There’s been a lot of apparent media interest around how
much tax big firms pay, and then, in the wake of the ‘Panama Papers’, how much
tax our politicians pay. And I don’t think it’s because as a nation we’re
obsessed with accounts and tax schedules, but rather, we want to be assured
that we feel we can that the people and firms we’re reliant upon are acting
responsibly.
Now, I’ve always been open that I’m very happy to pay tax for
all sorts of reasons (and most small business also recognise the importance
that our tax makes to supporting local communities and public services), and
over the last 3 years have increasing started to wonder aloud if I should be more open and transparent in my own tax affairs as part of my annual social impact report on myself.
Since then, I’ve also ‘taken the pledge’ with Fairtax to
always act with integrity and honesty in my tax affairs.
So in light of all of
this have decided to tell the world how much tax I pay as part of my impact reporting framework!
Now, some of you may be slightly disappointed when you read the report to see that rather than cite a cash amount, I have instead presented
it as a percentage of my turnover. This is because after thinking it through
and chatting with others for a few months, I felt this was a better way to be
able to benchmark myself against others, and also offer a more consistent
measure over time which wouldn’t appear to fluctuate wildly subject to how well
I’m able to secure fee-earning work over the year.
But what do people think? Is it a good thing that I’m now
sharing my tax affairs with you all; is how I’m measuring/reporting it the
right way; does anyone really care? (other than me)…
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