazy to have carried Union Jacks to the World Cup. Scotland were also competing!...
Kevin Hawkins
@Jana - Our vote decline in almost all of these elections is down to there being far more candidates standing. In some cases there were three or four extra part...
paul barker
Unusually, there were 3 contests where Reform had stood before; in 2 of those their Vote fell. In both cases there seem to have been the same number of candidat...- Kevin Hawkins
Here is my usual monthly summary of the last fifty local by-elections. Percentage Vote Share: Reform 24.24%, Labour 18.12%, Conservatives 17.52%, Liberal De...
3 Comments
I wonder if Cameron will ‘name’ him?
I don’t know why I said ‘wonder’ when I already know the answer!
Further proof that the aggressive approach being taken by the Coalition towards some of the more ingenious tax avoidance schemes is working. Danny Alexander is to be congratulated
These and other related scandals tarnish politics, and all politicians, by association.
We should reform party funding rules forcing political parties to adopt a low cost decentralised existence and to rely on their mass membership, rather than wealthy individuals, companies, charities or unions.
As with football, big money in politics relegates the fans to the sidelines. Smaller, more passionate, organisations please!