Beware the pointing finger

For a long time now, stories have been regularly appearing in the media relating to misdemeanours apparently committed by politicians.  As the 2015 General Election draws ever nearer, it seems that no stone is being left unturned in a bid to find those elusive skeletons which are hidden away in the cupboards of current or prospective MPs.  Indeed, it seems to be acceptable to do whatever needs to be done, using fair means or foul, to reveal any indiscretion.  Once something is discovered, it immediately becomes headline news, whatever the rights or wrongs of the case.  If the person concerned is ultimately found to be innocent of the charges, well it's just their hard luck.

I accept that a person seeking public office should expect a level of scrutiny, and I believe that the principle of integrity should be highly valued and lived out by our public figures such as politicians.  At the same time, I do think that there is an element of hypocrisy in all this condemnation and accusation which is flying around (after all, sections of the media haven't exactly covered themselves in glory by their behaviour in recent times).  Let me give another case in point.

Much has been made in recent years about those people (and companies) which seek to pay as little tax as possible by certain tax-avoidance schemes.  Whilst many of these tax avoidance schemes are not illegal as such, nevertheless many feel (and I am inclined to agree) that there is a moral and societal imperative that those who earn big money should pay their fair share of tax (assuming that we can agree what that fair share is!)  Politicians of all sides are recognising this to be an important issue and will no doubt included pledges to cut down on tax avoidance in their manifestos.

And yet, I wonder whether many of the same people who shout so loudly against the "tax dodgers" are those who seem content to go along with tax dodging schemes when it goes to their advantage.  I am sure that most, if not all of those reading this blog have come across situations where someone doing some work for them (a builder, double-glazing installer, plumber, electrician etc.) has offered them a cheaper deal if they pay by cash (which allows the tradesman/woman to avoid putting the transaction through the books and paying tax on it).  Many seem happy to go along with such suggestions.  But just because the amounts are smaller does that make it any the less tax dodging?  How can I rail against tax dodging if I am happy to facilitate it when it is to my personal benefit?

It's easy to point a finger at others, but maybe we would do well to examine our own lives first?