Expenses investigation to be brought forward

David

Cameron and Clegg should go ahead and sit down, thrash out some rules and publish them. It'll make Brown look completely out of it, and lacking in authority.

Outer Circle

I am starting to actually hate politicians and bankers. If some anarchists feel like inflicting a dose of violence toward these villians so be it.

Rhoda Klapp

Just ring up your local HMRC office. They'll tell you what may be claimed. In fact, you don't even need to do that, there's a whole series of leaflets on their web page. I don't see how MPs can set their own rules regardless of the tax man. We need their tax records too, it seems. Any moles/whistleblowers in HMRC?

Mark Reckons

This is not good enough. I have just posted on my blog about this within a fisk of Polly Toynbee's latest article: http://markreckons.blogspot.com/2009/03/fisking-polly-toynbee.html).

This is still an attempt to kick it into the long grass as it could be up to 9 months before it reports which is a political lifetime.

From Gordon Brown's perspective it would surely be better to get new rules drawn up now rather than have more revelations drip out over the course of the next year anyway?

David Bouvier

What I want to know (Rhoda makes a good point) is that tax status of the MPs expenses.

The rest of us would have no chance of claiming a TV or internet access at home as an expense and would have to pay tax on the benefit.

Is the tax being paid (making the bill even higher) or does HMRC give MPs a sweetheart deal unavailable to the rest of us?

what concession do the MPs have for claiming things like televisions or internet charges which are clearly not tax-deductible.

Are they paying tax on them? Is the House of commons paying the tax (so understating the value) or do they have a sweetheart deal with the Inland Revenue to look the other way.

Carrie

It's not just MP's expenses that needs reform it's the whole Parliment. It is time to stop tinkering around the edges and time to implement some radical changes. I personally want to see reform of the House of Lords, which is an even bigger trough. The numbers need to be drastically reduced. Why do we need 1500 legislatures (combined House of Commons and Lords), by the way all of them leeching off taxpayers.

THX1138

Who cares about all this stuff! I want to know who the journalists were the police had to CS gas after Pickles' party

C'mon Pete you know don't you? know? Know posts this morning from Fraser I notice -:))

Steve.W

Maybe my memory lets me down but I thought the Committee on Standards in Public Life was the bolt hole into which Keith Vaz fled to escape Elizabeth Filkin's questions. He preferred the committee to her, so how tough is the committee?

Susan Hill

I am a limited company as a writer and there is very little other than paper and pen and laptop that I can claim without its becoming a benefit-in-kind and still being taxed albeit at a lower rate. ( I can claim my accountant`s bills. ) Donkeys years ago when I first became a self-employed writer (under what was known as schedule D) there were a lot more expenses which could be claimed without penalty. The rules became quite draconian in the 90s and it is now not worth my while claiming for the running of an office within my house because when we come to sell it there is an immediate tax charge. It costs peanuts to sit and write in a room anyway so why bother to claim?
At the moment my accountant is locked in close negotiation about my claim for the bath plug. I will report.

Herbie

I seem to recall all those stories about Child Tax Credit claimants who were overpaid (in error by this Government, as it happened) being made to promptly repay the difference upon pain of being jailed.

It’s a pity that those hapless families were not in a position to be able to call upon the services of our Home Secretary’s ‘personal assistant’ (who is paid £40,000 from the public purse) to fill in their claim forms for them.

Then again, second thoughts…

Carrie

FROM THE TELEGRAPH BLOGS:

The person involved in the scuffle after Eric Pickles' drinks at the House of Commons can be named as Ian Thomas of Sugar Media.

He publishes student newspapers and it seems that the Conservatives may have been embarrassed in their attempts to reach out to the "yoof" vote.

Ian W

Sugar Media:
http://tinyurl.com/dj9lp7

George Laird

Dear All

John Lyons has a title but the reality is that he is just a very well overpaid clerk.

It appears to me that his job is to clear MP's.

Then there is the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

All of the Committee are rich middle class white people.

No ordinary working class people are allowed to serve on this Committee.

A committee of rich people who protect rich people.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

David Ossitt

A couple of things;

Gordon has misled everyone he did not say tomorrow or next week he said AS SOON AS IS PRACTICABLE, that is Gordon speak for when it suits HIM.

Steve.W

Elizabeth Filkin's could only ever report to the Committee on Standards in Public Life just like the idiot who is supposed to be investigating that woman who is married to the man who masturbates, that is why it will never come to anything!

David Ossitt

George Laird
March 31st, 2009 4:49pm

All of the Committee are rich middle class white people.

George you really need help; being rich is not a sin nor is it a crime and if the wealth is as a result of hard work and effort then it is much to be applauded.

Nor in itself is being middle class; surely the office cleaner who supports her son/daughter through medical school, has aspirations for them to raise their status in this life?

And; in the name of all that is holy, what is wrong about being a white man.

Believe it or not George but despite the best efforts of the liberal elite to change this country into multi faith, multi ethnic, multi coloured mixture, it is still by a long way a white predominantly anglo-saxons protestant country.

David Ossitt

One other thing;

Greg Dyke said on getting his job at the BBC that it was disgustingly white. What he meant was there were not enough non white employees.

So he set out to put it right (to be fair it did need doing) but now we appear to have the opposite it has long gone the other way.

Seriously though what about the male announcer on radio four who makes the late great 'Paul Robeson' sound like a soprano, what is that all about?

Hysteria

what a load of crap. I work for a major international company and the rules are simple. If you are put to an expense due to work yo can claim. There is no limit as such - but you gotta have receipts and justification. So there is no way I would claim for a movie (of any colour!) during a business trip. But If I was away from home for three weeks then the company would expect me to have some kind of social life so a modicum of drinks and entertainment would be expected and allowed.

All are auditable (and are audited) - and if you do not have a receipt for items over $25 you had beeter have a REALLY good story. Bottom line is that neither I, nor the company, should be financially advantaged if I am on business.

George Laird

Dear David Ossitt

You are correct, being rich is not a crime.

What I was pointing out is that there is a ring fencing of top jobs and positions that the rest of society cannot access.

Most people don't talk openly about this type of discrimination as it has been going on for so long.

It is mostly done in secret and behind closed doors.

It was wrong when it started and it is still wrong now.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University