I would like to see a low tax small state Britain. Sadly that dream is not shared by any of the money tree worshipping political parties but I can still hope. Instinctively that makes me view HMRC as the pantomime villain, a body to be hissed and booed whenever it comes on stage to try and get more cash out of hard working folks. But in the case of HMRC vs Gary Lineker, the jug eared virtue signalling poseur, I will not be warning Mr Walker's Crisps that "he's behind you", I cheer on the taxman at every turn.
HMRC has today won a ruling concerning Ingenious Film Partners 2 LLP in which a range of celebs including Lineker and another virtue signaller David Beckham invested cash earning vast tax breaks. It was claimed this was an investment to support British Film. HMRC said it was just a tax dodge and the scheme was branded a "scam for scumbags". Today a tribunal ruled for HMRC and investors will have to repay £700 million (including rolled up interest).
Other celebs have been caught in similar schemes. Gary Barlow was done. But Barlow is a self confessed Tory and makes no bones about saying that he should get to keep as much as possible of his hard earned cash. Lineker on the other hand is always playing the pious saint whether it is bashing we Brexit supporters as ignorant racists or calling for more asylum seekers to be admitted (how many have you put up in your mansion Gary?) or for the Government to spend more and more cash on a range of schemes. Jug ears earns £2.5 million a year from the taxpayer funded BBC for doing a job many others could do at a fraction of the price. He is just a rank hypocrite wanting the State to spend more and more while actually believing that "tax is for little people".
Of course Lineker also made £5 million from the UK's largest stockmarket fraud in 30 years - Quindell. He was given free shares for acting as "brand ambassador" for a joke product called Ingenie. He was part of the hype machine and made a killing selling his shares on to other folks who then lost money. Lineker was best man at the luxury Somerset wedding of Ingenie boss Richard King. He rubbed shoulders with all the Quindell fraudsters who are under SFO investigation and will almost certainly go to jail. But Linkeker did nothing wrong himself but did make a killing from his free shares. He has never apologised for that or said he would give his winnings to charity.
Lineker is man without shame, a poseur and as such I raise a glass to the HMRC for a job well done.