Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th February 2015

[rebeccariots2]

HSBC bank 'helped clients dodge millions in tax'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31248913

Britain's biggest bank helped wealthy clients cheat the UK out of millions of pounds in tax, the BBC has learned.

Panorama has seen thousands of accounts from HSBC's private bank in Switzerland leaked by a whistleblower in 2007.

They show bankers helped clients evade tax and offered deals to help tax dodgers stay ahead of the law...

Richard Brooks, a former tax inspector and author of The Great Tax Robbery, said: "I think they were a tax avoidance and tax evasion service. I think that's what they were offering. They knew full well that people come to them to dodge their tax liabilities."

The bank now faces criminal investigations in the US, France, Belgium and Argentina. HSBC said it is "co-operating with relevant authorities". But in the UK, where the bank is based, no such action has been taken.

The man in charge of HSBC at the time, Stephen Green, was made a Conservative peer and appointed to the government.

Lord Green was made a minister eight months after HMRC had been given the leaked documents from his bank. He served as a minister of trade and investment until 2013 ...

[rebeccariots2]

and more from that HSBC article:

The bank said it now puts compliance and tax transparency ahead of profitability.

But Panorama has spoken to a whistleblower who said there were still problems with tax dodging at HSBC private bank when she worked there in 2013.

Sue Shelley was the private bank's head of compliance in Luxembourg. She said HSBC did not keep its promise to change. "I think the verbal messages were great but they weren't put into practice and that disturbed me greatly," she said.

It was her job to make sure HSBC followed the rules, but she said she was sacked after raising concerns. She has since won a tribunal hearing for unfair dismissal.

[giselle97]

And RebeccaRiots2 that b..........d bully in the red jacket on the horse should have been arrested for attempted murder because that's what he had in his head I bet .. to do that woman harm.

[ErnstRemarx]

That's tell the SNP to shut up or put the Tories in territory.

Actually that is more Labour /Lib Dem or Labour /SNP coalition territory.

Tory Party doesn't have a shot at forming a government.

I have often wondered if a post Clegg Lib Dem party would manage to work with Labour. Since the majority of their remaining seats will be Tory marginals you would think it is a good fit for a recovery plan.

I'd have said so, despitte those two faced arseholes really not deserving it at all after all the damage they've done.

[giselle97]

HSBC bank 'helped clients dodge millions in tax'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31248913

Britain's biggest bank helped wealthy clients cheat the UK out of millions of pounds in tax, the BBC has learned.

Panorama has seen thousands of accounts from HSBC's private bank in Switzerland leaked by a whistleblower in 2007.

They show bankers helped clients evade tax and offered deals to help tax dodgers stay ahead of the law...

Richard Brooks, a former tax inspector and author of The Great Tax Robbery, said: "I think they were a tax avoidance and tax evasion service. I think that's what they were offering. They knew full well that people come to them to dodge their tax liabilities."

The bank now faces criminal investigations in the US, France, Belgium and Argentina. HSBC said it is "co-operating with relevant authorities". But in the UK, where the bank is based, no such action has been taken.

The man in charge of HSBC at the time, Stephen Green, was made a Conservative peer and appointed to the government.

Lord Green was made a minister eight months after HMRC had been given the leaked documents from his bank. He served as a minister of trade and investment until 2013 ...

But in the UK no action, exactly. I wonder why that is, Dave?

[giselle97]

That's tell the SNP to shut up or put the Tories in territory.

Actually that is more Labour /Lib Dem or Labour /SNP coalition territory.

Tory Party doesn't have a shot at forming a government.

I have often wondered if a post Clegg Lib Dem party would manage to work with Labour. Since the majority of their remaining seats will be Tory marginals you would think it is a good fit for a recovery plan.

I'd have said so, despitte those two faced arseholes really not deserving it at all after all the damage they've done.

I couldn't stand their gloating so I won't stay here to see it!

[ErnstRemarx]

That's tell the SNP to shut up or put the Tories in territory.

It's based on uniform swing though ... so doesn't really do the job for such strange times. The swings that polls are showing in Scotland are hardly 'uniform'.

This election is just such uncharted territory.

I keep hoping there are a lot of very sensible people keeping a quiet counsel with themselves at the mo who will come out and vote the best way to keep the Tories out .... but I know that's just me hoping.

It's not just you, trust me.

But yes, it's weird new world out there in punterland, with dyed in the wool Tories who'll never change, those who've gone to UKIP and are even weirder than Tories, ex-Labour Greens who seem determined to empty both barrels into their metaphorical feet and a swirling mass of uncommitted people who apparently don't know and don't care abour politics, can't be bothered to register to vote, wouldn't turn up to vote, even if registered and those who simply go "Whaaa..?" if asked about politics.

God help us.

[RogerOThornhill]

HSBC bank 'helped clients dodge millions in tax'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31248913

Britain's biggest bank helped wealthy clients cheat the UK out of millions of pounds in tax, the BBC has learned.

Panorama has seen thousands of accounts from HSBC's private bank in Switzerland leaked by a whistleblower in 2007.

They show bankers helped clients evade tax and offered deals to help tax dodgers stay ahead of the law...

Richard Brooks, a former tax inspector and author of The Great Tax Robbery, said: "I think they were a tax avoidance and tax evasion service. I think that's what they were offering. They knew full well that people come to them to dodge their tax liabilities."

The bank now faces criminal investigations in the US, France, Belgium and Argentina. HSBC said it is "co-operating with relevant authorities". But in the UK, where the bank is based, no such action has been taken.

The man in charge of HSBC at the time, Stephen Green, was made a Conservative peer and appointed to the government.

Lord Green was made a minister eight months after HMRC had been given the leaked documents from his bank. He served as a minister of trade and investment until 2013 ...

And look where he was as well...

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/lo ... tpierpoint" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lord Green became Chairman of the British Bankers’ Association in November 2006.

Yes, that's the BBA who were supposed to be overseeing LIBOR...and a fine job they did of that too!

Mind you, I reckon Ed Balls had something to do with that given that he was Secretary of State for Education at the time...

[giselle97]

Hiyah Tubby!

Bus from Miraflores, Costa Mijas to Fuengirola Train Station
Train from Fuengirola to Malaga Train Station (and walk over road to Malaga Bus Station)
Altos Coach (luxury, leather single seat, wi-fi, music) from Malaga to Alicante Bus Station (because I like the trip through the countryside!)
Bus from Alicante Bus Station to Torrievieja Bus Station
3 days later:
Bus from Torrievieja Bus Station to Alicante Airport
Flight from Alicante Airport to Gatwick Airport (booked on arrival Torrievieja 3 days before)
-----------------------------------
Train from Gatwick Airport to St Pancras
Train from King's Cross to Peterborough Train Station
Taxi 4.8 miles from Peterborough Train Station to Yaxley
-----------------------------------

Guess which cost the most!

I expect you also appreciate that I drive home to Inverness rather than catch two trains including a toy train stopping everywhere after Edinburgh Waverley! Price wise, it's a heck of a lot cheaper as well.

Are there any clean trains in the UK?

[rebeccariots2]

I'm looking forward to Panorama tomorrow night - if 'looking forward' is the right term for something that will probably require me to have something to pummel on hand.

Night all.

[LadyCentauria]

@ohso might be amused to hear that Bracknell MP Dr. Phillip Lee's suggestion that smokers, drinkers, and consumers of high-fat/high-sugar convenience foods – or who lead promiscuous sex lives - should pay more for their medical treatment, is (mostly) getting something of a drubbing on LBC at the mo. Duncan Barkes (presenter) pointed out that duties and taxes on alcohol and nicotine products raise twenty-six-and-a-half billion pounds for the Treasury which is about a quarter of the entire cost of the NHS.

What has not been brought up is that if everyone stopped drinking and smoking those billions would have to be raised somewhere else. I don't know how much the NHS spends on treatment for smoking- and alcohol-induced disease and injury but it would be interesting to know. As to exactly how any government would define 'sexually promiscuous life' or how they'd identify those they'd attempt to impose extra charges on, I have no idea. And would the celibate and married-monogamous get a discount on their National Insurance?

[HindleA]

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015 ... nimum-wage" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


"Care workers are underpaid by 130 million a year,according to the Resolution Foundation"



http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/f ... ation-rent" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Private landlords gains 26.7 billion a year,from UK taxpayer,say campaigners"


Priorities.

[HindleA]

http://newapproachuk.org/2015/02/08/wha ... sessments/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What has been achieved by 4.8 million Work Capability Assessments?

"the numbers receiving Incapacity Benefit and Employment Support Allowance have barely changed,, and in fact have reduced at a slower rate than they did in the years prior to the WCA being introduced."