More than 2,000 public servants, paid by the taxpayer, don't actually pay income tax themselves - nor National Insurance for that matter. Danny Alexander, jumping on the "You could have knocked me over with a feather" defence favoured by his mates in the Tory party, has said he is "shocked" at this level of tax avoidance. We've become used to the idea that our banks, political parties and news media are run by a bunch of crooks so why not the civil service? Still, the ginger rodent has said that he's determined to do something about it within three months - well as far as contracts of employment allow of course. You and I might have contracts of employment that are not worth the paper they're written on, but rich people's contracts are another thing entirely - apparently. According to the BBC "The government, as employer, could potentially have to meet the extra costs of National Insurance and pension payments, as well as various statutory employee rights." In other words you and I, as taxpayers who can't dodge our liabilities, will end up paying their bill for them. While "any compensation payments would reduce the amount of lost tax revenue that could be recovered." So there you have it. The government would love to stop this abuse but their hands - conveniently - are tied. "It's what I've always said," George Osborne told our reporter, "the more you tax rich people the less money you get, especially when you consider all those pesky loopholes that, try as I might, I just can't seem to close."
It is official. We are not all in it together.
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