Tax avoiders are rich bar stewards who should not be allowed to vote....

[DimPrawn]

....says tax dodging Champagne Socalist Red Ken.

Ken Livingstone uses loophole to save £50,000 in tax - Telegraph

Uber

[Waldorf]

Perfectly legal but what a hypocrite, as usual politicians and the media seem unable to tell the difference between tax avoidance (legal) and tax evasion (illegal).

[Jeff Maginty]

..

[Kanye]

If his business allegedly involves exploiting his own fame, experience, personality, reputation etc, then clearly he allegedly cannot realistically send a substitue to do the work, because the whole thing allegedly revolves around him as a specific person. Therefore, why is he allegedly not subject to IR35?

Oh, sorry, I forgot that IR35 was allegedly set up specifically to persecute IT contractors and favour big IT consultancies.

Does that matter? Even though he can't send a substitute, he's clearly contracting services to lots of clients on an interim basis who have no control over him or his working practises whatsoever.

I would have thought this was stone cold outside of IR35 and an entirely appropriate use of a limited company.

[doodab]

One has to wonder if after dinner speaking could be conducted any other way? If not, then it's unlikely the politicos will want to crack down too hard and jeapordise their own post office gravy train.

[Doggy Styles]

Does that matter? Even though he can't send a substitute, he's clearly contracting services to lots of clients on an interim basis who have no control over him or his working practises whatsoever.

I would have thought this was stone cold outside of IR35 and an entirely appropriate use of a limited company.

Indeed, he could never be accused of being a disguised employee for several companies at once.

[neil987]

I can understand how he works for a variety of employers and there is no control etc but how does this system work for others like BBC presenters and footballers? They seem to work mainly for a single employer and do exactly as Mr Ferguson and other managers dictate and are often fined "2weeks wages"?
Surely these are disguised employees and the tax aboidance schemes used by Rangers amongst others to avoid tax should be declared inappropriate for such people.

[AtW]

Reasonable appropriate arrangement for his case - 50/50 split with wife seems obvious also, but he is a hypocrite if indeed attacked such arrangements in the past.

What I am suprised is that somebody would pay him lots of money to hear him talking.

[centurian]

Oh, this is truly priceless.

Here is a transcript of Andrew Gilligham speaking to him on the phone

Ken Livingstone tax avoidance: the transcript – Telegraph Blogs

Stuff like this could easily cost him the election.

[AtW]

Oh, this is truly priceless.

Here is a transcript of Andrew Gilligham speaking to him on the phone

Ken Livingstone tax avoidance: the transcript – Telegraph Blogs

Stuff like this could easily cost him the election.

"Q: But the payment comes into the company, not to you. You’re not paid, the company is paid. Your clients pay the company.

A: Yeah, but then what you get is that we had a big influx of money in the year after I left [the mayoralty] because there were a load of people outstanding wanting me to go and advise them in various parts of the world, and then the money tailed off. So we spread it over the three years."