The tax avoidance rules are there to be used, they were created deliberately obtuse to make it very difficult for ordinary people to use effectively. They were created so that the wealthy elite or establishment could minimise their tax obligations, especially useful when you realise that 50 years ago high rate tax payers were paying something like 80% or 90% in tax. A lot of those high rate tax payers were in positions that allowed them to influence the tax rules for their benefit. Nowadays of course income tax is much lower but when you consider the cost of VAT and inflationary erosion of money, it's probably just as high as its always been.
As a self employed person I have always tried to minimise the tax I pay, as all self employed persons should and actually do; a person goes into business to make money, not to give it to the government. Consider that 8 out of 10 businesses fail and it's always a high risk endeavour to be self employed. Therefore, it's fair that such people are given some leeway when it comes to tax.
The main tax revenues are collected from employees, simply because of their sheer numbers. Employees usually have no direct control over their tax obligations as it is managed by their employer according to strict government guidelines and rules. Employees are usually pissed off that their employers make more money than them or that they pay too much in tax, but without employers or business people there could not be any employees because it's they that create the jobs in the first place.
It's a trade off; find a job, work, earn a wage pay the (punitive) tax. You won't get rich but it's relatively secure and risk free. Remember that the employer had to jump through a considerable number of hoops to make that job available for you and the whole of the time that you have your secure job, the employer is always at risk of going under from any of a myriad financial reasons. If he can ease his cash flow by avoiding tax then he should. It is his prerogative.
As a self employed person I have always tried to minimise the tax I pay, as all self employed persons should and actually do; a person goes into business to make money, not to give it to the government. Consider that 8 out of 10 businesses fail and it's always a high risk endeavour to be self employed. Therefore, it's fair that such people are given some leeway when it comes to tax.
The main tax revenues are collected from employees, simply because of their sheer numbers. Employees usually have no direct control over their tax obligations as it is managed by their employer according to strict government guidelines and rules. Employees are usually pissed off that their employers make more money than them or that they pay too much in tax, but without employers or business people there could not be any employees because it's they that create the jobs in the first place.
It's a trade off; find a job, work, earn a wage pay the (punitive) tax. You won't get rich but it's relatively secure and risk free. Remember that the employer had to jump through a considerable number of hoops to make that job available for you and the whole of the time that you have your secure job, the employer is always at risk of going under from any of a myriad financial reasons. If he can ease his cash flow by avoiding tax then he should. It is his prerogative.
