tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6942478546968158905.post9021649045872662520..comments2024-03-24T11:22:15.548+00:00Comments on Lustig's Letter: Rich man, poor man ...Robin Lustighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00578195216460807588noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6942478546968158905.post-10635495142578073522016-04-10T21:05:52.403+00:002016-04-10T21:05:52.403+00:00Well said Robin. It may be, of course, that some o...Well said Robin. It may be, of course, that some of those who have been revealed to have been involved in this and other such tax havens are entirely innocent and simply inherited or had bequeathed to them funds or assets. I'm not in a position to say.<br />What utterly stinks, however, is that some of our leading banks and other financial institutions, have been heavily involved in encouraging and facilitating this sort of behaviour for years. They, in my view, are the real culprits and it is they who should really be taken to task. <br />And I don't mean the local officials at branch level; I mean those right at the very top of these businesses, who surely must have known all about this kind of operation and encouraged it. Probably on the basis they would be receiving some very hefty bonuses. And if they weren't aware, they should not have been in these jobs in the first place.<br />Several times, recently, we've seen big, respected banks fined quite trivial amounts for 'failure'to properly carry out their responsibilities in money laundering checks; facilitating over years the transport of billions of dollars around the world for those wishing to avoid tax or simply to hide their wealth. Some banks have been heavily involved in sanctions busting operations. But is senior management ever sanctioned? Of course not - they get a gong. But you try to open a bank account for your grand child, or ring up to talk about your gas account. The security and red tape you have to go through is a joke.<br />So time, I think, for the journalist world to turn its attention to those organisations who have been helping the super rich to avoid their fair share of taxes. And time for our politicians to ensure that those at the very top of our banks who preside over this behaviour are personally liable for the shortcomings; any fines should not be applied to the bank itself. That would mean the little people paying, yet again.<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6942478546968158905.post-1479043809155249962016-04-10T20:41:27.447+00:002016-04-10T20:41:27.447+00:00I thought the average salary was about £28000 pa. ...I thought the average salary was about £28000 pa. This would make London average house prices about <br />18 times the average salary!!!<br />Cliff Marsh, Crawley.CLIFF MARSH.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06271465489350392519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6942478546968158905.post-52763860244268565262016-04-06T12:48:17.492+00:002016-04-06T12:48:17.492+00:00I wholly agree with what you haven't quite sai...I wholly agree with what you haven't quite said. If only I had any faith that these leaks, and the journalism that follows, would do anything to change the situation. But no amount of exposure will stop the rich creaming percentages off the poor and hiding their millions. It's expropriation, pure and simple, and it's enough to make you a Marxist. Oh, wait: I am. But without an effective Left, we'll carry on letting them do it.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03797515953397067968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6942478546968158905.post-15007497957274480152016-04-06T08:36:03.974+00:002016-04-06T08:36:03.974+00:00Robin, if I were not so very, very angry I might b...Robin, if I were not so very, very angry I might be tempted to comment, but really - what is there left to say? They know it's wrong; that's why they deny knowledge/wrongdoing/accountability at every opportunity. We know it's wrong. Time alone will tell if there's anything we can do about. Let's hope.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com