Celebrities “regularly” dodge tax, says TUC
The TUC publishes a spoof celebrity magazine, outlining the methods corporations and the famous use to dodge tax
CELEBRITIES and corporations frequently use complex tax arrangements in order to reduce their effective tax rate, according to a study by the Trades Union Congress.
In a spoof magazine entitled Kerching!, the TUC outlined the most popular methods “regularly employed” by celebrities in “a celebrity guide to tax dodging”, reports the Press Association.
The most popular techniques, according to the TUC, include diverting funds through tax havens such as the Bahamas and Panama, sports stars paying tax separately on their image rights, and paying income to a wife or civil partner.
Many are non-domiciles, allowing them to live in the UK and keep most of their income offshore.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber called on the chancellor to take action and “close down the multiple loopholes which super-rich celebrities and their accountants jump through” in order bring that money back to the public purse.
He added: “The overwhelming majority of people in the UK have little choice over the amount of tax they pay and unlike big corporations and super-rich celebrities don’t have the means to employ expensive accountants to help them avoid paying their fair share of tax.”