You’d think that someone commenting upon tax would know this

But here we are, Patriotic Millionaires not grasping the first thing about the tax system:

Let’s face it, many of us can be tax hypocrites in one way or another. We all know stories of plumbers and mechanics paid cash, in full knowledge that their intention is to reduce their tax bill. Avoidance at that level is wrong, but a crucial difference is scale. What happens at street level is incomparable to the billions lost through the super-rich exploiting a system tilted in their favour.

Cash in hand to avoid VAT, national insurance and income tax - the three together likely making up well over 50% of a payment - is obvious, understandable and it’s also not tax avoidance: it’s tax evasion.

Billionaires following the law is not tax avoidance and nor is it tax evasion - it’s tax compliance, following the law.

Oh, also, cash in hand is the major form of tax evasion as well. The people not paying the taxes they legally should be paying are, you know, the people, not the billionaires.

But then clarity of expression - or even of thought - never has been a feature of this jealousy driven campaign, has it?

Tim Worstall