A taxing issue for CCHQ

MaxSceptic

Scratch an 'environmentalist' - find a hypocrite.

Yow Min Lye

I can hear the sound of 'turnip Talebans' up and down the land indulging in a moment's schadenfreude at the A-listers' expense.

Vulture

Zac Goldsmith is one of the priveleged rich boy Camerloon clique who have current control of the so-called Conservative party. Yes, he's a hypocrite and an eco-nut who would have the rest of us( not him of course) transported back to the Stone Age.
What he's certainly not is any sort of Conservative. If I lived in Richmond Park I would vote LibDem rather than this creep.

Holly ......

While people die in filthy hospitals because the staff are too busy target hitting lets just take the sting out a bit by slagging off the bloody tax dodging rich.
Makes me f'ing sick the way the media have their priorities arse end up!
Troops are dying through lack of equipment.
People are dying in BRITISH hospitals in 2009 through government interference, people who went in with tonsilitis are DEAD.....DO YOU HEAR.... DEAD!
We don't bloody care who bankrolls the Tory party as long as it's not us!
Shame on the lot of you!
This stinking lousy government should be out of office by now...but oh no The bloody nasty Tories eh!Much more mileage out of slating them for stupid petty crap.
The usual few will join in the fun.
Sad the lot of you!!!!!

In2minds

In the Times article reached via you link we see -

“Goldsmith Sr made a fortune estimated at £1.2 billion from a series of bold takeovers and well-timed disposals ahead of market crashes”.

If Goldsmith Junior gets his way and spends vast amounts of other peoples money on this green nonsense then we will have the risk of more market crashes.

In fact anyone prepared to spend other peoples money in this reckless fashion must be a socialist Cameron should dump him now.

Brutus et Cassius

Perhaps Dave has tired of Zac and wants him to go.

Anne Wotana Kaye

This 'gentleman's' sire coined the phrase, "When you marry the mistress, a vacancy occurs." Both his sire and dam had pedigrees which Goldsmith has inherited, together with their ethics and morality. Who said a pedigree doesn't count?

TGF UKIP

I certainly hope that neither CCHQ nor the local association will interfere with this nauseating, green prat's parliamentary candidacy. The more there are like him the better I like it, and I suspect there are many more just like him among all the clones and chloes.

Meanwhile, noting the Dear Editor's endorsement of UKIP in today's NoW and knowing his views on "climate change" (even though he is forbidden from discussing the politics of such here) and also knowing that he resides in the Richmond Park constituency, I think we can put yet one more Coffee Houser into the likely General Election UKIP column.

Austin Barry

The pretty parasite is an appropriate poster boy for Cameron's hopeless Tory Party.

Robert Eve

Vote Zac or vote Lib Dem - what an awful choice!!

Beer Moth

Yet another 'wealth creator' who would be a massive loss to the country if we were to be so audacious as to insist on his paying tax.

Dennis Churchill

What other parties or individuals are likely to stand in Richmond?

Irene

My how coffee house seems to have changed in recent weeks.

I have to agree with Holly on this

Useless Tories

Another pseudo-conservative eco-toff.
What does Dave see in him?
Oh, yeah ...

Percy

I live in Richmond and there is simply no way I could vote Tory with this guy and I'm not alone. Dave should dump him tomorrow.

Colin

I live in Richmond. In electoral terms, it's an open goal for the Tories. The problem is, Zac Goldsmith is only going to put the ball in one place - Row D of the stand...

They should deselect him, replace him with someone who can win and, if necessary, let him fight and cut his teeth somewhere else. Put him up against David Miniblair or Ed Minibrown, for instance. Richmond is too important an electoral prize to risk on someone with very little and indeed, declining voter appeal.

Sorry, but he's exactly what we don't need in Richmond.

TomTom

Non-Dom and 0.5% Stamp Duty when buying a house and no IHT. Life can be grand if you're born to it !

TrevorsDen

I know a rich man will find it difficult to get into heaven - but there are no problems in him being an environmentalist.

Still just an excuse for more arsehole comments.

I think Zac is a pillock by the way - but then again I am happy for the Tories to be a broad church.
And he is changing his tax status as well.

Patricia Shaw

Anyone trying to find some equivalence between Goldsmith with Cameron/Osborne on matters related to inherited richesse, sincerity, integrity or honesty is misdirected.

Goldsmith is sincere, straightforward, motivated and capable. Those who know him in his PPS Richmond seat have nothing but good to speak of him and any Liberal will testify to the terror in which incumbent Kramer feels at the threat he poses to her safe seat.

He needs to get over this and march forward confidently, and Cameron needs to let him.

Chuck Unsworth

I've got little time for Zac Goldsmith, but there's considerable disinformation here. I suggest that some contributors should take the time to read the article in today's times rather more carefully than they apparently have.

2trueblue

Keep your eye on the ball. B Brogan gave an easy ride to those 'flippers' who made tens of thousands, and in some cases hendreds of thousands, tax paid or not, still a lot of money. Some of the MPs concerned have still escaped his scrutiny. Why? I wonder if our 'friend' Brogan has been in the Westminster village too long and is as impartial as he should be?

We actually do have very few good jounalists in the field, which has meant that this government has ridden roughshod over our freedoms and we have sat back and been deflected very cleverly from seeing the real game.

We have had this lot in government wrecking the country and abusing their position left, right and centre, and now we have to worry about something that is not really that important. The Labour government are perfectly capable, they have the Prince of Darkness to assist, the BBC, the media, of digging dirt, lets not create an own goal.
How good is the press at digging? There has been plenty over the past 13 years and the media have done a pretty lousey job for us. Look at the climate change fiasco. It has been known that the figures were not realistic and it has taken until now for it to come to light that things do not add up. Why have those who are respected and have the knowledge been sidelined? Because they do not sing the accepted song? Why has there been so little publicity when they have not been included in the discussions and conferences?

We have a supine press because we let it be so. The BBC belongs to the government but we don't.

Holly makes a very good point.

We can spend the next 5yrs naval gazing whilst this government gets re-elected whilst we are too dumb to see the game.
Lets concentrate on the facts and get rid of them.

Gawain

I am completely bemused at the "pull" Goldsmith seems to have over the Conservative Party leadership. He is the sort of over wealthy trustafarian that seem to inhabit a different planet. His theocratic environmentalism is a political creed separate from most normal political discourse let alone Conservative policy. Any normal candidates showing the same degree of independence would be reined in sharply. His Marriage problems entertain the scandal sheets. Women candidates in Norfolk are forced into humiliating explanations for long dead affairs. Now we discover he just can't be fussed to pay tax in the country where he is seeking representative office. Long serving MP's have been forced into early retirement for less. What does he represent ? I'll lay a pound to a penny that the sensible people of Richmond will declare loudly next year that he won't be representing them

Snowman

Holly….

When you calm down ponder for a while whether you want to end up after 8-12 years of the Tory Zacs-alike rule with a repeat of 1997. If not, you may like to think some more, and only then decide.

I share very much your deeply felt lament about people dying in NHS hospitals. I find it hard to share your explicit endorsement of the Tories who, you presumably believe, will put an end to it. It reminds me of the changes at the USSR Politbureau. Please take it from me, the changes didn’t help. People kept on dying. Can you guess why?

Fergus Pickering

If the guy is changing his non-dom status then what's the problem? If he's rich then maybe he won't rip us off like quite a lot of the rst of them. So what's the problem? If he's pretty he'll get the Richmond gay vote (quite considerable) so what's the problem? I don't care for the econut stuff but the world and his wife is eco-nut. I'm sure Kramer is. Richmond's an eco-nut sort of a place.

Holly ......

Snowman,
My comment was not intended to and did not endorse the Tories.
It was aimed at the way the media do not hold this Labour government's actions to account, they instead pick matters that,on the whole,do not have a detrimental effect on the majority of British people.
You can absolutely guarantee that even if non doms did pay tax we would still be in the place we are now.Labour would have just had more to waste.
If it is that heinous to be a non dom why has it taken twelve years for Labour to do anything about them and only then after the Tories said they would put an annual levy on them.
Is it more moraly questionable to be a non dom than a flipper or to claim taxpayers money for a mortgage that does not exist?
Is it more moraly questionable to be a non dom than to lie, is Goldsmith a proven liar?
Has Goldsmith's status as a non dom caused a baby Peter or the death of troops?
If Goldsmith was not a non dom would it have made Labour any better a government?
Some days we don't have two pennies to rub together but I do not resent the rich because they do.
I would prefer a million non doms to one Mandelson or Blair.
Goldsmith is not the one who has done the nasty,wrecking things to this country it is the Labour party.
If the media had concentrated more on the results of Labour's actions and policies instead of pushing the nasty Tory Toff message, maybe the country would not be in the mess it is now.
Last question.
If the Tories are that hated and dispicable and Labour so loved and successful why are the Tories ahead in the polls?
Labour have changed tactics nothing more nothing less, they have nothing to contribute to Britain, no fresh ideas, no new policies,they do not give a shoot who gets in after them so long as it's not the Tories.That is Labour's tactic now and the media either know this and are playing along or they don't and they should also change tactics.

Naomi Muse

Sorry chaps, I'm an early bird!

It should be simple - Non-doms cannot stand for parliament because they are not partaking in the whole of society.

Dave and the Conservatives need to stump up a more involved candidate, who really knows what it's like to live here, work here, and pay tax here.

Simple stuff, really. A no brainer. Don't know why Dave even thought it might be an acceptable thing to do otherwise.

Skating on thin ice, methinks.

Viv Evans

Since the end of the Tory Conference earlier this year, I had the feeling that the coming election is for the Tories to lose, never mind their excellent polls.

Looks like they are indeed dribbling away advantage after advantage.

Unfortunately, the outlook of another four or five years of NuLab, Gord or not, is unbearable.

Time for the Tory grassroots to do some serious arm-twisting!

THX1138

Ashcroft & Goldsmith are forming a new pressure The Non-TaxPayers Alliance.

I like Zac but WTF was he thinking?

Colin

Many posters here seem to be missing the point.

I'm sure Zac's a nice guy and all that, but he's acquired a lot of baggage. His witness box support for the eco-muppets who vandalised Kingsnorth power station gives an insight into his thinking. The furore that has been allowed to erupt over his tax status is indicative of his political insensitivity to the realities of the real world.

And, Fergus Pickering, Richmond is far from being an "eco-nut sort of a place". More like a place where we're heartily sick to death of being f*cked over by eco-nuts. As a result, we don't need another one.

Snowman

Holly…..@ 5.13:

sorry, missed you earlier point entirely, my fault, and what’s more, endorse what you say with gusto. You and I must be members of the same club. My shouting at the boxes started with the TV, now the poor crackling radio suffers, too, Straw got it handsomely this morning. I must be going mad, no question about it. Why would anyone sane got upset about a light comedy programme that goes on and on quoting from a book by Sarah Palin, and avoids touching anything remotely connected with the lot that runs the country.

Holly, my friend, lets keep on shouting.

Naomi Muse

Holly and Snowman - agree with your points.

The hypocrisy and moving the goal posts are all symptoms of a basic malaise in the community.

That is lack of respect for others.

I agree with your comparisons of morality, Holly, and cannot see how we can judge one misdemeanor as better or worse than another in a lot of instances.

All of it comes down to failure to respect others, respect their rights to be, their belongings and their foibles.

Snowman, if we shout that we want all politicians to lead by example and to sign up, and commit to the principal of Service to the Community with Honour.

A tall order, I know, but we are in straitened times and it could do the trick?

Amadeus Plonquer

We all know that all the smart people left the UK before Phoney Toney and Gord Almighty stunk up the place.

Perhaps we should 'off-shore' or 'out-source' the government of the UK to Hong Kong?

Or maybe the British Parliament should be moved to Brisbane in an attempt to be closer to the people?

DavidDP

Wonder how many of the critics here also criticised Osborne's proposal to tax non-doms.......

General Zod

It seems obvious to me that non-dom status should make you ineligible to sit as an MP.

Pay the tax if you want to stand, Zac. It's not even as if you earned the money yourself.

birch.a.t

Please correct if this wrong,but is there not a 90 day limit in one year to qualify for non dom

Aidan

birch a.t. There is no 90-day test for domicile. The 90-day test relates to "residence" in the UK which is a different test from domicile. Your domicile is something you are born with and which is very difficult to change. I believe Zac Goldsmith inherited a French domicile from his father. He can only change it by demonstrating a settled intention to make England his permanent home (the concept of domicile pre-dates the Union).

Non-doms who are resident in the UK are taxed on all their UK income in the same way as any other UK resident. The difference in the past related to their non-UK income - this used to be taxed only to the extent that they bring it into the UK.

However, as of this year, non-doms who want to preserve the tax benefits of their non-dom status must to pay a fixed annual tax of £30,000. If they don't pay this, they are taxed on all their income and gains, whether UK or foreign.

So I imagine what Zac will do is simply NOT to pay the £30,000 fixed tax, and therefore accept to be taxed in the UK on all his income and gains.

TomTom

No Birch the 90-Day Rule applies to income but Zac doesn't own anything merely has the use of assets owned by a Cayman Islands trust and brins capital into the UK on which to live. Since it is capital and not income he pays no taxes.

The danger is that we will get a Capital Transfer Tax again because of Non-Dom abusing the system, or even a German-style annual capital tax. Now that the Lisbon Treaty is well anchored it cannot be long before Tax Harmonisation removes Non-Dom status from the UK and Ireland where it has been the analogue of fast-and-loose financial speculation run through offshore tax centres.

Richmond Paul

As a Richmond Park resident sick to the back teeth of the local Lib-Dim eco-loonies, I despaired when I heard that Goldsmith Jnr was nominated to be the PPC.

Susan Kramer is a very decent person and has been a reasonable MP but what a choice I have. I will have to look at the greater good to remove the current idiots in power when casting my vote.