HM Revenue & Customs has launched a video for school children to stress the importance of paying taxes.
The plot revolves around characters which are tax evaders disguised as ghosts (the baddies) who are eventually caught by HMRC (the goodies) and sent to jail.
The ghosts represent those people whose incomes derive from the black or hidden economy and are not disclosed to the taxman.
Pupils between the ages of 14 and 17 will see the video as part of citizenship lessons, which are now compulsory in schools in England.
A spokesman for HMRC said the video is part of the taxman's drive to educate children and will be released to schools in a couple of weeks' time.
The teaching modules guide children through the hazards of pay as you earn and National Insurance contributions. Schoolchildren are also taught about the tax responsibilities of a good citizen.
The video has had its share of critics for being another scare tactic.
Two years ago HMRC began its education drive and encouraged schoolchildren to tell their teachers about anyone "in their local area" who is not paying their fair share of tax.
A spokesman for HMRC said: “The video will help young people – future taxpayers – prepare for the financial realities of life and to hold the tax system to account. We want to help students to understand how tax is collected, so that they know what to expect when they start work".
Comments
I'd like to add that we must never forget the number 1 tax dodger Christine Lagarde. The bronzed Witch was too quick to condemn the average Greek for trying to evade/avoid penalizing tax hikes ordered by her Troika mates while she enjoyed (and continues to enjoy) a gravy train of a salary and associated perks on which she pays no tax. As an official of an international institution, her salary of $467,940 (£298,675) a year plus $83,760 additional allowance a year is not subject to any taxes.
src:
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/may/29/christine-lagarde-pays-no-tax
But even in Britain we now have a system where the ordinary Joe Public is hounded by the taxman, and huge international companies such as Vodafone and Amazon can choose to pay a tiny tax bill in Juncker´s Luxembourg. This system is not fair and it brings discredit on Juncker who says it is quite legal, on HMRC and their sweetheart deals with big business and on the EU itself.
If there were a democratic election for his post, Juncker would not get in. But in a democratic society, it is also difficult to justify the EU.