TAX CHEATS: MAKE THEM FEEL THE HEAT

NOVANEWS

Dear,

Benefit Cheat Advert

 

Our campaign to crack down on tax dodgers is really getting going. 38 Degrees members have shared hundreds of suggestions for what to do next. We think we’ve got a great idea. We’re going to spoof the government’s benefit cheat adverts with our own targeting tax cheats.The government tells us deep cuts are needed. But we’re only getting half the story. They’re happy to talk about benefit cheats but keep quiet about the billions we lose every year in unpaid tax. They’re speaking out about the cost of nurses’ pensions but scrapping the bankers’ bonus tax.
If we put clever, funny, hard-hitting ads about tax dodging on bus stops across the UK, that’ll get people talking. We’ll get media attention. As people pass our adverts, they’ll start to ask – “why does the government put so much effort into chasing benefit cheats but gives tax cheats an easy ride?”
We’ve got a great basic idea for our ad. Now we need to knock it into shape and finalise the design. We need to make the funniest, most powerful ad to force tax dodging onto the agenda.
Please help prepare our tax cheats advert. Click here to suggest slogans, see other peoples’ and add your own designs:

Last month we voted on what 38 Degrees should do about the government’s cuts plans. Together we decided to focus on the tens of billions we lose every year through tax scams. We need to expose what’s going on. We need to push the government to make an effort to close the loopholes and punish lawbreakers.
The government and right-wing media don’t like to talk about tax-dodging – maybe because they want to protect their friends? There’s loads in the news about benefit scroungers with 60 inch TVs or the mum who used her child benefit for a boob job. [1]
But if money’s so tight, where are the stories about the tax dodges which cost us out of between £40 – £150bn every year? [2] If we’re all in this together, how come government advisers and senior Tories are allowed to use loopholes which cost us all millions? [3]
Together, we can change the debate. Get involved and add your ideas for attention-grabbing adverts here:

The government doesn’t want to talk about it. Their friends in the media don’t want to report it. But we can work together to come up with adverts the public can’t ignore. We can club together to pay to put the adverts up. We can force the issue of tax scams onto the agenda.
Help expose the scandal of the billions we lose in tax scams. Help design our ads – look at other peoples’ designs, share your own, and make comments by clicking here:

Thanks for being involved,
Johnny, David, Hannah, Charlotte and the 38 Degrees team
Notes:
[1] The Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1318028/As-families-face-benefits-cuts-Kelly-Marshall-spent-4-500-BOOB-JOB.html
[2] The total amount lost to benefit cheats each year is £5.2bn. But £40-150bn is lost to tax dodgers. The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/aug/10/david-cameron-benefit-fraud-clampdown; BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11342237; The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/sep/22/tax-gap-information-beautiful
[3] The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7346763/Lord-Ashcroft-admits-he-is-a-non-dom-for-tax.html; The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/aug/13/sir-philip-green-spending-review-tax

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