Will we ever get to the truth about Ashcroft's tax status

[Flyboy]

It is now ten years since Ashcroft was elevated to the House of Lords on the understanding that he becomes a UK tax payer, but whenever the question about his tax status is asked, there is never a straightforward answer.

[Cobbydaler]

Is there ever a straightforward answer from any politician to any question?

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Flyboy

It is now ten years since Ashcroft was elevated to the House of Lords on the understanding that he becomes a UK tax payer, but whenever the question about his tax status is asked, there is never a straightforward answer.

Perhaps he's as confused about that as Lord Mandelson (that unelected guy pretty much running the country right now) was about the relevance of his 'secret' loan from a New Labour millionaire to that pesky mortgage application... Of course Mandelson (twice previously forced to resign*) didn't face any such selection criteria when panic pants Gordon whisked him back from Brussels, gave him his title and installed him as his right hand man in No.10!

* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...ce-before.html

Of course had New Labour not done another of their famous about turns, maybe there'd be laws preventing non-domiciled benefactors funding our political parties.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/au...nding-election

Now I wonder why they did that? Anyone would think they're short of a bob or two....

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Osem

Perhaps he's as confused about that as Lord Mandelson (that unelected guy pretty much running the country right now) was about the relevance of his 'secret' loan from a New Labour millionaire to that pesky mortgage application... Of course Mandelson (twice previously forced to resign*) didn't face any such selection criteria when panic pants Gordon whisked him back from Brussels, gave him his title and installed him as his right hand man in No.10!

* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...ce-before.html

Of course had New Labour not done another of their famous about turns, maybe there'd be laws preventing non-domiciled benefactors funding our political parties.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/au...nding-election

Now I wonder why they did that? Anyone would think they're short of a bob or two....

The Dark Lord, I think you will never get to the bottom of his dodgy dealings ether.

You can bet if you find one on the conservative side then there will be always be one on the labour side just as bad.

[Damien]

I like the attempts to dodge the question about the Tory to have a go at Labour. I don't think the fact there are corrupt Labour MPs means it's not worth discussing the corrupt Tory ones.

[nomadking]

He probably does pay UK Tax, but only only on income earned in the UK.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Damien

I like the attempts to dodge the question about the Tory to have a go at Labour. I don't think the fact there are corrupt Labour MPs means it's not worth discussing the corrupt Tory ones.

However, timing is everything. We're not mid-term any more, we're in an election year and in all likelihood no more than about 2 months from that election formally being called.

Most of the political threads started on here now are thinly-veiled electioneering, or at the very least unofficial, amateur cheerleading for one party or another. I don't believe for a moment that Flyboy's intent was to discuss the Ashcroft affair per se. More likely he wants to try to redress a perceived imbalance in the current perception of sleaze as being a Labour problem ... what with three of their MPs being charged with theft and then trying to dodge the issue by appealing to arcane clauses in a piece of 300-year-old legislation and all.

Make no mistake, the real title of this thread is "Hey, them Tories is bent too!" and it deserves to be used for the partisan mud-slinging for which it was created. So pointing out Mandy's mortgage is fair game.

[Maggy J]

As long as everyone understands this and doesn't take it for anything else I agree with you Chris.

So hopefully nobody is going to indulge in the sort of behaviour we see in the Commons and everyone will stay the right side of the T&Cs.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Damien

I like the attempts to dodge the question about the Tory to have a go at Labour. I don't think the fact there are corrupt Labour MPs means it's not worth discussing the corrupt Tory ones.

Which attempts would they be then?

Unless you have some new information you'd like to share with us all, you have no more idea what Ashcroft's tax status is than anyone here does. However, we know full well what Mandy got up to and since he's effectively running UK PLC and Aschroft clearly isn't, I'll reserve my criticism for him for now and until we know the facts. He doesn't appear to have done anything several New Labour donors don't also do.



---------- Post added at 13:16 ---------- Previous post was at 13:11 ----------

Originally Posted by Chris

I don't believe for a moment that Flyboy's intent was to discuss the Ashcroft affair per se. More likely he wants to try to redress a perceived imbalance in the current perception of sleaze as being a Labour problem ...

If that was his intent then he (and New Labour) will have to do a whole lot better.... Since 1997, 'Whiter than white' New Labour have given the term 'sleaze' a whole new meaning and they were the ones who decided not to do something about non-dom donors after all. Odd that eh?...

---------- Post added at 13:17 ---------- Previous post was at 13:16 ----------

Originally Posted by Maggy J

So hopefully nobody is going to indulge in the sort of behaviour we see in the Commons and everyone will stay the right side of the T&Cs.

What you mean like fiddling our expenses??.....

[Paul M]

Who the hell is "Ashcroft" ?

[NoKnowledge]

Originally Posted by Paul M

Who the hell is "Ashcroft" ?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...-tax-status-uk

[chris9991]

There is also a double page spread in the Daily Mirror today (pg 10-11) which alledges some of the smart practises that he undertakes.

Link of articles

http://www.mirror.co.uk/search.cfm?what=ashcroft

[danielf]

Originally Posted by Chris

Make no mistake, the real title of this thread is "Hey, them Tories is bent too!" and it deserves to be used for the partisan mud-slinging for which it was created. So pointing out Mandy's mortgage is fair game.

In that case, allow me:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle7013303.ece

The Conservatives have been accused by police of misusing official statistics after sending out figures suggesting violent crime had soared under Labour.

Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, was criticised after Conservative headquarters sent activists figures comparing levels of violent crime in their constituency between 1999 and 2008. Official statisticians say this is misleading because the method of collecting data was changed in 2002.

The figures were sent to Tory MPs and candidates in constituencies throughout England and Wales to drive home David Cameron’s claim that Labour has presided over the creation of a “broken Britain”.

They omitted Home Office warnings that the figures for the periods before and after 2002 were not comparable because of a change in the way violent crime was recorded.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...s-1889927.html

Chris Grayling, the man lined up by David Cameron to be the next home secretary, has received a stinging rebuke for manipulating official statistics. Sir Michael Scholar, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority, has warned him that the way he used figures for violent crime were "likely to mislead the public".

[Hugh]

I think that all members of the House of Lords (and Commons) should be domiciled in the UK, and pay the appropriate taxes (and I'm a (wet) Tory).

Apparently "Dave" (in quotes so as to be recognisable to Flyboy, David Cameron to the rest of us ) agrees - Guardian

The Tories are backing an amendment to the constitutional reform and governance bill to force all MPs and peers to pay UK tax on their worldwide earnings, or leave parliament. That will come into force with the new tax year if the bill, currently going through committee stages, is passed into law.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by foreverwar

I think that all members of the House of Lords (and Commons) should be domiciled in the UK, and pay the appropriate taxes (and I'm a (wet) Tory).

Apparently "Dave" (in quotes so as to be recognisable to Flyboy, David Cameron to the rest of us ) agrees - Guardian

Yes he'll have to do that now New Labour have decided not to bother for fear of losing the support of their very own non-doms..