• Disrupting Power Since 2015
  • Donate
  • Login
Sunday, May 18, 2025
  • Login
  • Register
Canary
MEDIA THAT DISRUPTS
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
MANAGE SUBSCRIPTION
SUPPORT
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
Canary
No Result
View All Result

Osborne gives taxpayers the V sign by appointing former bank lobbyist as tax adviser

Mike Carr by Mike Carr
28 January 2016
in UK
Reading Time: 4 mins read
162 10
A A
0
Home UK
319
SHARES
2.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

George Osborne has appointed a former Tory MP, Angela Knight, as his tax adviser, despite the fact she isn’t qualified for the job, adding to the long list of Osborne’s failures.

Osborne has presided over an ever increasing national debt since he came to office, and has consistently failed to meet targets. One of the reasons the UK has such a large debt, is the faith consecutive governments have placed in neoliberalism – with things like Private Finance Initiatives costing hundreds of billions to the UK tax payer. In the meantime, Osborne has cut corporation tax and slashed tax for the richest.

While Osborne’s protected the richest, he couldn’t care less about the poorest. Under the Conservative party’s austerity measures, children are going hungry and freezing at school, as their parents can’t afford food or clothes for them.

Also, austerity has led to the work capability assessment (WCA) which decides whether a disabled person (or someone who has a long-term illness) who is a recipient of benefits, should remain on welfare or have their support cut and be forced into work. A report has shown that the WCA was the likely cause of 590 suicides and 279,000 cases of mental illness.

The huge impacts of austerity have been felt in mental health services, with some having to wait three days for a hospital bed due to the lack of funds.

Conflict of interests

But this hasn’t stopped Osborne bowing down to big businesses like Google, allowing them to pay a meagre amount of the tax that they owe. And now, Osborne has done another friend a favour, by appointing a former Tory MP and bankers’ lobbyist as his tax adviser. Knight has been appointed chair of the Office of Tax Simplification, whose overarching aim is to make the tax system more simplistic.

Knight is a director for a number of firms, including the financial management firm Brewin Dolphin. Many MPs are rightly concerned that she isn’t independent from Osborne, and has a conflict of interest. There are also concerns that she doesn’t have much knowledge on tax issues. Labour MP, Wes Streeting, argued:

The qualified endorsement of her appointment does raise questions about the judgment of the chancellor and the seriousness with which he views his responsibilities to make appropriate appointments to important roles.

Knight resigned from the British Bankers’ Association in 2012. She started working there in 2007 and immediately had to defend the banking industry in the midst of the financial crisis. She appeared to regret taking the appointment in a difficult period of time saying:

I am so sorry I ended up at the BBA during the banking crisis. I’m so sorry it chose me to be its target. I’m so sorry it took a trade association into a different era. I’m so sorry I never persuaded the authorities to take over [setting] Libor [rates] earlier and I’m so sorry the banks brought about [the] financial disaster they did.

But despite feeling sorry for herself, she did say she had “one more job in me” and it appears Osborne is willing to take the chance on her. It is actions like these which remind us why Osborne was the first to receive boos at the London Paralympic games, and was booed at the Star Wars premiere in London. It appears to be the case that Osborne is happy to see millions across the country suffer under austerity while he and his (unqualified) mates run amok at the expense of taxpayers.

 

Get involved!

Support The Canary so we can continue to hold this government to account.

Write to your MP to express your views on this appointment.

Support UK Uncut or get involved with other organisations campaigning against the growing inequality in society.

Featured image via Flickr

Share128Tweet80
Previous Post

Obama is worried about Zika, should we be too?

Next Post

Murdoch slams Google’s close links with government. Here’s the hilarious reaction (TWEETS)

Next Post
Murdoch slams Google’s close links with government. Here’s the hilarious reaction (TWEETS)

Murdoch slams Google's close links with government. Here's the hilarious reaction (TWEETS)

Anne Frank’s stepsister warns us the situation is ‘worse than it was under Hitler’

Anne Frank's stepsister warns us the situation is 'worse than it was under Hitler'

Two incredibly different ways of treating refugees in Europe

Two incredibly different ways of treating refugees in Europe

Cameron’s ‘bunch of migrants’ comment is a cynical smokescreen (VIDEO)

Cameron’s 'bunch of migrants' comment is a cynical smokescreen (VIDEO)

Michael Gove’s devastating legal aid cuts challenged, by hundreds of lawyers

Michael Gove's devastating legal aid cuts challenged, by hundreds of lawyers

Disabled people set to take to parliament en masse to oppose DWP cuts
Analysis

Disabled people set to take to parliament en masse to oppose DWP cuts

by The Canary
16 May 2025
Southern Water are threatening a journalist with defamation for asking difficult questions
Analysis

Southern Water are threatening a journalist with defamation for doing their job

by HG
16 May 2025
FIFA face human rights questions over upcoming world cups in Saudi Arabia and the US
Analysis

FIFA face human rights questions over upcoming world cups in Saudi Arabia and the US

by Maryam Jameela
16 May 2025
Plaid Cymru Commons leader just hit a nerve with this biting question to Keir Starmer
Analysis

Plaid Cymru Commons leader just hit a nerve with this biting question to Keir Starmer

by James Wright
16 May 2025
DWP failures have led to hundreds of deaths - but these are just the tip of the iceberg
Analysis

DWP failures have now led to hundreds of deaths – but these are still the tip of the iceberg

by Steve Topple
16 May 2025
  • Contact
  • About & FAQ
  • Get our Daily News Email
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

The Canary
PO Box 71199
LONDON
SE20 9EX

Canary Media Ltd – registered in England. Company registration number 09788095.

For guest posting, contact [email protected]

For other enquiries, contact: [email protected]

The Canary is owned and run by independent journalists and volunteers, NOT offshore billionaires.

You can write for us, or support us by making a regular or one-off donation.

© Canary Media Ltd 2024, all rights reserved | Website by Monster | Hosted by Krystal | Privacy Settings

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion

© 2023 Canary - Worker's co-op.

Before you go, have you seen...?

Disabled people set to take to parliament en masse to oppose DWP cuts
Analysis
The Canary

Disabled people set to take to parliament en masse to oppose DWP cuts

Southern Water are threatening a journalist with defamation for asking difficult questions
Analysis
HG

Southern Water are threatening a journalist with defamation for doing their job

FIFA face human rights questions over upcoming world cups in Saudi Arabia and the US
Analysis
Maryam Jameela

FIFA face human rights questions over upcoming world cups in Saudi Arabia and the US

Plaid Cymru Commons leader just hit a nerve with this biting question to Keir Starmer
Analysis
James Wright

Plaid Cymru Commons leader just hit a nerve with this biting question to Keir Starmer

ADVERTISEMENT
Business
Nathan Spears

Smart Delivery Positions Mr Nang as a Leader in Australia’s Cream Charger Market

Lifestyle
Nathan Spears

Social Media Activism: How Grassroots Movements Are Gaining Power Online

Travel
Nathan Spears

Best Destinations In Spain For A Couples Holiday