By John Prescott MP / @johnprescott
So now we know that the TaxPayers' Alliance doesn't mean they represent taxpayers.
It means the taxpayers pay for them!
Yes, according to today's Guardian we've been subsidising this right wing organisation for years.
It's quite clear there's a case to answer so I've just sent the following letter to the Charity Commission calling for an immediate invesitgation into the TaxPayers' Alliance and its charitable trust the Politics and Economics Research Trust.
I'll let you know when I get a reply.
Dame Suzi Leather
Chair
Charity Commission
30 Millbank
London
SW1P 4DU
December 21 2009
Dear Dame Suzi,
I'm writing to formally request that the Charity Commission launches an investigation into the Politics and Economics Research Trust.
Today's Guardian says the trust, which has charitable status, is being used as a vehicle to claim tax relief for donations to the TaxPayers' Alliance, a pressure group with strong political links to the Conservative Party.
The paper states the Charity Commission's records show the charitable arm was established as the Taxpayers' Alliance Research Trust in 2007, before changing its name to the Politics and Economics Research Trust.
The TaxPayers' Alliance Chief Executive Matthew Elliott is named as its main contact and the trustees include leading Taxpayers' Alliance supporter Patrick Barbour, the founder of Reform, a free-market think-tank, which advocates lower tax and public spending.
Your Charity Commission's guidelines on campaigning and political activity state, "an organisation will not be charitable if its purposes are political".
Your guidelines also state that trustees must not allow the charity to be used as a vehicle for the expression of the political views of any individual trustee or staff member.
According to the Guardian, Midlands businessmen said they channelled funds through the Politics and Economics Research Trust at the request of the Taxpayers' Alliance.
The links between the Conservatives and the TaxPayers' Alliance are very strong. Major Tory Party donors are also funding the TPA. According to the Guardian, they include Sir Anthony Bamford, the owner of the JCB digger company, and Tony Gallagher, the owner of Gallagher Estates, both Conservative donors, who with 32 other businessmen have donated about £80,000 to the TaxPayers' Alliance through the Midlands Industrial Council. The MIC has also made donations to the TPA's charitable arm Politics and Economics Research Trust.
David Wall, the secretary of the Midlands Industrial Council, told the Guardian: "The charitable arm is where specific projects are being researched on specific topics.
"We donated for work they were doing predominantly on congestion charging. When there was talk of it coming to Birmingham, we asked them to look into road charging to see what the likely effect would be on the haulage industry.
"We were asked for funding to the charity, which means they can benefit from gift aid. I know that some industrialists made donations through the charitable arm."
The Tory links to the TPA's and the Politics and Economics Research Trust don't stop with donations.
At their monthly meetings, speakers have included Eric Pickles, the Conservative party chairman, Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, and Daniel Hannan, the Tory Eurosceptic MEP who we exposed as claiming the NHS was "a 60-year mistake."
The TaxPayers' Alliance has also launched a campaign called "Big Brother Watch" to, and I quote, "fight injustice and protect personal liberties." According to the Guardian it is being led by David Cameron's former Chief of Staff Alex Deane.
The purposes of the TaxPayers's Alliance - and its charitable trust - are quite overtly political, making the Political and Economics Research Trust in clear breach of the Charity Commission's guidelines.
I therefore call upon the Charity Commission to launch an immediate formal investigation into the Politics and Economics Research Trust and suspend its charitable status forthwith.
I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
John Prescott MP
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Sorry it took me so long to post but I've spent the last couple of days laughing so much about you complaining about a body that has shown you up to be the waste of taxpayers money that you are.
Maybe the TPA is a Tory Front. If it's stopping the likes of you wasting more of our money then I'm not complaining. If the Left Wing TPA has been setup just to ridicule the Right Wing TPA then I'd say you're wasting your time.
If it was setup with the same idea, to expose wastes of money then great and I am all for it.
If the TPA has found a way round the tax system then surely the tax system needs looking at? If I could find a way of stopping my hard earned money going to the bunch wasting it at the moment I would too.
I have no objection to paying tax and am glad to pay it to provide a safety net for services and for others that need it. What I do object to is that it is used to pay for Prescott to jet around the world pontificating about climate control and lecturing me from a meeting that was over populated and frankly a waste as far as I can see.
But then JP wouldn't be able to eat so much at our expense in his front room in Hull using video conferencing would he.
Prescott you are an A1 hippo-crite and how about someone does an article on you and your nepotism / affairs / double standards /failures etc.
Everytime Prescott opens his mouth, another Labour Vote dies.
Sorry Alex but the sooner Prescott and his champagne socialists go the sooner you can get Labour back how it should be.
Large numbers of the country believe they pay too much tax and that Labour has been badly spending the high tax take for years.
The TPA works to show the reality of that argument. I'm happy to fund it however it wants funding, in fact I'm far happier funding it than I am funding your financially incompetent government.
"The TPA is just a front to avoid electoral commission rules"
No the TPA is a "front" to point out the raw deal taxpayers have had and will continue to get from a high tax, high spend, high waste Labour administration whose basic instinct upon seeing anything it doesn't like is to tax heavily and throw money about.
I truly believe that most of you on the left really don't grasp the money you laud being spent left right and centre is actually money you have taken from the people who did the work for it.
She also earns more than the Prime Minister.
Like John Prescott and the rest of New Labour, she is one of the stinking rich therefore.
Workers of the world - Unite!
And the enquiry goes nowhere...
Wait a minute while I sit down and catch me breath!
Don't answer that question.
Hope you got her something nice. No scrimping, she is your mum after all!
The taxpayers alliance seem more reliable than the goverments figures, Could i ask Mr Prescott , did he fly to denmark or get the train? and did he pay the money back for his mock tuder beams? Thanks
Danny
"New research: The economic cost of a 42 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020"
http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/research/2009/12/new-research-the-economic-cost-of-a-42-per-cent-reduction-in-carbon-dioxide-emissions-by-2020.html
I am surprised the Labour party didn't see through them months ago...
It only goes to show how much low hanging fruit type, waste and incompetence the TPA can easily expose. It is also a tribute to them how much government squandering of taxpayers money and its public exposure has got under Prescott's skin.
futile - producing no result or effect; "a futile effort"; "the therapy was ineffectual"; "an otiose undertaking"; "an unavailing attempt"
By a factor of ten Mickey.........Jeez! are you in the tax business?.
At this point your probably deflated enough! I suggest you do re-read your posts and accusation of tax irregularities.
"I therefore call upon the Charity Commission to launch an immediate formal investigation into the Politics and Economics Research Trust and suspend its charitable status forthwith."
Now! forward your offers!. Merry Xmas Mousetrap.
The offer of a charitable donation to both LabourList and a charity of your choice was in return for you providing evidence that I suggested that TPA aren't political. You've yet to do that.
The only suggestion I've made about tax "irregularities" was in reference to The Guardian. They avoided paying tax on £300 million by clever use of loopholes, and ended up with a £800,000 rebate. Care to point what isn't accurate?
ill advised and totally incoherent.
I think you should slink off and start to patch your leaks.
Although I clearly do agree with closing any taxation loopholes.
The recipient of my negativity is truly deserving, and the only person who can take ownership of I'll advised and totally incoherent posts is you, Draper.
Your persistent suggestions that you've poked holes in my arguements is a clear demonstration of your delusional state. Please seek professional help.
Good to see youre back though... youve been sadly missed.
Quite right John the people don’t need an organisation to highlight government squander and excess, the slow creep of state control and the demise of democracy ….… They’ve got you for that.
ROFL
I wonder if this will turn out like Lord Gorgeous George Foulkes £500,000 worth of question to the SNP Government which all turned out to show that the SNP were doing better than they had hoped in reducing the cost of Government at Holyrood ....
O' Yeah, by about £111Bn over three budgets.
Peter shows us where the monies gone!.
Your one of the reasons I wont be voting Labour this time,and I have voted Labour the last three times. With your croquet mallet, tudor beams and adultery. Begone!
Not much of a rebuttal. Do you have nothing to say to defend the hypocrite Prescott? Every comment makes a valid point. But I suppose that's your problem. You can't hide from facts.
.... A Prescott?
How did you guess!!!!!
Mr Prescott you have shown us all what you really are, so very few are listening to you any longer and all you are doing is reminding people that if they vote Labour at the next GE we will get another 5 years of you!!
Why are you compaining about the one Quango that you think is biased towards the Conservatives, when there are another 1299 biased towards Labour!? not a mention of how much Tax Payers money is being wasted on these?
The TPA is not a quango.
The TPA is a campaigning, membership organisation. They have found a sly way to get more money by channelling donations to them through a charity. The action is underhanded. The TPA make a big fuss about cutting the state, yet here they are swindling the state through an underhanded dishonest abuse of the charity laws. Then there is the delicious hypocrisy of them campaigning against government expenditure while getting a government subsidy to do it.
But there will be more of this after the election. The current government funds many charities. In fact there are a lot of charities that have no other funding. The Tories want to move more opf the state over to charities. This is their "shrinking the state" by simply handing over the responsibilities to charities. Of course, taxes will remain the same because a Tory government will have to pay the charities for their work.
Physician....
Here's another. What the heck do you call a hypocritical apeth with two Jags?
a lot of them are forcing Labour based PC Policy on us but you are not mentioning any of them in your post?!
irony i assume?
They use office to further their own careers and live off the tax payer with their Jaguars, big houses and illicit relationships. Hell they even swan around the globe at our expense.
What is really bad is their sanctimonious air of self righteousness. They are just loud sell outs no more.
He uses office to further his own career and lives off the tax payer with his Jaguars, big house and illicit relationship. Hell he even swans around the globe at our expense.
What is really bad is his sanctimonious air of self righteousness. He is just a loud sell out, no more.
Your conservative alliance are filtering funds.Now! don't wobble to much Winston, Aitken is a safe pair of hands?.
John Prescott = Jaguars in the public mind
You may not have noticed but the Tories aren't in office, they are in opposition.
Swanning around the globe is a strange point to raise. What has Gordon been doing recently?
Deeply ironic and with enough clues to who he was thinking of as well.
Did you write to The Guardian, John? Did you complain to them about their tax avoidance? Did you demand an investigation into their activities? Or were you too busy with your snout buried in that very deep parliamentary trough. I think I already know the answer, but it would be nice if you actually came back to LL and responded to some of the comments.
Don't be silly, you've had your crumbs and been told what to think!
I for one would gladly pay much much more tax so that all MPs can have their bell towers repointed and don't go hungry this Christmas.
I look forward to reading the charity commissions conclusions on this matter. As you are well aware the Labour Party has made some strong accusations against the TPA and other right leaning charities.
I don't see you so keen to decry Left leaning charities so much.
for example the Smith Institute who had over 200 meetings at Number 11. The charity commission concluded:
"that the Institute's work was not always as sufficiently balanced and neutral as required under charity law"
I realise after your dismal failure at Copenhagen you require yet another subject to raise your blood pressure over but I would advise against throwing stones from glass houses.
I had a quick look at the Smith Institute website. I noticed that they boast of having quite a number of Labour MP speakers.
Interesting then, that contained in John Prescott's letter to the CC, is the following... "At their monthly meetings, speakers have included Eric Pickles, the Conservative party chairman, Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, and Daniel Hannan"
Conservative party membership speaking at TPA meetings is evidence of TPA political affiliation (according to Prescott). So I can only assume that Prescott's desire for charities to remain non-political will ensure that he writes another letter to the PPC, asking them to investigate the Smith Institute.
Cheese time!.
Please tell us all why Prescott hasn't made a similar complaint about the Smith Institute. Would you care to put forward a defense for the Smith Institute yourself? Thought not.
Mickey, Archer and Aitken, cash for question and porridge.
It's also quite, then the tories start another big riot.
Tell Mr Pickles to wrap this latest abuse with vinegar and Brown paper!. squeaky!
The issue on Prescott's post is the Tax Payers Alliance. Referring to the the Smith Institute is entirely on track. Both organisations enjoy charitable status and both are politically motivated.
Your reference to Archer and Aitken is "going off track". And please don't infer that I'm defending Archer or Aitken. I'm not. They deserved what they got, and more. In my opinion, Prescott should be languishing behind bars for his own expenses troughing.
"The purposes of the TaxPayers's Alliance - and its charitable trust - are quite overtly political, making the Political and Economics Research Trust in clear breach of the Charity Commission's guidelines."
Dont you read anything Mickey?.
Shall I just respond too your piffle as a breach of ingnorance!.
I (like others here) have pointed out that the Smith Institute is equally political. If Prescott is so concerned about charities being overtly political, he should also write to the CC concerning the Smith Institute.
I suggest you take your own advice and actually READ what people have written.
Squeaky peep pops out and makes a load of off the cuff suggestion! forgoodnesssake Mickey at least try and be consistent!....watch oot fido's aboot!.
Christ, if I make anymore holes in you! you will turn into a teabag.
Perforated Mickey! more leaks Mr Green?.
You've yet to show me ANY evidence. Come on, show me the evidence to back up your assertions.
I'll make a £100 donation to LabourList if you can show me where I suggested that TPA aren't political.
The holes have gone and there is one mighty dark hole.
Plug it up Mickey and of course use the £1000 donation ASAP!
Yet to see any evidence though.
Tell you what, I'll match the £100 donation to LabourList with a £100 donation to the charity of your choice (not the Tax Payers Alliance or the Smith Institute as I don't believe either should have charitable status).
So run along, Draper. Start searching for that evidence. Don't deny a charity a gift at this time of year.
Very intresting piece, is damn wrong if a political action group is using the charity laws to avoid taxation. However are you sure that there are no groups with ties to labour that may be using such loop holes.
Rob
I can almost taste the irony. 'MP criticises think tank on funding'
Hold on hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...
It seems to me Johnny - that your only beef with this is a political one, and i can understand why, YOU and the remaining zanuLab cartel, have spent 12 years and all of our money on frippery and waste, you took it all and borrowed more and then invented more reasons to take more tax and burned the lot with bugger all to show for it. So when an organisation gets created with the express view of both encouraging better use of our taxes and highlights those areas of massive wanton waste, it does not in the least suprise me that you would attempt by fair means but probably foul to discredit it rather than engaging with it. It is obviously a threat then?!?
I have also looked at the alternative lefty Taxpayers Alliance set up to solely discredit the TPA,
Ridiculous, it may as well campaign for higher taxation and worse government never mind, my Dads bigger than your hey....
The taxpayers alliance reprsents this taxpayer far better than you and the rest of your chums ever did over 12 years in government.
Perhaps if you hadn't spent your time trying to screw middle class taxpayers every which way over the last decade you woulnd't be facing wipe out next May?
Well it worked in 1997 so why shouldn't it work again, thought Prescott, because you can't fool all of the people all of the time!
god such uneducated statements really irritate me.
It's similar to the sign I saw in my local Sainsburys, last year. "8 items or less". FFS don't they know that it is "8 items or fewer"? Apparently not, since the manager shrugged his shoulders and told me "people know what it means".
Sheesh, it is a simple rule, why can't people learn?
A recent piece in the Sunday Express reported of the TPA:
"In the past it exposed Mr Prescott's lavish GBP 10,000-a-day farewell trip to the US, Jamaica and Barbados, condemned a GBP 4,000 annual grocery bill, the GBP 7,000 spent on sprucing up his mock-Tudor mansion in Hull and for making an expenses claim for maintaining a second home while living in a grace-and-favour apartment."
It is in the public interest to expose wasteful expenditure by government. More power to the TPA!
If you want to withdraw thier funding, fine, but you need to apply the same to the 1300 Quangos which interfere in every aspect of our lives, that costs us billions, which your Goverment created!