Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Tax-dodging by the super-rich not our problem

Our candidates in Swansea and Vauxhall have received between them nearly a hundred identical emails, apparently via 38 Degrees:
“I'm concerned about the recent revelations that HSBC has been helping the super-rich dodge their tax, and that the government has not been acting to stop this. As a prospective parliamentary candidate in my area, can you let me know what you pledge to do to crack down on tax dodging and prevent scandals like HSBC from happening again?”

To which we replied:
“The Socialist Party is not particularly concerned that the super-rich dodge paying their taxes. We are more concerned with the existence of a class of super-rich within society. Their income and wealth derives from the exploitation of the rest of us who, by our work, produce all the wealth of society. Socialism will put an end to this by making the means of wealth production common property under the democratic control of the community. There will be no rich or super-rich nor poor or super-poor, just a classless society of free and equal men and women cooperating to produce and distribute what they need in accordance with the socialist principle of "from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs".”

On the same issue, the Morning Star (14-15 February) published a letter from Nick Long, who is standing in the general election in Lewisham for “Lewisham People before Profit”, in which he expressed a common view amongst left-wingers:

"Taxing the super-rich and getting tax-dodging corporations to pay their taxes can bring an end to austerity".

But would it? It might make things worse by provoking an investment strike. The problem is not tax-dodging by the super-rich. That's par for the course as Lord Fink has admitted. The problem, as we told our 38 Degrees enquirers, is the existence in society of a class of super-rich. To which the answer is not to tax them but to dispossess them by bringing the means of production into common ownership under democratic control.

The Workers’ Choice
Brighton Kemptown - Jacqueline Shodeke
Brighton Pavilion - Howard Pilott
Canterbury - Robert Cox
Easington - Steve Colborn
Folkestone and Hythe - Andy Thomas
Islington North - Bill Martin
Oxford East - Kevin Parkin
Oxford West and Abingdon - Mike Foster
Swansea West - Brian Johnson
Vauxhall - Danny Lambert




1 comment:

Mike Ballard said...

Of course class domination through the wage system is the central problem. Good on the SPGB for hammering that point home. But, it's also a problem that the wealth which accumulates amongst the upper 10%, accumulates faster when it isn't being used to shore up the NHS or other health, education and welfare measures. By saying that you don't care about this rort, you're turning workers off.