21 March 2012

Private Eye unpersuaded by "pompous" Harry Phibbs as Hammersmith Tories panic over exposé of their tax-dodging use of consultants

"There's rising panic among the Tories who run Hammersmith and Fulham council as scrutiny of their easy-going attitude to the employment of tax-avoiding 'consultants' in senior roles increases", according to the latest Private Eye (see full story below).

For those coming new to this scandal, details of the council's overuse of consultants and its related tax dodge are here.

Now Tory councillor Harry Phibbs has penned "a pompous letter" protesting about the Eye's exposé of this scandal. He also attacked the BBC because a recent edition of the award-winning File on 4 carried the story of Hammersmith's dodgy dealings - see here.

As Private Eye points out, when it comes to facts - as opposed to foam - Phibbs offers nothing to refute the accusation that the Tories have not been tax-compliant in their use of consultants and are potentially looking at a whopping £15 million bill for back tax.

Indeed, Phibbs and his his colleagues in Britain's self-proclaimed "most transparent" council blocked a recent Labour request to make all the figures public.

Until the Tories open the books, all the pompous bluster in the world won't take away the smell of fish in Hammersmith town hall.

Private Eye, 23 March-5April 2012
Posted by at

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In the Budget, the Tory Chancellor said he found tax avoidance 'morally repugnant.'

So where does that leave Mr Phibbs, who recently said the following in his Daily Mail blog?:

"Most of us will try to keep our tax bill down to the legal minimum. In that sense tax avoidance is routine."

http://phibbsblog.dailymail.co.uk/2012/03/the-bbcs-selective-indignation-on-tax-avoidance.html

4:16 am

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)