Something more serious in the world of tax: the finance bill has appeared.

And here are the relevant details for you: It has 158 clauses, 46 schedules and is spread across 428 pages. Happy reading!

That compares with last year's finance bill, which was 313 pages, with 113 clauses. So much for simplification, you might say.

It's not as bad as 2006's Finance Act, which came in at 517 pages. But it's worse than the Bill in 2005, which was 166 pages long.

How long before the Treasury tell us you can't measure tax complexity by counting the pages of the Finance Bill, I wonder?

March 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

The Taxation lot have done a good job on the Fifth Beatle, here. I have to confess I didn't know much about 1960s tax rules.

I'm more familiar with the song 'I'm the taxman'. My questions for you today are: is it the most famous song about tax ever, and are there any better ones?

And does Dave Hartnett play it to himself when he's feeling down?

March 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Another flippant thought for you, this time about the credit crunch.

We've all heard how all the city bankers made their dosh on sub-prime mortgages, got their bonuses, and scarpered before the music stopped.

Would it not be possible to restructure bankers' bonuses so that they also get paid in the form of complex derivatives? If they work, they coin it in; if not, they face a huge bill.

Seems fair, doesn't it?

March 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)