It seems some folks, including the great and the good, not only like doing what they can to avoid tax in the UK, they don't like paying it in the places they choose to set up homes either. How very generous they are. I mean it must be so tough being a pious multi-millionaire that wriggling out of as much tax as you can is a necessity to keep your head above the water in that vast infinity pool...
https://www.theguardian.com/news/201...-barbados-home
I'm sure they must feel all warm inside about how little they manage to pay towards the services the ordinary communities they choose to honour with their presence rely upon eh. 'All tax due has been paid' seems to be an increasingly common response to any awkward questions but, even when that's totally true, avoidance schemes are set up for the very purpose of minimising or removing the amount of tax due so I reckon that just amounts to weasel words of the first order. Such generosity of spirit amongst some of our high profile and even uber rich, figures is heartwarming really...
It's pie in the sky to believe that there'll be a global agreement on taxation any time soon - the rich and powerful will use their money and alliances to prevent that from happening. What's more likely to have an effect though is a permanent change in public mood to bring pressure on these people to turn away from their complicated avoidance schemes and pay their dues. Let's face it none of them are going to be left short of a few million quid are they, even if they pay every penny of tax due without reliance on any tax avoidance whatsoever, even their ISA allowances. Those who're claiming 'ignorance' of their own affairs can't be allowed to carry on doing so I'm afraid. If you know enough to hire an expensive tax advisor to save you money you're bright enough to ask how it all works and make a decision as to the morality of doing so rather than just the legality of avoiding tax.