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Whoa, Jimmy my lad! My point was about Cameron calling it 'immoral'. Don't assume an attack on the Tories is in anyway a defence of Labour's lack of action.

Easy....

I was amazed when I heard about all this that he is so rich. The news media were talking about "all the millions he earns each year". Millions he earns each year? From doing what? Co-hosting some TV shows, selling a few DVD's, and playing to some small theatres. Wow. He must get a very high fee for being on TV, a huge royalty rate from the DVD's, and nearly all the money from the ticket sales.

And as I said to Jimmy, having a pop at Cameron's response in no way endorses Labour's record on the same matter.

Well deduced, Max.

I think the media have this wrong. I don't believe he earns "millions each year". He does not do enough, as I pointed out, to get that much money.

Regardless of politics, the VERY RICH want to stay VERY RICH (Bono for example). Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against rich people. I just don't have any illusions about politicians - When it comes to finances at least, they're pretty much all the same. Best not to be too idealistic....

But personally, I could never stand Jimmy Carr, and I don't imagine these allegations will do his credibility as a stand-up any good. Mind you, a lot of comics these days are pretty crap. Particularly 'panel show' comics. That little, bald bloke with a beard....I'd rather have dental surgery that watch a show with him on it! (and that Russell bloody Brand!)

Getting back to Jimmy Carr though, back when 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks' was good, someone mentioned the play '12 Angry Men', and straight away Mark Lamarr came back with 'Yeah, I was in that. It was me and 11 other blokes watching Jimmy Carr!' That always made me laugh....

Tax avoidance is nothing new chaps. Can we stop beating celebs up about this for a change. Why do we seem to begrudge people who make money these days.

These people have appearances as in a lifestyle to keep up. Grooming in itself must be very expensive.

One girl I filmed on my documentary cost her 2.5k a month for her grooming (she broke it down from gym membership to hair extensions and cosmetics)

I dread to think what some of the top notch people like Jonathan Ross spend on all those tailor fitted suits, manicures and pedicures.

My real point is, the wage bracket these people are taxed on ends up being about 60%. Their agents take about 10 % if you do the math the real greedy bastards are the government. If the tax system was a bit more fairer these people wouldnt have to fiddle the government

Its nothing new. Reading Roger Moores auto biog, tax is the reason why he and many others quit living here. They didnt leave just for work.

I'm no fan of Jimmy Carr but I agree with hm, why pay more than you have to. I paid so much tax one year I went around telling people I worked for the government

Oh my heart fucking bleeds Jack. Not. And I can only hope that you were joking with your manicures and pedicures comment.

The point is that these bastards can *afford* to pay their whack. They just choose not to simply because they can also afford to pay some clever accountant to find loophooles which lets them get away with paying peanuts.

Bottom line is that anyone worth say 100 million (to take a nice round number) or even 50 million could afford to pay 90% of that to the taxman and still be very comfortably set for life. How many millions do you really need anyway - even if you're Bono or Roger Moore? How many mansions and luxury apartments? Yachts? Ferraris? Rolex watches? Personal lackeys? Russian hookers?

I've nothing against decent financial reward for hard work and/or genuine talent. But there comes a time when basically greed takes over and it becomes a matter of acquring money for money's sake. And when I hear someone like Bono lecturing the hoi polloi about how we should be giving our hard-earned (peanuts by comparison) away to one of his pet causes, I feel like chinning the smug cunt. Easy to be generous and charitable when you're minted isn't it?

I espouse what I'd call "capitalism with a social conscience". I'd like to think that such a thing is possible and that it's not a contradiction in terms, but the more I look around me and read about tax avoidance, crooked politicians, bankers' bonuses, footballers' salaries, tax havens for the super-rich and all the rest of it, the more disilllusioned I become.

- Eric

Eric, I am rather concerned that you are experiencing the symptoms of early stage Slipmania.

What are these symptoms I hear you ask?

Well one of the key symptoms is:

1. Person A makes a criticism of our current coalition government.

2. The person with early stage Slipmania launches into a diatribe at Person A about what New Labour did when in power re the topic mentioned in 1.

3. The Slipmania disorder forces the infected individual to assume that because Person A e.g. Sam Slater criticising Cameron on tax dodging, only mentions the current government, they must automatically think that tax dodging was handled brilliantly by the previous government. This is known as self-delusion on the part of the Slipmaniac.

4. This is a very, very difficult illness to cure. Cold baths and meditation are recommended at first before more invasive techniques can be tried.

But the key thing Eric is to recognise the symptoms first and act accordingly.

I'm touched by your concern David. Really I am.

But I think you should be far more worried about your own rapid decline into the advanced stages of Johnson's Syndrome.

The symptoms of this debilitating affliction are as follows:

1) Person A points out what a sleazy set of cunts New Labour are and how they miserably failed the ordinary working people of Britain over the 13 years they were in power.

2) The Johnson's syndrome victim launches into a diatribe at Person A about Maggie Thatcher and the closing of the pits.

3) When Person A asks what the fuck this has to do with New Labour sleaze and incompetence, the Johnson's Syndrome victim accuses Person A of "missing the point".

4) Johnson's Syndrome forces the victim to assume that because Person A has only criticised New Labour, they must automatically think that Cameron, Clegg & Co. are whiter than white and can do no wrong. This is known as paranoid delusion on the part of the Johnson's Syndrome victim.

Johnson's Syndrome is a very, very difficult illness to cure. Only dramatic (and potentially dangerous) techniques have met with any degree of success in treating it, such as forcing the sufferer to sit through an uninterrupted five hours of smut featuring Diane Abbot, Harriet Harman and Emily Thornberry pornalikes going at each other with large black strap-ons.

But if (as I suspect) you find yourself breaking into a loud chorus of "Things Can Only Get Better" every time you take a shower, then I'm afraid there's no way back.

- Eric