Hard workers vs benefit 'scrounger': it's the wrong battle

Updated
State Opening of Parliament 2015
State Opening of Parliament 2015



The Queen's speech certainly did a good job of putting the Conservative's rhetoric into action, pitting the 'hardworking families' against the 'benefit scroungers' but what about the tax avoiders?

The speech yesterday didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. The measures that will be enshrined in law have been the hobby horses of the Tory politicians for most of this year.

When it comes to household finances there have been two strands of topic; the first is to let people keep more of their incomes by putting a tax lock on income tax and national insurance increases, and the second is hitting those who don't work by reducing the annual benefits cap from £26,000 to £23,000.

In focusing on these two aims, the government has been slowly engaging us in a civil war, with those working held up as the virtuous and those who don't work (regardless of the reason) as the dank underbelly of British society.

In pitting us against one another (quite successfully I might add) our collective eyes have been averted away from a group that cost the country far more than benefits cheats: the tax avoiders.

No mention

Why was there no mention in the Queen's speech of measures to close loopholes that allow companies to bend the tax rules to suit their own company needs, some managing to flout the rules so successfully that they pay no money to the UK economy despite having business premises here.

There was also no mention of a clampdown on complex anti-avoidance schemes that see millionaires siphon money offshore or become non-doms in order to avoid paying taxes in the country they reside.

Rather than turning on each other, why aren't we turning on those who can shoulder the biggest burden and are able to contribute more to our economy, but don't.

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