If anything illustrates the fact that politicians say one thing and promptly do the opposite, it must be today's announcement by George Osborne setting up the Office for Tax Simplification (OTS) with a view to simplifying the tax system.
Government after government arrives with the stated aim of a cull of quangos or advisory bodies, cuts a few in a blaze of headlines and just creates yet more new ones. Besides the Office for Tax Simplification we now also have, for example, the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR), yet one has to ask is not what both new bodies will be doing exactly what we elect politicians to do? If the politicians and their 'staff' do not have the knowledge to do what is required, then one must then ask why were the politicians elected and why are their staff employed?
Oversimplification in my questions is appreciated, but just thought I would ask...................
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4 comments:
There is an old engineering moto - "Add lightness, and simplicate"
From which I deduce that the government are not engineers....
You raise a very important question, and I'm sure in due course the government will set up a commission to look into it, with a report forthcoming sometime later in the decade.
Quangos exist mostly to put ministers at arms length from decisions (as outlined in Yes Minister 30 years ago); the Office for Tax Simplification and Office of Budget Responsibility are no exceptions.
md, so right!
TT, ditto - although I doubt the report will ever be issued or an investigation made as 'they' don't see a problem within their ranks.
banned, agreed.
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