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[blahblah...blah]

I belong to the school of thought that we should all pay our taxes so public services can continue to be funded. Crazy I know.

So do I. But I value my membership of that school of thought at less than £3.3m. What I'm saying is that I have no doubt that, if I were in his position, I would do the same. So many people in here seem adamant to the contrary, but I wonder how principled you'd be if actually faced with this situation.

 

[Xun]

So do I. But I value my membership of that school of thought at less than £3.3m. What I'm saying is that I have no doubt that, if I were in his position, I would do the same. So many people in here seem adamant to the contrary, but I wonder how principled you'd be if actually faced with this situation.

Indeed.

Speaking of tax it's crazy to know The Beatles (and other well paid people) had to pay a 95% supertax.

 

[Kentpaul]

tax refund > healthcare, i don't even use fucking healthcare.

Fuck it all gaf, im going to get high and go to the fairground

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlL_xgQeQrk&list=FLpZ6zSJJ5oImW3lKfKrjSrg&index=2&feature=plpp_video

go this on while i ROLL a SLIFFY

all this shit will be going on to

THE MARCHES, HAPPY MARCHES

 

[phisheep]

So do I. But I value my membership of that school of thought at less than £3.3m. What I'm saying is that I have no doubt that, if I were in his position, I would do the same. So many people in here seem adamant to the contrary, but I wonder how principled you'd be if actually faced with this situation.

Maybe I'm being naive here, but it doesn't count as a principle if there is a price on it.

We're not talking £3.3 million here anyway, we're talking about the TAX on £3.3 million which comes to a touch over £1.6 million - when you've already got £1.6m (in somewhat dubious and dishonest 'loans') to play with every year. Now, I might not be particularly happy paying that, but I'd pay it - it is the price for living in the society that we have.

 

[blahblah...blah]

Maybe I'm being naive here, but it doesn't count as a principle if there is a price on it.

We're not talking £3.3 million here anyway, we're talking about the TAX on £3.3 million which comes to a touch over £1.6 million - when you've already got £1.6m (in somewhat dubious and dishonest 'loans') to play with every year. Now, I might not be particularly happy paying that, but I'd pay it - it is the price for living in the society that we have.

Good for you - you're a better man than I am if you can stomach seeing £1.6 million of your earnings taken away in tax. I would try to reduce it as much as possible.

 

[phisheep]

Good for you - you're a better man than I am if you can stomach seeing £1.6 million of your earnings taken away in tax. I would try to reduce it as much as possible.

It is largely a matter of getting the right perspective on it.

Say my gross earnings were £300k. The way these earnings are set by the market is that I get to take home the about £160k that the job works out at. And the rest goes in taxation that the government has legislated for. I never did 'earn' the other £140k - I only get paid it in the first place because of the way the tax system is. If there were no tax, then I'd be getting paid £160k, same as I get to take home with tax, because that - as take-home pay - is the going rate for the job.

It's a gross error to think of the pre-tax income as something you have earned and have rights over to the extent of cheating others out of the benefit of it.

 

[Little Old Man]

So basically Carr has committed tax avoidance? Nothing illegal about that, though there is obviously we can all place a personal judgement on the morality of it. It is the governments responsibility to provide a tax system with the minimum amount of loop holes, whilst balancing the other two ideal tax system objectives.

Of course it is only worthwhile looking at tax avoidance schemes when you have firstly enough income to justify it, and secondly the finances to afford a good accountant and financial advisor. So it naturally happens for many wealthy people, that is unless they have a particular moral stance about the subject. Carr obviously doesn't. To be quite honest it's hard to say what I'd do in such a situation. I consider myself an honest guy though and paying my way is a part of that (in particular with worthy sources of government revenue such as the NHS), so I'd very likely pay what I 'owe'.

 

[phisheep]

So basically Carr has committed tax avoidance? Nothing illegal about that,

Well, that depends on the details. If, as is claimed in reports, the particular scheme relies on dishonestly claiming that income is a 'loan' on paper but one that is never intended to be repaid - than that looks very much like fraud to me. Not legal last time I looked.

 

[blahblah...blah]

It is largely a matter of getting the right perspective on it.

Say my gross earnings were £300k. The way these earnings are set by the market is that I get to take home the about £160k that the job works out at. And the rest goes in taxation that the government has legislated for. I never did 'earn' the other £140k - I only get paid it in the first place because of the way the tax system is. If there were no tax, then I'd be getting paid £160k, same as I get to take home with tax, because that - as take-home pay - is the going rate for the job.

It's a gross error to think of the pre-tax income as something you have earned and have rights over to the extent of cheating others out of the benefit of it.

I'll concede you're completely right here, but there are still two caveats. Firstly, when your earnings are primarily from ticket and DVD sales rather than contracts (although I imagine his Channel 4 contract is rather lucrative), this notion becomes less relevant. Secondly, my poor phrasing aside, it doesn't change the fact that if I was being paid a certain amount as gross salary, I would want to keep as much of it as possible.

Anyway, we're leading each other in circles here due to a fundamental difference in our integrities I suggest we let others argue this instead.

EDIT: This is always an amusing legal judgement to refer to, however:

IRC v Duke of Westminster (1936). House of Lords decision;
“Every man is entitled if he can to arrange his affairs so that the tax attaching under the appropriate Acts is less than it otherwise would be. If he succeeds in ordering them so as to secure that result, then, however unappreciative the Commissioners of Inland Revenue or his fellow taxpayers may be of his ingenuity, he cannot be compelled to pay an increased tax” (IRC v Duke of Westminster [ 1936 ] AC1 (HL)).

 

[Little Old Man]

Well, that depends on the details. If, as is claimed in reports, the particular scheme relies on dishonestly claiming that income is a 'loan' on paper but one that is never intended to be repaid - than that looks very much like fraud to me. Not legal last time I looked.

If that was the case then yes that is tax evasion, which is illegal.

 

[Nevasleep]

An hour of Blink182 on Kerrang.....ahhh memories.

 

[f0rk]

I'd be too lazy to work out how to tax dodge.

 

[phisheep]

EDIT: This is always an amusing legal judgement to refer to, however:

It's a good one. I do like the old Lords judgments (mostly).

Worth noting though that the Duke wouldn't get away with that particular scam these days!

 

[Suairyu]

Just had another BBQ. Fresh rainbow trout, caramelised onion sausages and an amazing selection of olives and salads.

 

[xptoxyz]

To people familiar with the UK Uni. marks, if you can help me over here.

Wikipedia states a 2:2/Lower Second is 50-59, but the 40-49 "Third" seems to still be a pass(as well as the ordinary which I'm still reading about), how is it that a mark under 50 is a pass? Are marks not given in a 0-100 scale in undergraduate courses?

 

[Suairyu]

Wikipedia states a 2:2/Lower Second is 50-59, but the 40-49 "Third" seems to still be a pass(as well as the ordinary which I'm still reading about), how is it that a mark under 50 is a pass? Are marks not given in a 0-100 scale in undergraduate courses?

Because it 50 doesn't mean you got it half right, nor does 100 mean you are fully correct. You can't even score above 80 in most cases because that's reserved for Masters and PHD level students.

Don't think of it as a percentage.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

More Falklands bullshit.

 

[xptoxyz]

Because it 50 doesn't mean you got it half right, nor does 100 mean you are fully correct. You can't even score above 80 in most cases because that's reserved for Masters and PHD level students.

Don't think of it as a percentage.

Well that's why I kinda included the scale part in the question, I was actually focusing more on the end of course grade rather than each way evaluation. I guess 80 max in most cases makes sense. I ended up thinking it is 100 points system due to reading CVs where people with a First Class specified a 70ish % average.

Anyway, thanks for the answer.

 

[blahblah...blah]

Yeah, the scale is really between 30 and 85, let's say. To average over 70 is to have done very well indeed.

 

[Suairyu]

More Falklands bullshit.

did we end up convincing US-GAF the reality of that situation or is that one stuck in limbo too?

 

[SKINNER!]

Jackass is on TV....ahhhh memories!

 

[Kentpaul]

the zip the flop the splash and the boo hoo

Thumbs up thread if you guys also watch this godly show

 

[daviyoung]

Jackass? I'm too old for that shit. I sat through the third film without cracking a single smile or whince. That wouldn't have happened 12 years ago.

 

[SKINNER!]

Jackass? I'm too old for that shit. I sat through the third film without cracking a single smile or whince. That wouldn't have happened 12 years ago.

3rd film wasn't that great and I felt that it was ridiculously tame in comparison to the other films. This was the TV show that I was watching last night. First season I think. Never gets old to me.

 

[Musha_Soturi]

Jackass? I'm too old for that shit. I sat through the third film without cracking a single smile or whince. That wouldn't have happened 12 years ago.

Really? I thought 3 was hilarious, pretty much cracked up throughout the whole thing. It's childish humour but it's still damn funny not matter what age you are, we're all kids at heart.

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

My wife loves all those men-hurting-themselves shows. I never see her laughing like that at anything else. It's kinda perverse.

 

[Suairyu]

Jackass? I'm too old for that shit. I sat through the third film without cracking a single smile or whince. That wouldn't have happened 12 years ago.

3rd film was great. Felt like a teenage reunion. I have no idea if it was better or worse than previous Jackass films, but it was a nice place to visit for an hour and a half after all these years. The montage with them as kids at the end was actually emotional and I was all :')

How could you not wince at the using-a-sports-car-to-pull-a-tooth scene?

Absolutely never got into Dirty Sanchez though. Bunch of talentless idiots. What makes Jackass work is that they all have a sense of comic timing with their stunts and editing. I'm not saying they're comedy geniuses, but they certainly think about that sort of thing. DS was just some grubby potheads doing nasty shit.

 

[daviyoung]

Too stupid man. I liked some of the skits, but I never laugh at people getting hurt. Even as a kid. I liked Jackass prank and toilet humour when I was younger though, some of the stuff was quite clever. Pain stuff just didn't do it for me though, like people falling over and that, it was below me even as a kid. Nowadays none of it is funny.

Shows like that just give me an Ow My Balls vibe and I end up waving my walking stick at the TV yelling at all the louts to get real jobs.

 

[Suairyu]

"My name is Johnny Knoxville and this is the high five!"

The one with Bam is just perfect.

Stuff done to him always makes me smile because while he loves dishing it out, he so can't ever take it.

 

[daviyoung]

What was that show with that nerd that looked a member of The Editors? Balls of Steel or something. That was when I realised I was different to the other boys.

 

[Suairyu]

Balls of Steel!

... yeah, not generally that funny. Was good for a unique giggle for one episode, but never held my interest.

Full Jackass 3.5 is up on YouTube if you want to spend 90 minutes.

 

[SmokyDave]

Balls of Steel!

... yeah, not generally that funny. Was good for a unique giggle for one episode, but never held my interest.

Full Jackass 3.5 is up on YouTube if you want to spend 90 minutes.

Balls of Steel Australia wins simply because of how scorching hot their 'Bunny Boiler' is.

 

[Suairyu]

Balls of Steel Australia wins simply because of how scorching hot their 'Bunny Boiler' is.

Holy shit.

Like, normally I take you saying girls are gorgeous with a huge grain of salt because, you know, you like meth-ruined Lohan. But no, you're right on the money here.

 

[Musha_Soturi]

I also absolutely love The Dudesons, those guys crack me up

 

[BGBW]

This is all going over my head.

I was pretty surprised to see they made a third Jackass film, but not as much as when I discovered they were still making South Park episodes a few years back.

 

[Suairyu]

I was pretty surprised to see they made a third Jackass film, but not as much as when I discovered they were still making South Park episodes a few years back.

I found out South Park was still going with Season 8, which was-2005-ish.

I wish I'd found out sooner, because I can say flatly that season 8 was seriously the peak. Not a single bad episode, all episodes still have me in stitches.

South Park as been so hit or miss (and mostly miss) for at least four years now.

 

[BGBW]

When was the WoW episode? I think that was when I realised it was still on.

I think I was still in primary school when I has last watched it, perhaps year 7 at most.

 

[Musha_Soturi]

No way! South Park is still one of the best shows on tv, period. The latest series has been really good, still current, still on the mark, still hysterically funny. I haven't missed an episode yet, and I can't say that about many tv shows, especially one that's been going this long.

 

[Suairyu]

So despite it looking like a yellow-and-red gobstopper and hurting, my eye is getting back to (better than) normal. I'm able to game for an hour or so at a time.

Just downloaded the LEGO Batman 2 demo. First time I've been super-stoked for a LEGO game since LEGO Star Wars Original Trilogy.

When was the WoW episode? I think that was when I realised it was still on.

Season 9.

No way! South Park is still one of the best shows on tv, period. The latest series has been really good, still current, still on the mark, still hysterically funny. I haven't missed an episode yet, and I can't say that about many tv shows, especially one that's been going this long.

My current expectation of South Park is to have one "well that was funny" episode for every three episodes, one "omg that was hilarious!" episode per half-season and zero "dayum, South Park is on their best form!" episodes per season.

 

[SKINNER!]

but not as much as when I discovered they were still making South Park episodes a few years back.

South Park in the UK was very bizarre.
I recall when it was on Sky One and then Channel 4 picked it up and it had the best friday night line up ever. After I finished school, I'd go and watch the Simpsons and Buffy or Farscape on BBC 2 and then flick over to Channel 4 to watch Friends, South Park, Spaced and sometimes Red Dwarf would also be on and Jackass would show up followed by Eurotr- anyway! At some point around the 4th or 5th Season of South Park, Channel 4 stopped showing it completely. I can't recall if the new episodes were still showing on Sky one or it just completely wasn't airing in the UK. Even the DVDs stopped being released after 4 (I had to import my copies of S5 onwards) for quite sometime before they eventually re-released Season 1 onwards with new packaging.

 

[BGBW]

I guess the fact they stopped selling the show would explain it. I tended to noticed the new releases in the store so I probably just assume the show ended when no more came out.

Kind of odd that my parents didn't mind me watching it. My dad even watched a few episodes with me. Though most of the jokes went over my head since I was just 11.

 

[Kentpaul]

'Dirty Sanchez was awesome, they bring some redemption to the welsh nation for sure.

 

[Qasiel]

'Dirty Sanchez was awesome, they bring some redemption to the welsh nation for sure.

Ah, now I see what you meant the other day, Musha.

 

[daviyoung]

The sexy tension between Musha and Kent runs like a river through this thread. It's a thing of beauty.

 

[SKINNER!]

It's why I post here tbh >.>

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Really? I thought 3 was hilarious, pretty much cracked up throughout the whole thing. It's childish humour but it's still damn funny not matter what age you are, we're all kids at heart.

Laughed my arse off at it, then recommended it to a UK bro sat next to me on a plane. He almost broke the seat cos he was losing his shit so bad.

 

[Musha_Soturi]

The sexy tension between Musha and Kent runs like a river through this thread. It's a thing of beauty.

I am raising one eyebrow at you right now

 

[CHEEZMO™]

Balls of Steel Australia wins simply because of how scorching hot their 'Bunny Boiler' is.

The girlfriend is cuter.

 

[Suairyu]

The girlfriend is cuter.

He wasn't talking about cuteness.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

He wasn't talking about cuteness.

Well I prefer cuteness over hotness~~ ^o^