The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning

Today’s Sun front page led on a story about Vince Cable being fined for failing to pay VAT on his media and book earnings – that’s right, a paper run by a man who deliberately avoids billions in UK tax criticising someone for his inadvertent mistake.

Cable has paid back all the tax due, which amounted to “less than £15,000″; contrast that with Murdoch’s prolonged dodging of UK tax – not that you’d ever get the slavish Sun reporting their master’s money-grubbing.

The-Sun-Rupert-Murdoch-tax-avoider-front-page
As Left Foot Forward reported earlier this year:

Since the mid-1990s, countries including Britain have allowed the media mogul to pay little corporation tax. As far back as 1995, the Independent reported that in the previous ten years, Murdoch’s News International had paid “virtually no tax”.

While corporation tax was set at 33 per cent, NI paid £11.74m of its £979.4m profit - just 1.2 per cent.

As recently as 2009, News Corporation’s proprietor was being pursued by his homeland’s government after failing to pay the correct rate of corporation tax, both in Australia and the United States.

Earlier this year, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) treasury officials won a legal battle, which awarded them A$77m for avoided taxes and duties. The Guardian reported in 2005 that Murdoch’s family company was moved to Bermuda; the tax bill of A$1.2 billion had the potential to be avoided.

So what reason, then, did the Murdoch Sun have for their attack on the business secretary, cos it sure as Hell can’t have been on the principle of not tax avoiding. Can’t have had anything to do with his declaration of war on Murdoch? Can it??

As Tom Watson, scourge of Murdoch and his minions, tweeted:

“I see News International are exacting their revenge on Vince Cable this morning with a massively overcooked story. Pathetic.”

See also:

• Hugh Grant, Ed Miliband and Unite join to bury the Digger for good – Alex Hern, September 27th 2011

• De Piero: High time Labour redefined its relationship with the press – Shamik Das, September 22nd 2011

• Phone hacking: Questions over Coulson’s Murdoch pay-off won’t go away – Sara Ibrahim, August 26th 2011

• Media committee failed to get Murdoch to accept responsibility – Sara Ibrahim, July 21st 2011

• Hypocrite Murdoch tells us how to vote yet avoids billions in tax – Claire French, July 11th 2011

http://twitter.com/sydneyhomeless/status/129272252473683969 Sydney Homeless

RT @June4th RT @leftfootfwd: The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning: http://t.co/y0ly5kvM by @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/dubious1977/status/129272429674631171 David Dubost

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning http://t.co/MumabjTv
http://twitter.com/cwrightphillips/status/129278684841517057 Chris WrightPhillips

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning: http://t.co/u6WbqNHL by @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/dickmandrake/status/129293594015182848 Dick Mandrake

Gutter rag owned by serial taxdodger criticises man for accidentally not paying enough tax http://t.co/ysirT3YZ (via @jackrobinson4)
http://twitter.com/manzanotti/status/129294783654010880 Paul Manzotti

RT @leftfootfwd: The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning: http://t.co/RSMGSzBc by @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/wtbdavidg/status/129313371332939778 David Gillon

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning: http://t.co/u6WbqNHL by @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/catherinbrunton/status/129319155743727617 Catherine Brunton

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning: http://t.co/u6WbqNHL by @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/barneteye/status/129335295253557248 Rog T

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning http://t.co/mcA9lDOR
http://twitter.com/hlcheathrow/status/129335961330003969 Jon Purdom/Paco Saez

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning: http://t.co/u6WbqNHL by @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/bionic_beer_gut/status/129404529228779521 Peak Oil Crash

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning on Rupert Murdoch http://t.co/42NPbUIe
http://twitter.com/powerbase/status/129526216247091202 Powerbase

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen (yesterday) morning | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/8CIeVmzK #Murdock #taxavoidance
http://twitter.com/spinwatch/status/129526217878679552 Spinwatch

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen (yesterday) morning | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/tBaTD19V #Murdock #taxavoidance
http://twitter.com/aliceblundrland/status/129527106383249409 Alice in Blunderland

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen (yesterday) morning | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/tBaTD19V #Murdock #taxavoidance
http://twitter.com/pameladrew/status/129532584333025281 PamelaDrew

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen (yesterday) morning | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/tBaTD19V #Murdock #taxavoidance
http://www.timworstall.com Tim Worstall

“As far back as 1995, the Independent reported that in the previous ten years, Murdoch’s News International had paid “virtually no tax”.”

Yeah, because they spent the 80s and early 90s losing a fortune getting Sky working, near went bankrupt as a result. And you can carry forward your losses, for obvious reasons.

NI paid no taxes for the same reasons that GMG paid no or little taxes. Huge past tax losses.
http://twitter.com/l_o_t_s_i/status/129557349781352448 Wolf Heart Mohegan

http://t.co/bkdXbfiL http://t.co/G6eIZUlc #FoxNews' #Murdoch TAX DODGER IN THE BILLIONS 10/26/11 #NewsCorp http://t.co/QIbvCzej
http://twitter.com/shamikdas/status/129689048838193153 Shamik Das

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning: http://t.co/u6WbqNHL by @ShamikDas
http://twitter.com/shamikdas/status/129689583968468992 Shamik Das

Watching #BBCtw? 4get Vince's tax error, here's the Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen: http://t.co/Om5Z8EZY on @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/danashley/status/129691068789829633 Dan Ashley

Watching #BBCtw? 4get Vince's tax error, here's the Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen: http://t.co/Om5Z8EZY on @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/marcusaroberts/status/129691838171983872 Marcus A. Roberts

Watching #BBCtw? 4get Vince's tax error, here's the Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen: http://t.co/Om5Z8EZY on @leftfootfwd
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/10/look-left-%e2%80%93-cameron%e2%80%99s-euroscepticism-comes-home-to-roost/ Look Left – Cameron’s Euroscepticism comes home to roost | Left Foot Forward

[...] The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning – Shamik [...]
http://twitter.com/yrcloudiain/status/130664155240873984 Iain MacLeod

The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning: http://t.co/u6WbqNHL by @ShamikDas
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/11/milly-dowler-solicitor-mark-lewis-news-international-snooping-victim-speaks-out/ Milly solicitor: NI acting “like former Soviet Union… you think the KGB are following you” | Left Foot Forward

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[...] The Sun “tax avoiding” front page you won’t have seen this morning – Shamik Das, October 26th [...]
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