5 reasons why you can't take this government seriously on tax justice

At the G8, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, sought to make clamping down on tax havens the centrepiece of the summit. As Prem Sikka explains, the post-summit communique was 'high on vague promises, low on delivery'.

But even before the inevitable puncturing of Cameron's hubris, there were several reasons why this government cannot be taken seriously on tax justice* ...

1. Government minister says he wants the UK to be a tax haven

Last year, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said it was "a compliment" for the UK to be described as a tax haven, and added: "That is exactly what we are trying to do."

2. George Osborne slashing taxes for big business and the rich

If there's one hallmark of a tax haven, it's low or minimal tax rates. Corporation tax was slashed from 52% in 1979 to 33% by 1997. New Labour cut it further, to 28%, and Osborne has already driven it down to 23% - and aims to get it down to 20% by 2015. This is how he described it at the last Budget:

"A headline rate that is not just lower than our competitors, but dramatically lower.
18% lower than the US.
16% lower than Japan.
12% below France and 8% below Germany.
An advertisement for investment and jobs in Britain." 

Actually, it's an advertisement to for big business to pay less tax - undercutting both other nation's tax rates and shifting the tax burden onto the working poor (as we have previously shown). Of course, cutting the top rate of tax from 50% to 45%, also facilitated avoidance.

3. Many government ministers' wealth is based on tax avoidance and evasion

As Guardian investigations have proven in the case of Cameron's family fortune, and as Channel 4 Dispatches showed in the case of George Osborne, Andrew 'plebgate' Mitchell, and Phillip Hammond.

4. You can't collect taxes without the resources to do it - and this government is cutting resources

HM Revenue & Customs is the body tasked with collecting taxes owed, tackling evasion and clamping down on contrived avoidance schemes. Combined the tax gap (uncollected, evaded and avoided) is estimated at £120 billion ... every year.

Yet the government is slashing the resources available to HMRC - as this PCS infographic shows:

5. Treasury minister in charge of tackling avoidance and evasion is in denial

Treasury minister David Gauke seems to be in a constant state of denial and cover-up

• When MPs investigated and found senior HMRC bosses to close to business, Gauke described the claims as 'absurd'. The same committee also found HMRC was "too poorly resourced" (see above).
• He approved a plan to persecute an HMRC whistleblower who exposed the 'sweetheart deal' with Goldman Sachs
• He claims the UK tax gap is 'only £35 billion' (still substantial) when all serious estimates put it at £120 billion (see Richard Murphy's analysis here)

Of course Gauke did used to work for a legal firm that specialised in tax avoidance.

There's five reasons why this government cannot be taken seriously on tax justice. Please use the comments to add more!!

* For a serious look at tax justice, see the Tax Justice Network