Stop moaning, Eamonn, and pay your taxes
So Eamonn Holmes is moaning that he is being pursued for tax and says it is because the country is broke. Yes, the country is nearly broke because there are too many people like him – TV personalities, footballers, big company bosses, bankers, and many, many more – who do not pay their fair share of tax because they have arrangements beneficial to them.
It’s about time the Revenue & Customs and Government made them all pay up. Frank Meatyard, Bath I smell a celebrity witch-hunt here. Eamonn says that many stars will be targeted by HMRC because they are employed as companies. He says Ant and Dec will be on the list, and Jenni Murray is already on it.
All the hysteria reminds me of what happened with the bogus sex cases against celebrities. There is a real problem with envy in this country. J. Benn, London The arrogance and perceived entitlement of the rich never ceases to amaze me. Mr Holmes, the HRMC is attempting to get you and your like to do what is demanded of ‘ordinary’ folk in this country – pay tax and National Insurance contributions on what is earned. Ian Frame, Crook, Co Durham I know people who have been regular freelancers in television who have been told by production companies: ‘If you want this job we will only employ you as a company.’
One friend didn’t want to set up his own firm but didn’t want to lose the work. I can only imagine that there were some advantages for the production company in question, such as making it look as if they had fewer employees. This practice is rife throughout TV and HMRC should target the spivs who run the companies along these lines. C. Dodd, Newcastleupon-Tyne So Eamonn Holmes has ‘spent a lot of money’ on his tax affairs. Would it not be easier just to pay the tax? Terence Nixon, Failsworth, Manchester Credit to Eamonn Holmes for breaking the taboo of talking about money. Here he is saying: ‘I earn a lot and pay tax in a certain way, and now the HMRC are changing the rules to take me down for it.’ If we’re not open about what we earn, we are all in the dark about how much tax we should pay. R. Lewis, Harrogate Eamonn is right to say he is freelance and should be taxed accordingly. The nature of his work means it could end at any moment. There are lots of presenters who are no longer on the telly. The difference with Eamonn is that he is so good at it. M. Jameson, Liverpool