I would also add, I don’t think she was stupid, I think she was stressed - her child was permanently disabled due to some injury at birth and her marriage appears to have finally collapsed around the time of the pandemic. Though the divorce didn’t become final until 2023 in the run up to the general election. Meanwhile she has been doing a shared care arrangement for her children, including her disabled son - and given they’ve needed a court appointed trust I am going to guess their son has high needs.
Frankly, if I was in that position I think I’d have had a nervous breakdown years ago - let alone not quite asked enough tax lawyers about selling my house.
Precisely this.
As far as one can tell from what's in the public domain, she acted appropriately and with integrity in a very, very difficult situation. There is literally zero evidence that she had any intent to avoid tax. She made a small and very understandable mistake.* She referred herself to the independent ethics advisor and resigned on his advice.
Seriously, what more could she have possibly done?
And I have extreme nausea at the extreme hypocrisy of most of her critics.
Please note that the Telegraph that has been the main vehicle of attack runs whole sections on how to minimise one's tax burden. Those that come from money don't get that she doesn't have a tax accountant and lawyer on retainer because doesn't everyone?
I have owned more than one property at times and the tax rules are complex and subject to change. It is not easy to access advice or even work out where and when you need to.** There's a common trope on social media that she should be prosecuted 'like anyone else would be.' That is plain nonsense. She declared the error to HMRC, they will expect full payment plus interest, plus a penalty potentially but would never launch a prosecution for this. If they did, it would fail.
AFZ
*I don’t mean that 40k is small. It is and it isn't. I mean small in terms of the process.
**and no, as a minister she did not have access to civil service advice. That would have been entirely improper.
P.S. A hundred years ago, Churchill ran into trouble for not paying tax on publishing earnings so he got a Treasury official to write him a special exemption. Just by contrast.
Comments
Precisely this.
As far as one can tell from what's in the public domain, she acted appropriately and with integrity in a very, very difficult situation. There is literally zero evidence that she had any intent to avoid tax. She made a small and very understandable mistake.* She referred herself to the independent ethics advisor and resigned on his advice.
Seriously, what more could she have possibly done?
And I have extreme nausea at the extreme hypocrisy of most of her critics.
Please note that the Telegraph that has been the main vehicle of attack runs whole sections on how to minimise one's tax burden. Those that come from money don't get that she doesn't have a tax accountant and lawyer on retainer because doesn't everyone?
I have owned more than one property at times and the tax rules are complex and subject to change. It is not easy to access advice or even work out where and when you need to.** There's a common trope on social media that she should be prosecuted 'like anyone else would be.' That is plain nonsense. She declared the error to HMRC, they will expect full payment plus interest, plus a penalty potentially but would never launch a prosecution for this. If they did, it would fail.
AFZ
*I don’t mean that 40k is small. It is and it isn't. I mean small in terms of the process.
**and no, as a minister she did not have access to civil service advice. That would have been entirely improper.
P.S. A hundred years ago, Churchill ran into trouble for not paying tax on publishing earnings so he got a Treasury official to write him a special exemption. Just by contrast.