Scumbag politicos and tax - is this going to be a manifesto pledge ?

Even by the remarkably low standards we have come to accept as the norm of modern day politicos, there does seem to be something extra-specially obnoxious about those parliamentarians who feel they have the moral right to sit in the legislature of a country but not then be subject to the laws for which they are responsible.

Whilst generally having no problem whatsoever with any person who seeks to pays as little tax as the law permits, and certainly having no truck with the introduction of morality into any legal analysis, the exception, if there is to be one, must be for parliamentarians. 

Recent times have seen a renewed hoo-haa over Michael Ashcroft and Zac Goldsmith.  And let us not forget that other charmer, Irvine Laidlaw.  All three have now, at various times, made pledges over contributing their full whack to the UK coffers in return for their political status and two have persistently failed to honour their commitments.  Hmm, classy. 

Interviewed on Sky News, on 13 December 2009, Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP stated:

“I think it is time to pass a law that says that if you want to be in the Houses of Parliament, if you want to be a legislator, you need to be or be treated as a full UK taxpayer,”. “We would pass that law if we get elected. We would pass it straight away, we would bring it into force as rapidly as we could. I think that would put the situation beyond doubt.” 

The Bill would not need to be lengthy nor complex.  There should not, therefore, be any problem whatsoever in getting a draft knocked up and agreed upon, in principle, well before an election and with a Tory party manifesto pledge to match. 

Now, if the Pilsbury Dough Boy was really serious about being seen as credible, he would publicly demand that Ashcroft and Laidlaw both honour their past pledges  in coughing up on an "as if" basis, with suspension from the House of Lords until they do so.  And, in the interests of bi-partisanship, any Labour sleazoids who have been elected to the Lords similarly should be treated in no different fashion - when it comes to Baroness Uddin, one dreads to think what number of steaming great turds are bobbing about in her personal tax history.