"Be they ever so high, they are not above the Law" so said a judge, Lord Denning i think it was, one of the UK's most famous and well respected judges of the 20th Century. Unfortunately in the 21st Century this no longer seems to be true. I have written before about members of parliament's expenses. It now seems that despite many MP's having claimed tens of thousands of pounds in expenses which defy logic and any sense of fairness or probity only a handful of "honourable members" are actually being prosecuted. Others, including those that claimed for non-existent mortgages, "forgot" that they had ended a mortgage for years before they stopped claiming for it and even a married couple that claimed separate homes even although there was no suggestion that they were living otherwise than in connubial bliss, have all been let off with no sanction other than being asked to pay some of the money back.
Contrast this with the honest Joe who recently reclaimed some over-paid tax. He made an honest mistake in calculating what he was due. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs acknowledge this and there is no suggestion that he was trying to cheat. It was a simple error in trying to interpret the arcane tax rules. Do they point out the error and tell him to re-apply; do they correct the error, since they obviously know the right answer to have detected the error? No, they fine him £1,400 because he over-claimed by £2,000 and because that is what the rules require them to do. So over claim £14,000 as an MP and you're told off; over claim £2,000 as Joe public and your fined £1,400.
Lord Denning is turning in his grave.
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