There is a difference between Asian Voice and the British newspapers. C B Patel has wowed not publish a certain type of advertisements. In its grand hypocrisy, the British national newspapers on a lynching jaunt on the Prime Minister David Cameron cannot see that they make money out of advertising products and companies offering the guides and advice on how to avoid inheritance tax. Go to The Telegraph and other sites, to their money pages, and see for yourself. I have attended a free seminar at The Telegraph with St James Place sponsored by them. Therefore, I am not talking a fiction here. It makes us wonder, what all this fuss is about where there is no story and yet there is a strenuous effort in creating a story out of twisted logic of morality on tax, peddled by everyone as the right thing to do for the Prime Minister. Same journalists will have no hesitation in taking advantage of these rules on the inheritance tax if they had the similar opportunity available. The inheritance tax also can be questioned as an immoral tax under the moral philosophy. In one facet of the argument, how is it moral to tax someone's wealth they created for their children by working and paying the tax due or not on the income as per the rules applied at the time? It creates a tax on the taxed money passed on. To save as much tax as you can within rules is a human right. The illegal tax avoidance isn’t.
The culture in the UK is to loathe businesses and people who are successful in creating wealth. However, everyone wants to get rich quick and be a celebrity. They want to be skint and at the same time want the endless supply of money. In India and America, wealth is not a stigma. Even a poor child on the roadside in India wants to be wealthy and wants to work for it. In their own right, many are enterprising. Thieves and beggars are everywhere to be found, even in England. Therefore, we are not talking about the criminals.
It is astounding to see the lynching mob full of pretence going after David Cameron. As the amounts are not in millions, they have to revert to the archaic arguments of morality.
Here is what Bertrand Russell said: Morality is nothing but a lack of opportunity.
Almost all self-employed journalist in the land will try to see how they reduce their tax burden. The justification of expenses claimed obviously would filter or morph through some interesting reasoning and questions on morality. Can you see the whole country queuing up to pay their tax as HMRC demands? Why do they shout when HMRC makes mistakes?
As the end of the year approaches newspapers have many articles advising people to claim back every penny they can and show various rules they can use to reduce their tax burden. Why? If according to them David Cameron cannot use the rules in place, why must these two-faced British press offer articles to help increase their circulation and preach the immorality they are rushing out to crush someone who has just used the same rules?
I have written in Asian Voice before about the Leveson enquiry into press standards. This recent outburst and lynching by the press just prove yet again that the Lord Leveson's recommendations should be implemented in full. Perhaps David Cameron can see the reason now why it is urgent and important to do so. The shamble of an independent body established by the newspapers themselves serving their own interest cannot deliver an equitable solution recommended by Lord Leveson. A voice of the victims of media continuously gets neglected by the politicians. There is a case here to forge for the proper independent body established. The freedom of speech is not infringed by implementing these recommendations; in fact, it will be enhanced with the responsible approach instilled.
