Its called choice and opportunity, neither, both or either are the answers to your incisive examples, but they are a little too 'out there' to be useful in this debate.
It didn't make me feel awkward, as no sane person would waste time doing what you were saying. My sniping was a reflection on the fact that you seemed to suggest that by not carrying this out, I was somehow being hypocritical, when the fact is I was being no more hypocritical than you are for not actively campaigning for all chav scroungers to have their benefits curtailed.
This is of course very true, but doesn't make it right. Self serving is a fact of life, so are you saying that we shouldn't look to improve social justice, simply because we all seek to gain the best for ourselves from the current situation?
What I find hard to believe is that you lot keep banging on about this issue. This issue is high on the priority list of the 'erberts in Whitehall, it has been well publicised, and is getting more public by the year. Steps are being taken to close the loopholes ( a matter of record somewhere) though as always these things take time, with new legislation or tax laws making their way through the democratic system that we enjoy. There is a balance of course, like EVERY government in just about EVERY country in the world, as has been mentioned in this thread already, incentives and tax breaks are offered to get large employers to invest and employ to the greater good of their respective nations..... speculation. Having said that, I do think that tax burdens of >10% as has been reported for some corporations, is taking the proverbial.
A single example to illustrate the extremes, your simplistic examples did nothing to assist in the debate, I understood them.
Like every task we as humans endeavour to deliver, we often tackle the easier ones first, or in a democratic system, the tasks that will win more votes. Doesn't that tell you that the silent majority in this country have a similar focus on the botoom end of the fraud/evasion question, be that right or wrong.
Unfortunately, to extrapolate that metaphorical 'black-eye' into real world consequences, it would instead be more unemployment and less tax entering the treasury coffers. Like I said, swings and roundabouts, less tax in return for more employment and a more vibrant economy, but as I also said, I think some of the tax figures quoted in the press of late do take the piss, it does need rebalancing.
