Since Stewart Regan’s letter to the 93 SFA member clubs was uncovered by STV yesterday evening I’ve read what feels to me like unfounded concern at the news. Regan asked clubs to declare “any written agreement(s) falling within the scope of Article 12.3 which has/have not previously been lodged with the Scottish FA in the previous ten years, in respect of any current or former players of your club.”
The most pleasing point is that the letter was dated 9 March. A look at the chronology of events is perhaps useful.
Rangers troubles with HMRC have been public knowledge since 2010 but it was only on 22 February this year that questions were first raised (here, of course) as to whether the club registered the Employee Benefit Trust (EBT) payments with the SFA. Everyone knew Rangers players had EBTs, we knew HMRC were contesting that these should be taxed, but there was no reason to believe Rangers did not to declare them to the SFA (unless you count the “sniff test” on Sir David…).
The EBTs were noted in Rangers audited accounts so it appears clear that Rangers at least notionally believed they were both legal (which they were) and legally executed (which we will soon find out). When we took a shot in the dark on 22 February and posed the registration question, there was no reason to assume the SFA board had even considered the issue. I’m sure they hadn’t and like the rest of us, were caught cold by the question.
Earlier that day the SFA announced an inquiry into Rangers headed by Lord Nimmo Smith. His report was considered by the board on 8 March, when they presumably decided to send letters out to the member clubs the next day. In short, this issue has been active at the SFA every day since it was first raised.
Had we known this at the time I suspect our view of the (apparent) SFA inactivity would have been different. Maybe a PR lesson there.
Several friends and one brother have suggested that Stewart Regan’s letter is a prelude to an amnesty. I doubt this. The SFA chief exec does not have the authority to offer an amnesty and in his letter Regan says, “the Scottish FA reserves the right to refer any Club to the Compliance Officer, which might result in proceedings before the Judicial Panel”.
The letter is an attempt to establish if the problem is prevalent in one, or more than one club, a perfectly reasonable step at this stage. I’m guessing around 90 clubs will be able to respond within minutes.
As a result of this letter, the phoney war is over. Comments like “there were no double contracts” can no longer be reported as though they have some validity to questions over unregistered payments to players. Even those reporting from the back of the class will now have to recognise the validity of the questions we have been asking for weeks.
More on the nature of these questions later, specifically, is it cheating?
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PaddyBhoy on 21 March, 2012 at 16:02 said:
You said a mouthful. Don’t know that Fergus would want to be in Reid’s company.
Art of War on 21 March, 2012 at 15:57 said:
100 pair of (orange)walking shoes,size orc.
quonno on 21 March, 2012 at 15:52 said:
Joe Filippis Haircut on 21 March, 2012 at 12:24 said:
Replies rom Salmond are usually bland and outline present policies does not answer your query.
RaRaRasputin
If you like your Sierra Nevada you should try their Ruthless Rye IPA, less of the old alcohol (6.4) but a tasty adult beverage all the same.
googybhoy ♥ Celtic and Integrity on 21 March, 2012 at 16:06 said:
quonno on 21 March, 2012 at 15:52 said:
Joe Filippis Haircut on 21 March, 2012 at 12:24 said:
Ever come across a politician who did?
voguepunter on 21 March, 2012 at 16:05 said:
Art of War on 21 March, 2012 at 15:57 said:
100 pair of (orange)walking shoes,size orc.
——————-
A rather large paper shredder! :-0
hh
god bless her majesty
s, revenue & customs
quonno on 21 March, 2012 at 16:07 said:
No
Waste of space.
Gordon_J @ 15:55,
“Someone on £10k per year will gain £220…………….And someone on £1,000,000 per year will gain £42,720 per year”.
Too true.
RaRaRasputin @ 15:40,
“As a percentage of salary, £220 is a bigger tax break for lower earners, and a smaller tax break for philvisreturns.”
Aye true, and I think that was what he was getting at.
However when you go to Tesco they don’t tend to charge you on income percentage.
And if you do the numbers as Gordon_J has done, you will see that when they say a benefit for the wealthy, that’s exactly what they mean, yet when they say a benefit for the lower paid they mean everyone.
They believe that everyone under £40K can’t do Arithmatic.
CanaryWharfAllBarOne – Memories hazy ones, but still memories.
Timabhouy
Your blog name leads to nothing other than a mis-spelt Yahoo.
Tells a story.
According to Chris Jack of the Evening Times the Blue Knights and Brian Kennedy might lose out on buying rangers due to ‘a host of big-money offers on the table from across the globe’
I know, I p1shed myself laughing as well.
Stupid huns…
aipple
nothing wrong with my blog name !
Watched the first half of the development squad game yesterday, Dylan McGeough on the right was the stand out, the shorn Juarez in centre mid looked lively and Ibrahim playing behind Brozek looked sharp.
Izzy still not up to speed, but progressing.
1-0 going on 6 at h-t, no surprise we ended up comfortable winners in the end.
Only downside was the sight of miserable Jim Jeffries.
i fear a riot on sunday-they surely cant live with celtic-
what if the score gets past 3? 4,5,6,7,8,9…………….if
its theyre last match v us-and they wont leave early for
this one-looks very dangerous-what about the security
for our staff?-yours-in panic
Medtim
That SFA sponsored Monster Dumper Truck that has been idling over, within the
environs of Edmonton drive for some weeks has spare capacity for all manner
of new manure for it’s pre programmed terminus the motherload of dumpings.
Marble staircases and all them many bluerooms their prime target for maximum
Collateral damage.
All contingent expense incurred by this necessary enterprise on behalf the taxpayer shall be reimbursed through non monetary Satisfaction the resultant
sense of wellbeing and good health engendered by such an act.
#DumptheHuns
BTW anyone who thought I spelt Arithmetic wrong in the last post I didn’t, I was just doing it in my Airdrie accent to wind up Philvis – honest like.
Re the budget.
The rise in personal allowance,for 2013,does this mean its 12/13 or 13/14?
Obviously I’m hoping its the former.
philvisreturns spotted in Peterborough
I assume you have all seen this picture, puts any doubt to rest.
http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/5474/scan0001tk.jpg
philvisreturns at 14:49
Alasdair MacLean – Have you been to Airdrie?
It’s like a downmarket version of Royston Vasey.
……………………………………………………………
Love that!
…………………………………..
I’ve lead a sheltered life maybe. Had to google Royston Vasey as well.
And I don’t think I’ve ever been to Airdrie….unless a court appearance in Cumbernauld counts?
(A traffic offence – speeding – long story.)
goldstar10 on 21 March, 2012 at 16:16 said:
Who scored the goal mate?
HH
/Bishop B
Got to laugh at the Chancellor getting on his high horse about tax avoidance when he gave the go ahead to let Vodafone of with a £6 BILLION bill.
Vodafone has avoided as much British tax as the “savings” the Tories want to make by slashing incapacity benefits for half a million people.
The world’s largest mobile telecommunications firm has done a deal with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) that means it will not pay around £6 billion tax.
The money was due after the firm profited from buying a German engineering company.
The £6 billion is almost exactly the amount the government wants to cut by forcing 500,000 people off incapacity benefits and on to jobseeker’s allowance.
The change will see many claimants losing £25 a week.
According to Private Eye magazine, Vodafone used bank accounts in Luxemburg and Switzerland to hide its profits—and even wanted to use an offshore company to further disguise the trail of loot. The HMRC refused to agree the deal, but the company went ahead anyway.
Tax inspectors were confident they could win the cash back. But they reckoned without the policies of HMRC boss Dave Harnett, the permanent secretary for tax.
“HMRC is packed full of intelligent people,” mused Harnett in the Financial Times about another case. “But we are sometimes too black and white about the law.”
Harnett pulled his specialists off the Vodafone case and installed a more “flexible” team to negotiate with the company’s head of tax, John Connors.
Connors was until recently a senior official at the HMRC and has worked closely with Harnett on handling big business tax affairs.
The new team went into talks with Connors and agreed to bill Vodafone just £800 million, with another £450 million payable over five years—a tiny fraction of what is owed.
Andy Halford, the firm’s finance director, is spreading his knowledge. He is a member of chancellor George Osborne’s group advising on company tax matters.
Bosses of Britain’s greediest firms will be eyeing Vodafone’s example. Half a million of the country’s poorest people are wondering how they will survive after their benefits are cut.
Len Brennan- Brozeck, good play from F Twardzik drew the keeper and set Pavel up for a tap in.
i cant see the problem folk have on here with follow follow. if it was as bad as is made out guys like that mark dingwall would be nowhere near a composium to buy rangers. the blue knights have him as one of their main men. i think we need to take our green goggles off sometimes and realise that the other side have clever araldite guys too. the papers get plenty of storys from there so it cant be made up nonsense if it is in the papers. we need to be careful there are some big swingers in these composiums the rangers could come back stringer than ever from this.
Aipple, thank you for the tip. I do like Sierra Nevada, although I’m more of a Brooklyn man myself, or perhaps an Anchor Steam or Summit. I’ll look up this so-called “Ruthless Rye”.
Chairbhoy – I’d say that someone that has a higher income will always have more money in absolute terms to spend in Tesco. The tax system is currently a percentage based punitive system and the increase to the personal allowance is entirely consistent with that, particularly when taken alongside the complementary reduction in the 40% threshold.
I’m afraid there isn’t too much we can do about philvisreturn’s gargantuan spending power, short of implementing a zany system where an increase in earnings results in lower take home pay, which I’m assuming you aren’t tabling. Or maybe you are ;)
Kirsty on SSN asks the expert ‘Do you think with the 50% tax rate cut, then this will help attract better players to England?’
Aye, sure Kirsty, quite convinced Carlos and Emmanuel will notice that their weekly pot has increased from £125000 in their mit, to £137500…..
Pathetic.
goldstar10 on 21 March, 2012 at 16:26 said:
Cheers mate, hopefully see Brozek getting a run in the side once we have the title in the bag.
HH
/Bishop B
My dear,dear,dear,friend.. Phlvis
Pal. How d’ya like the U.K. Budget?
well.. speaking as a Capitalist…
The Really, Really. Guid.. Move.. whit.. The Chancellor Made wiz..
Tae CUT the Corporation Tax..
Ah believe sincerely..and Ah Am No wearin’ Ma Green and White Beanie.. wit the Wer Prop oan Toap. when Ah write This..
That
Corporations, should Pay a Miniscule Income Tax..
Your Corporations wull noo be Paying..
A WHOPPING.. 24 Percent.. Thanks tae Milleband’s(sic) Budget Reduction..
Ah say . “Whopping”.. fur even at 24 Percent.. that’s Far TOO MUCH!
As you know.. but. fur the Benefit o’ Some Readers..who Don’t..
The Joab o’ the Chancellor of the Exchecker(sic),is tae
Pit Britain tae WORK..
amongst, ither things,like.. .well… Ah canny think o’ any ,ither things that he should be daein’
Kin You?
All Large Corporations . should Pay..Nae Income Tax, whitsover..
In Ma Opinion..
Fur…
Corporations, create EMPLOYMENT..and Employment Creates
WORKERS..and Workers.. and Workers Pey.. INCOME TAX.
If ,The U.K. hid a True Capitalist Government.. in Power.. which they hiv.. NEVER hid..
If Corporations, who are Domiciled in the U.K.,
wur peying A Miniscule Income Tax..say… frum
Five Per Cent tae Nane…
( Nota Bene: Now, I am Speaking. in this Submission,
ONLY aboot.. CORPORATIONS..
Not..
RICH or SUPER RICH INDIVIDUALS!!!!)
Then….wance the Ither Corporations of the World. goat a Whiff o
that..news..
There wid be a Steady Stream of Newly Domiciled Corporations fae awe over the World.. opening up Businesses
and Factories…in the U.K.
And..
Awe, Vying Fur..
Ya Guessed..
WORKERS!!
And the British Unemployment Figure.. wid..Plummet…Plunge… Take a Nose Dive!
See.. how it works..??
Of Course, Ah am preaching tae the Choir. . as faur as YOU are concerned..
However.
Mebbe, Some o’ Ma Readers wull begin tae Get the Idea..
that. Capitalism.. TRUE . UNFETTERED CAPITALISM..
WORKS.
Fur.. Basically, Happiness.. and Contentment…
always comes doon tae a MAN or a WUMMAN.. HIving a Source of Income..
The Prime Source… of which..for most..is….
a Steady Joab…
Right?
When Poverty.. (Unemployment) Comes thru the Door..
Happiness… Goes Oot the Windae.
Unemployment.. Stinks!
Kojo
yer pal..who likes ye aloater.
Phils
Dont you think osbourne could get a job with duff and duffer
His reasoning is
I give away £3billion away to high earners this year!
And, I dont make this up, in the hope/belief that all those rich earners stop avoiding tax evasion NEXT Year
You couldnt make it up and just for good measure 365,000 pensioners are gonna be worse off!
Re Milliband you can degrade him all you want but today he grew a pair and the con dems were savaged to the point that they now know the people are on to them
And finally for my rant for all youse who voted( well none of them were actually voted in) into govt hang your heads in shame
Lennon n Mc….Mjallby,
The latter I’m afraid.
It’s the CQN version of ye olde Budget Days in the Commons when prole and toff MPs would dress up as miners say or, well, toffs.
We’ve got the Toilet Duckers versus Swan Pate man.
Surely the easiest way to dissuade anyone or anybody in charge of a company from evading tax would be to make it a crime with a minimum 12 month sentence for said evader and their accountant!
Len Brennan- No problem bud, I agree, a few games under his belt and we will see his real quality.
HH
if we were independent then we
could control our own taxes
and not look into whats going on
in another parliment in another
country that dont give a sh1t
about scotland
Who the Hell is the Chancellor of the Exchequer, anywey?
Is it Osborne..or Millieband..???
Osborne?
So read Osborne.. in Ma Submission as the Exchequer..
Sorry,aboot that..
Kojo.
Still Laughin’ ..thought.
RaRaRasputin – Damn, I knew it was too good to be true.
Guess I’ll have to stick with goose liver pate. (thumbsup)
TootingTim – IIRC, Oor Gordon and Mr Tony were discussing a 50p tax rate way back before the 1997 election
Riiiiggghtt… and they found it was such a good idea they decided not to implement it for the next decade or so, till Gordon Brown’s bunker days?
Hmmm…
genuine desire to raise revenue from a sector of society that had recently invoked elector and representative ire alike
Class punishment, eh?
Since it seems most of these extra revenues have remained on coys. books in anticipation of Gideon’s reversal
What’s happening in a lot of cases (in my experience, at any rate) is that people who were there or thereabouts to be caught by the 50p rate were taking salary sacrifice – aka a pay cut – in exchange for their employers putting that money into their pension.
In other words, the Laffer Curve in action.
The top 1% of earners pay already pay about 25% of all income tax collected, according to HMRC. The top 10% pay nearly 55% if all income tax collected.
It seems like that’s more than their fair share. Keep kicking them about and Galt’s Gulch beckons. Except it’s called Singapore or Hong Kong or the United States of America.
Re: Ed.
He brings people together, like Montel. Just not in the way he would hope.
Cameron is there for the taking. He’s doing nothing but simultaneously annoy and neglect his own base. Tories have no reason to turn out and vote for his party at the next election, unless they’re part of the tiny percentage of the population who are passionately in favour of gay marriage or spending £32Bn on a train line to Birmingham.
Yet, Ed makes him look good.
Politics in this country is broken. If it were a horse, it’d be taken on a short trip to the glue factory. (thumbsup)
Celtic are assuring loan striker Pawel Brozek that he still has a genuine future at Parkhead.
The Hoops have the first option to purchase the Polish front-man for around £800,000 following his arrival on loan from Turkish club Trabzonspor in January.
But since then he has been restricted to only a couple of substitute appearances, with reports in Turkey now suggesting that Celtic have already decided against any deal.
However, those claims have been firmly refuted by Celtic, who state the 28-year-old will be given opportunities to impress between now and the end of the campaign.