If it weren’t so serious, it would be a farce.
How dare these public employees defraud the British taxpayer so systematically of thousands of pounds? Because it clearly is fraud in many of the cases revealed so far. The auditors may unearth more.
In what other employment could a person hope to get away with it and then, when discovered, plead ‘oversight’ or ‘carelessness’ , and offer to pay the money back so that the whole matter can be forgotten?
No way. The CPS should prosecute all such fraudsters – and not just for large amounts. If you or I were to defraud, say, the DSS out of just one pound they would persue us with the full might of the law. All such MPs should be sacked.
After a general election I suspect we’d have 600-odd much more honest representatives in Parliament.
So, what to do about enabling these MPs to maintain a place to stay in London for about 30 weeks a year? How about just increasing their pay by about £20,000 p.a. (taxed!!) and let each of them decide how best to spend it on accomodation. I think that’s fair.
The only way that the trust and confidence of the public can be restored is if these ‘dodgy’ Mp’s were deselected as candidates, then, as you state, we will get the opportunity of having a fresh and clean bunch of MP’s representing our interests rather than their own. One rotten apple still has the ability to spoil the rest. We need a wholesale clear-out. Party leaders need to lead, not by providing a slap on the wrist, but by having these MP’s deselected.
I’ve just realised no-one has commented on the tax implications. Surely the arrangement with the inland revenue must be that they can claim expenses wholly and solely for use in their job. In which case a great many MPs would seem to be guilty of tax evasion, too.
As I understand it, MPs’ have a special exemption, supported by legislation that they voted in, which means that they are not subject to the same rules as us in terms of ‘benefits in kind’, although I do not believe that applies to Capital Gains Tax.
MPs’ expenses – A note of appreciation to all taxpayers