Billy Bragg, Tax Protest on Facebook

The singer, Billy Bragg has started stated he will withhold income tax payments to the government from the 31st January to protest Bank Bonuses

More details of the story can be found here:
news.sky.com...

He has also started a facebook group Nobonus4RBS which currently has 4,500 members

Billy Bragg wrote:
I have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, to inform him that I am no longer prepared to fund the excessive bonuses of RBS investment bankers. Unless he acts to limit them to £25,000, I shall be withholding my tax payment on 31st January.

In one blog on the Telegraph, Tracy Corrigan, columnist and assistant editor of the Daily Telegraph portrays Billy Bragg's bonus protest as the right idea using the wrong tactics

This time round, I feel considerable sympathy for his chosen cause. It beggars belief that the bankers who drove the economy to its knees and had to be rescued by the state now have the gall to argue that market forces dictate they should continue to receive massive payouts.

However, Mr Bragg’s Facebook campaign NoBons4RBS is too narrow. His proposed remedy – that Royal Bank of Scotland bonuses be restricted to £25,000 – is far too specific. And I don’t like his suggested tactic of withholding tax payments. Other than that, it’s a great idea.

More details can be found on the link below:
blogs.telegraph.co.uk...

It will be interesting to see if this facebook group, and the protest grows..


[edit on 19/1/10 by thoughtsfull]

Go Billy Bragg. Hopefully loads more people will join him.

the Bankers who are making these bonuses and the Polititions who are Claiming ridiculous stuff on their Expenses should all be Publicly Executed.

this surely would have been the case a not so long ago.

Heres Billy singing a Great song with a great message -



[edit on 19-1-2010 by grantbeed]

[edit on 19-1-2010 by grantbeed]

[edit on 19-1-2010 by grantbeed]

reply to post by grantbeed


Well, given the media attention this is now getting.. a nice prime spot on the Beeb this morning I would say that he is going to get a lot of support.

I am struggling to understand all the levies this government is starting to suggest.. Victims levies on Car parking offences, Littering levies on Sweets, crisps and drinks, all sneaky ways to increase their revenue, and will continue unabated unless people stand up to them.

So what will they propose to put a levy on next?

Historically, like most countries, Britian has a history of tax protests.. from the peasants revolt (the Great Rising of 1381, related to the 3rd poll tax) to the Poll Tax riots of the 90s. Even the civil war was rooted in opposition to the tax "Ship Money"

The amount of money thrown at these bankers, and the expectation that we are paying for their lavish lifestlye will just result in deeper resentment. I can't help but agree that what Billy is doing is right, but also feel his focus is to narrow.

For those outside the UK or who do not know, the UK tax return filing deadline is the 31st January.

www.direct.gov.uk...

More links to the Story

The Mirror
New York Times
Telegraph


[edit on 19/1/10 by thoughtsfull]

Since it is against T&C, I am going to speak in hypothetical terms.

You know, someone here should spread this to their Facebook page and start the same thing here in the US. Heck, maybe we can do this globally. The IMF and the banks are a global scam by the way.

Heck, a lot of the money that our government spent to bailout banks and the various insurance companies ended up in other countries banks. Of course we will never know, they have already told us we have no right to know.

I say we take this hypothetical situation serious.

I am going to look for that Facebook page hypothetically and see what is going on.

What say you, hypothetically speaking of course?

reply to post by thoughtsfull

However, Mr Bragg’s Facebook campaign NoBons4RBS is too narrow. His proposed remedy – that Royal Bank of Scotland bonuses be restricted to £25,000 – is far too specific. And I don’t like his suggested tactic of withholding tax payments. Other than that, it’s a great idea.

Other than that? What else is there other than that?

reply to post by grantsbeed

the Bankers who are making these bonuses and the Polititions who are Claiming ridiculous stuff on their Expenses should all be Publicly Executed. this surely would have been the case a not so long ago.

Now, now... we cant just go around executing everyone we deem a scumbag.
not so long ago? When were we executing people in public for getting ridiculous payouts?

reply to post by liquidsmoke206


Well, I think it is too specific to RBS and the bonus culture.. the sneaky so & so's will find a way around a simple cap on their bonuses..

The bonuses are a few of the holes in the leaky bucket that is our financial system.. since we are the ones that are going to have to fill that bucket (via taxes) I for one am really keen to see all the holes fixed.

well seeing as the british public managed to get rage against the machine to christmas number one through a facebook campaign. a campaign against the bankers should hopefully get a lot of support.

reply to post by thoughtsfull


billy brag is one man attacking one hole in the bucket, what do you expect?
do you see another hole? wanna stop it? show some initiative and pull a billy brag.

don't be "furniture."

reply to post by liquidsmoke206


LOL, thanks for making me smile... and that link was cool, thanks.

I really do not know what else to say except the institutions need to find the will to change.

I am one of those PM process bods that fixes coporate leaky buckets, deploys processes to meet new legislation, merge coporates etc.. and have been offered roles in these institutions with the aim of fixing some of the issues.

But I've not felt the will is there to change, if the will is not behind change, how do these institutions change? this is the [] part of my job that means without the will what fixes I could do would be a waste of time..

So what Billy is doing is admirable and gets my full support.. But I am not sure how we can fix a lot of the holes without a radical rethink of the entire system.

I can, hand on heart say that I am up for trying to fix the system.. but I recognise that without the will to change I am wasting my time, this is leaving me scratching my head as to how we can help them.

reply to post by endisnighe

You know, someone here should spread this to their Facebook page and start the same thing here in the US.

Well, obviously that is entirely up to you. I don't necessarily think that posting your intention to stop paying taxes on a social networking site that holds all of your personal information and is monitored by the government as such a great idea.

If I was going to stop paying my taxes, I would do it in private or at least a more anonymous manner.

reply to post by Karlhungis


Well, what is funny, I have several facebook pages. I use to use them to do social things and play Mafia Wars.

When one decides to make a stand, does one really not think it needs to be done where everything is out there?

Sooner of later, one must stand up and be counted, so to speak.

Good to see that Billy has not lost his edge in his old age. His songs have been full of political and social messages from day one. Looks like he is finally branching out into the mainstream.

Personally, I am surprised that Billy would actually advocate anything through Facebook or any similar site. Some may consider that to be a "sell out" move.

reply to post by thoughtsfull


I think you and brag are on the same page. But your waiting for the system to change, and brag is actually tryin to derail the system. You want the system to have the will to change, and brag wants to impose his own will for change.

Originally posted by liquidsmoke206
reply to post by thoughtsfull

 

I think you and brag are on the same page. But your waiting for the system to change, and brag is actually tryin to derail the system. You want the system to have the will to change, and brag wants to impose his own will for change.

Thank you for the fresh insight.. Perhaps I've been kidding myself that I tried to help, and all I have done is give them advice, and then walked away rather than take up the challenge.

thank you

It is rewarding to see someone stand up to them. Ive been promoting individual stands for a long while having made some of my own.

I also think that some hide behind the belief that it takes co-ordination and massive numbers to change anything, and to a degree they are right. But, Im sure Billy`s stand will drum up support and maybe, just maybe, others will follow suit.

We also have to remember that Billy can afford to do this, can afford the fine and will benefit music sales wise whatever the outcome.

I know there is only one way to defeat the tyranical system of stealing our money in every way possible and that is to stock up and strike.

Respects

[edit on 19-1-2010 by captiva]

Saw this on the news.

Good on Billy..About time someone with a bit of clout (celebrity) said something or did something in public.