Aunty Beeb tells me that Lewis Hamilton is now the richest sportsperson blah blah … But, importantly it also tells me he lives as a tax exile in Monaco.

In my opinion, he’s forfeited his right to be called British by being a tax exile and is more of a toolbox than I had already thought.

Why does someone like him choose not to pay into the system he was brought up in when he can clearly afford it. My moral compass would not allow me to do this, I would want to give something back.

What are the collective thoughts? Am I naive/stupid or missing info on his philanthropic sidelines or is he just greedy?!

Yawn.

See also Jensen Button.

The system is corrupt, I’m more p*ssed of with the big corporations that pay no tax yet continue to trade and make millions here.

I’d get after those first.

The one area where we should be more like America. If you want the passport you pay UK taxes wherever you choose to live in the world.

My moral compass…

I don’t trust my moral compass. And I’ve seen plenty of compasses go awry when large quantities of money are involved. See eg house buying, car selling/buying for what arseholes people become when greed is waving a magnet near the needle. So yeah, morally, he’s on dodgy ground, but I try not to point the finger at individuals – corporations are easier targets as they cannot simply up sticks and move as easily as an individual.

If I had Lewis’ fortune and yoghurt-hungry Missus, I think I’d probably live in Monte Carlo too. 😳

So what? As long as next time he needs hospital treatment he doesn’t get on his G5 and high tails it over to the UK to use the NHS, why should he pay into it? He’s not benefitting from any of the services of the UK so why should he pay into them?

Anyway, what about the tax benefit and income from the army of people that are part of his enterage? His UK based employees. His management team, mechanics, manufacturers of large gold necklace’s, the UK based F1 Mercedes team and mirriad of UK based suppliers and manufacturers that are thriving due to his success? I’m sure the UK is benefitting very nicely from ‘Lewis Hamilton Incorporated’. As the currently in vogue political saying goes: You’re playing the man, not the ball – or something like that.

This is the problem with this left wing brand of spiteful, jealous politics. It focusses on screwing the individual, bringing them down, rather than what is really important – maximising the total tax take. Success breeds success and many people and companies surrounding successful individuals benefit from their success, as does the UK tax take. And now you’re talking about taxing his nationality? taking his passport off him if he doesn’t pay into our system? You talk about a moral compass, but I think yours has a dirty great big magnet stuck on the side of it.

I’d guess he paid a fair amount of tax before he moved abroad. And anyway, it’s easy saying ‘I wouldn’t do that’ but unless you’re in the same position you don’t really know.

Hmmm. I actually lean centre right politically Wobbliscot. My point is simply that he is living in tax exile so is avoiding tax deliberately, if you think that’s fine then walk on.

As for the Team Hamilton rant, that’s just sh!te. Amazon, Starbucks, et alhave loads of folk working for them paying income tax so does that make it acceptable to avoid their tax as a company, eh, no!

Who mentioned his passport anyway?

Meh he lives in Monaco which could be thought of as the home of his “sport”.

…left wing brand of spiteful, jealous politics.

It’s only the morning but we probably have Laziest Phrase Of The Day already.

FWIW I agree with the OP. He’s not British in my eyes. If he wasnt an F1 driver some other person would drive for Mclaren and generate as much tax for the country as Mclaren is British team so your view seems flawed Wobbly.

Anybody on here ever avoided evaded paying import duty? That appears to be an acceptable form of tax avoidance evasion around here.

guess he paid a fair amount of tax before he moved abroad. And anyway, it’s easy saying ‘I wouldn’t do that’ but unless you’re in the same position you don’t really know.

This is tru. But I reckon when I got to a level that he’s on I would just think. **** it it makes no difference and pay my tax. Even if I did live by a nice beach in the med!

a_a has the first fail for clearly not actually knowing much about the subject being discussed 😆

Why should the country that he lives in determine his nationality?
I don’t consider myself British, and I doubt that many others would think so, but I’ve lived half my life here.
If he lived in Ireland, or Spain, would you be writing this?

Or is the real issue that the country he lives in happens to have a low tax regime?

Who mentioned his passport anyway?

That would be me.

The country seems to bend over backwards to accommodate the richer inhabitants of the planet for not much tangible benefit to the collective good (not financal good because enslavement to the bottom line creates all sorts of behavioural anomalies which do not benefit the whole just the individual).

If that makes me jealous in some people eyes so be it. If a little more effort was put into ensuring everyone had a fair shake of the money tree though enlightened self-interest the country just might have fewer social and economic ills to cope with.

Also after amassing your first personal billion what possible purpose does more money on top of that serve? It becomes meaningless and just a number. There comes a point where being able to exhaust all that personal money on living costs or toys becomes impossible.

Looking at it another way – he’s just one employee of a company that employs hundreds (if not thousands) of people in the UK who pay their personal and company taxes.

Can’t say I have a huge problem with him living in Monoco, and no doubt a lot of his millions get spent in the UK by himself and indirectly by his family.

a_a has the first fail for clearly not actually knowing much about the subject being discussed

What have I missed then oh wise one?

Which team does he drive for?

Oh right. I was thinking the other day when I strayed onto the grand prix on the telly that I didnt know who half the teams were anymore. Ferrari are easy to spot! His team are still british based though isnt it?

I’d be living somewhere sunny and nice if I could afford it, & saving tax would be a bonus. I don’t blame him

His team are still british based though isnt it?

Yes – only Ferrari, Sauber and Toro Rosso are based abroad.

Why does someone like him choose not to pay into the system he was brought up in when he can clearly afford it.

I would think that he is acting upon finacial advice from someone with knowledge and experience of the best way for Him to retain as much of his cash as possible, I doubt he pursued the career that he has done in order to maximise his contribution to the UK tax system.

Do you relly believe you would do things differently ? and if you did do you think it would be appreciated ?

Do you relly believe you would do things differently ? and if you did do you think it would be appreciated ?

The op is not talking about it being appreciated or not he’s talking about morals. I dont think its morally right to avoid paying tax.

Got an ISA? a pension? childcare vouchers? a bike on bike to work scheme (which you don’t ride to work)? buy duty free booze?

Plenty of people on here you’re presumably also condemning.

Is an ISA tax avoidance? Odd definition if it is.

Of course it is. That’s the whole point.

Sorry but I think that if we all had as much cash as Mr Hamilton then the majority of us would do the same thing. I would for sure. Plus Monaco is a pretty nice place to live if you have a lot of cash – casinos and restaurants, weather, beaches, mountains, F1 history + connections etc, etc.

There seems to be a tendancy to bash people who’ve done well for themselves in the UK at the moment. Unlike various celebrities who seem to be purely famous for being famous, Lewis has worked incredibly hard to get to where he is today. Fair play to him I say.

The op is not talking about it being appreciated or not he’s talking about morals. I dont think its morally right to avoid paying tax.

I never mentioned morals !

However seeing as you mentioned it.
I personally do not think that it is morally responsible to race around a course in highly developed toy cars burning vast amounts of a finite resource in the pursuance of greed and vanity, so there ….. 😈

Of course it is. That’s the whole point.

😀

Sorry, why is he not British again? So , in the same logic (?) is a higher rate tax payer more British than a basic rate payer?

Monaco itself is a pretty grim place IMO. Expensive tower blocks, congestion and you are not allowed to wear socks or a simple watch. And all those bloody helicopters!!

A whole lot of people have worked hard to make LH a success. He benefits from his teams efforts, their education and health, the system that has provided the infrastructure of support. He has been carried to the top on the shoulders of lots of people, but now he has decided not to pay into the system that has provided him with so much.

I personally do not think that it is morally responsible to race around a course in highly developed toy cars burning vast amounts of a finite resource in the pursuance of greed and vanity, so there …..

At least a lot of technical knowledge comes from F1. Which is of huge benefit to many other industries.

What scientific advancement has come from Golf, Tennis or Football!?

He has been carried to the top on the shoulders of lots of people, but now he has decided not to pay into the system that has provided him with so much.

I think missed the Government sponsoring him – I thought it was McLaren who bankrolled his advancement in motorsport.

After SPOTY there was this gem

He should never have won. He is a terrible role model to any Britain. What precedent does that set. Bad day in our history.

Says Joey Barton 😀

Is Monaco part of the EU?

Of course it is.

I dont think it is. Tax evasion is doing illegal stuff, tax avoidance is looking for gaps in the system and using gov produced tax free systems is organising your finance to minimise tax.

I personally do not think that it is morally responsible to race around a course in highly developed toy cars burning vast amounts of a finite resource in the pursuance of greed and vanity

😉

At least a lot of technical knowledge comes from F1. Which is of huge benefit to many other industries.

What scientific advancement has come from Golf, Tennis or Football!?

Totally predictable response ! almost bet myself a tenner it would appear though not as quick 😆

A lot of technical knowledge comes from war as well.

What scientific advancement has come from Golf, Tennis or Football!?

I havent a clue !

Tax avoidance is bending the rules of the tax system to gain a tax advantage that Parliament never intended,” said a spokesman for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27372841