UK Parliament / Open data

Finance Bill

Proceeding contribution from John Redwood (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 31 October 2017. It occurred during Debate on bills on Finance Bill.

I think that we all agree in this House that we need to collect substantial revenues to have decent public services and that we all condemn people who break tax law, evade taxes and commit crimes against the tax code. However, tax avoidance—the legal avoidance of taxation—is a more difficult issue.

Many Labour MPs trotted through the Lobbies under a Labour Government to make sure that individual savings accounts had tax advantages, and to support tax breaks for Members of Parliament who choose to save for their retirement through the pension scheme. That is a kind of tax avoidance. Is the hon. Gentleman saying that the Labour party no longer agrees with that kind of avoidance, which was recommended by previous Labour Governments in the interests of spreading saving? Is he of the view that there are certain kinds of avoidance that are perfectly reasonable, such as those undertaken by Labour MPs and others, and other types of tax avoidance that are also perfectly legal but of which he does not approve?

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

630 c726 

Session

2017-19

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber

Subjects

Legislation

Finance Bill 2017-19
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