The Guardian has a strange editorial today in which it praises ukuncut for "making a tricky, worthwhile argument about tax instead of taking cheap shots".

So this is how I responded:

Eh? Instead of taking cheap shots at Cameron, they're taking cheap shots at low-paid shop assistants who rely upon that income for their livelihood. And at hard-working taxpayers who can only get to the shops on one day of the week - Saturday.

This would be bad enough if their campaign were well-informed, but it's based upon two flimsy quarter-truths and a great big dollop of error and miscalculation (courtesy in part of the tax bungler-in-chief, Richard Murphy). In the case of Vodafone, it's down to a bit of law that would likely get struck down if it were tested in European Courts and which, accordingly, HMRC is loath to enforce. Blame HMRC for a lack of guts or previous government for a lack of legal nouse, if you like. In the case of Topshop, the company has paid all its taxes legally, as far as I'm aware. So blame Sir Philip if you believe that it's right that he owns all his wife's income (what are you, a neanderthal?) or blame his wife if you want to criticise her personal choices in tax residency. Or, maybe you can blame HMRC again for a tax system that might be seen as being full of loopholes.

But don't take it out on ordinary people. The UKUNCUT crowd are cowards and morons, who pick soft targets who have no other options. They - and you, for supporting them - should be totally ashamed.

People who read this post also read:

• The neanderthal social views of the ukuncut protestors
• Deconstructing Ritchie’s defence of UKuncut
• Time to stop lying about tax cheating in the UK
• The grinches that want to ruin Christmas for ordinary people
• Yarbles to GAARballs

Filed under: Current issues, Taxation with tags guardian, hmrc, idiots, sir philip green, tax avoidance, top shop, ukuncut, vodafone