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UK Helps Plunder Developing Countries. £250 Billion Lost to Corporate Tax Dodging. |
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Friday, 16 July 2010 |
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 Dr Bill Wilson MSP has highlighted Public and Commercial Services Union claims that the UK is significantly damaging the public services of developing countries by fostering corporate tax dodging.
Dr Wilson said, “I lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament to draw attention to a report in the PCSU’s magazine, View, which pointed out that because many of the world’s tax havens are based in the British Isles, and the City of London supports an army of lawyers and accountants dedicated to helping people dodge tax, the UK can be considered to some extent responsible for poor public services in developing countries. “If we attack developing countries’ tax bases, which is effectively what results from our lax tax laws and poor enforcement, we are attacking some of the poorest people on the planet. The colossal sum involved – £250 billion lost from developing countries through tax dodging, of which the UK is responsible for a significant proportion – makes a mockery of our much-vaunted aid budget, which will increase to £7.8 billion by 2010/11. “If we want to help the poorest on the planet we should concentrate on promoting truly fair trade and on eliminating tax avoidance and evasion. Furthermore, as I have often pointed out, the latter would help the poorest in our country too.” |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 16 July 2010 )
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MSPs’ Pensions no Longer to Invest in Tobacco? |
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Thursday, 29 July 2010 |
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 SNP MSP, Dr Bill Wilson, has written to the manager of the Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme (SPPS) urging her not to invest MSPs’ pensions in the tobacco industry.
Dr Wilson said, “The Scottish Parliament voted to ban smoking in public places some time ago and this year MSPs overwhelmingly supported the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010 to further restrict smoking. I am confident, therefore, that, like me, most of the other 127 MSPs who use the SPPS would not want their money to be invested in the tobacco industry. “I understand that our money is currently invested in British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco and Japan Tobacco (respectively 1.33, 0.98 and 0.47 % of the total portfolio, according to Baillie Gifford Life Limited’s quarterly report dated 31 March 2010). I have written to the Fund Manager, Mrs Eleanor McKee, asking her to consider changing this, and, if she thinks it necessary, to consult my fellow MSPs on their opinions. It might not be practical for pension funds to be individually tailored to suit us all perfectly, but I do not think the undesirability of this particular investment will be controversial.” |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 July 2010 )
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Call for Scots Language to be Used in Creative Scotland (Ingynit Scotlan) Name |
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Friday, 16 July 2010 |
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 Dr Bill Wilson (West of Scotland, SNP) has written to Fiona Hyslop, Minister for Culture and External Affairs, asking her to support a Scots language version of the name of “Creative Scotland”.
Dr Wilson said, “Creative Scotland is one of the main cultural bodies in Scotland and has a responsibility to foster the Scots language. Gaelic is already used in Creative Scotland branding with ‘Alba Chruthachail’ being shown in conjunction with its English equivalent. I feel it would be fitting if there were a Scots language alternative title too. I have asked that ‘Ingynit Scotlan’ be considered for this purpose, the Scots word ‘ingynit’ meaning, ‘to have intelligence, ability or to be gifted’. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 July 2010 )
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