Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

[JamesWales]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

It's far from complex. You're either under investigation or you are not. Its binary.

I'm talking about the nature of the issue in question being complex. I assume you aren't saying that anyone under investigation for anything should be instantly sacked?

[superfeathers]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

I'm talking about the nature of the issue in question being complex. I assume you aren't saying that anyone under investigation for anything should be instantly sacked?

I honestly don't understand what's complex about it. He was penalised and settled with HMRC, fact.
Why would the government then investigate something that a government department has already investigated.

Did they expect to find that HMRC got it wrong and also his lawyers got wrong in agreeing to settle it with them?
Don't they trust HMRC investigations?
Are there certain levels of tax evasion that would be considered palatable where he could stay in post?
Did they think that the story might die down?

Bojo, Partygate, Raab, Suella, Hancock, etc despite being plain as day needed to have an investigation. This one didn't.

[jon1959]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

I'm talking about the nature of the issue in question being complex. I assume you aren't saying that anyone under investigation for anything should be instantly sacked?

You could possibly argue that the Zahawi tax situation was complex - but that wasn't what the government investigation was about (via the Ethics Advisor). The tax avoidance and penalty facts were all known and in the public domain - confirmed by HMRC.

The so-called investigation initiated very very late by Sunak was into how and when Zahawi admitted those facts and whether that breached the Ministerial Code. That wasn't complex at all. It was also already in the public domain and should have been dealt with months (if not years) earlier.

Johnson, Truss and Sunak have all ignored or excused serious misconduct up to the point where it became too politically embarrassing and Zahawi was shown the door (without any apology or contrition). Pathetic and sleazy from all of them!

[Feedback]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

I'm talking about the nature of the issue in question being complex. I assume you aren't saying that anyone under investigation for anything should be instantly sacked?

The tax issue wasn't complex at all. Zahawi tried to use an offshore trust to mask his capital gain upon disposal.

[Dorcus]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

You could possibly argue that the Zahawi tax situation was complex - but that wasn't what the government investigation was about (via the Ethics Advisor). The tax avoidance and penalty facts were all known and in the public domain - confirmed by HMRC.

The so-called investigation initiated very very late by Sunak was into how and when Zahawi admitted those facts and whether that breached the Ministerial Code. That wasn't complex at all. It was also already in the public domain and should have been dealt with months (if not years) earlier.

Johnson, Truss and Sunak have all ignored or excused serious misconduct up to the point where it became too politically embarrassing and Zahawi was shown the door (without any apology or contrition). Pathetic and sleazy from all of them!

Not only no apology nor contrition but a follow up attack on the press in his written reply to his dismissal. That further boiled my piss and my thoughts are that if Sunak were anything other than a paper tiger he would remove the whip from Zahawi for insolence.

[JamesWales]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

Remarkable how many of you are so up in arms about this. The guy has paid a penalty. He's lost his job within 10 days. What does it matter if he did it after one day (before all the facts had been established). Pretty certain when the shoe is on the left foot you would be content with an investigation concluding in a week and the same happening.

Remember Conor Burns a few months ago? String him up! String him up! Was completely exonerated a few months later.

Some criticisms are valid but I struggle to see beyond party political games here tbh.

[Eric Cartman]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

Remarkable how many of you are so up in arms about this. The guy has paid a penalty. He's lost his job within 10 days. What does it matter if he did it after one day (before all the facts had been established). Pretty certain when the shoe is on the left foot you would be content with an investigation concluding in a week and the same happening.

Remember Conor Burns a few months ago? String him up! String him up! Was completely exonerated a few months later.

Some criticisms are valid but I struggle to see beyond party political games here tbh.

Do you think Zahawi is going to be exonerated in a few months?

Why would anybody be content with a former chancellor deliberately evading 3.7 million in tax. I don't give a toss if he has paid a penalty or not, it is indicative of the me me me UK right now and something rather large needs to change. It's also yet another clear signal that quite a sizable proportion of our political class are there for completely the wrong reasons.

One of the main reasons people give for trying to lessen their tax bill is that the government won't spend it well. Well if the fecking chancellor thinks that then we are completely screwed. The whole thing is depressing.

[superfeathers]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

Remarkable how many of you are so up in arms about this. The guy has paid a penalty. He's lost his job within 10 days. What does it matter if he did it after one day (before all the facts had been established). Pretty certain when the shoe is on the left foot you would be content with an investigation concluding in a week and the same happening.

Remember Conor Burns a few months ago? String him up! String him up! Was completely exonerated a few months later.

Some criticisms are valid but I struggle to see beyond party political games here tbh.

Yeah an accusation of sexual misconduct is exactly the same as someone who has been penalised by HMRC, where there has been an investigation already completed. Gotcha.

This is nothing to do with left and right, it's about a former chancellor cheating the country out of taxes. I'm still none the wiser what they investigated that HMRC hadn't already.

The only thing I'm surprised by is that the whole country isn't angrier about him being allowed to stay in post so long, but that might be indicative of where we've got to.

[ToTaL ITK]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

As i'm (thankfully) looking in from the outside and i'm not a fan of either party .I would say that over the decades there have been
some awful politicians in the UK, But this lot that Johnson,truss and sunak have put together are the worst i've ever seen.
Lying and lining their own pockets at every opportunity. And it isn't just one or two James, they are all at it.

[superfeathers]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

As i'm (thankfully) looking in from the outside and i'm not a fan of either party .I would say that over the decades there have been
some awful politicians in the UK, But this lot that Johnson,truss and sunak have put together are the worst i've ever seen.
Lying and lining their own pockets at every opportunity. And it isn't just one or two James, they are all at it.

This is spot on. I've always been a slightly left leaning centrist who although hasn't voted tory, could've been persuaded. The depths this rabble have taken us to is shocking and seemingly never-ending. Some people think that means that everyone who is appalled is a loony lefty but it's just not the case.

[JamesWales]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

I'm just saying..he's done something wrong. There's been an investigation..he's been fired.

I do accept the argument that pending an investigation he should be suspended but other than that it seems the right, sober an do mature thing to do tbh.

I know we live in a social media world of 24 HR news etc but nothing bad has come from doing this properly.

[Dorcus]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

This is spot on. I've always been a slightly left leaning centrist who although hasn't voted tory, could've been persuaded. The depths this rabble have taken us to is shocking and seemingly never-ending. Some people think that means that everyone who is appalled is a loony lefty but it's just not the case.

It's nothing to do with being a loony lefty. It's all about common decency and having the nous to recognise the rank degeneracy of treating public service as a gravy train.

[Dorcus]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

I'm just saying..he's done something wrong. There's been an investigation..he's been fired.

I do accept the argument that pending an investigation he should be suspended but other than that it seems the right, sober an do mature thing to do tbh.

I know we live in a social media world of 24 HR news etc but nothing bad has come from doing this properly.

Do you think, maybe as an exercise in injecting a breath of fresh air, Sunak should withdraw the whip from Zahawi, particularly given the latter's pugnacious acknowledgement of his dismissal?

[Eric Cartman]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

It's also quickly forgotten that Zahawi was involved in the whole greensill thing too. He's exactly the kind of person who should be nowhere near office but the current system deliberately filters people like him in rather than out.

[superfeathers]

Re: Nadhim Zahawi Tax avoidance

Do you think, maybe as an exercise in injecting a breath of fresh air, Sunak should withdraw the whip from Zahawi, particularly given the latter's pugnacious acknowledgement of his dismissal?

Yes, especially given there is no apology, but he won't. We all know that he definitely won't. He's too weak.
And therein lies the damage of leaving him in post so long. He confirmed for lots of people that Sunak's government is just more of the same.
A weak, poor man's Boris Johnson lacking the judgement and authority to govern.