YP Comment: Can Cameron win back trust? PM provides some clarity over tax

THAT the first statement to Parliament after the Easter recess was from David Cameron on the issue of tax avoidance, rather than the future of the crisis-hit steel industry, illustrated the extent to which the Government has been blown off course by the continuing fallout from revelations about the Prime Minister's financial affairs.
Prime Minister David Cameron makes a statement to the House of Commons over his personal finances  after it emerged he had profited from an offshore fund.Prime Minister David Cameron makes a statement to the House of Commons over his personal finances  after it emerged he had profited from an offshore fund.
Prime Minister David Cameron makes a statement to the House of Commons over his personal finances after it emerged he had profited from an offshore fund.

However the proposed solutions, namely pressure on senior Ministers to publish their tax returns and the prospect of a new law that will make accountancy practices liable under criminal law if their staff facilitate tax evasion, threatens to detract from one of the more pertinent questions which has been overlooked – why do people look to circumvent existing rules and regulations which are amongst the most cumbersome in the world?

The reason is this. The politics of envy, especially on inheritance tax, mean private wealth is still frowned upon to such an extent that it is in the best interests of individual to make the most of any exemptions open to them. They might be less inclined to do so, however, if Britain was in a position to lower its taxes. After all, a reduction in the top rate of income tax has led to additional revenue being paid to the HMRC.

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That said, Mr Cameron could have avoided much of this embarrassment if he had been candid with the country from the outset of this corrosive controversy. For a political leader who cut his teeth in public relations, he seems to have surrounded himself with a group of aides who are offering some very poor advice and who do not appreciate the public’s mistrust of the Government.

As such, the greater transparency promised 
by Mr Cameron is a necessary first step towards regaining some of the trust that has been lost in recent days. The question now is whether it is enough to save the Prime Minister’s reputation ahead of the EU referendum on June 23, the outcome of which is 
too close to call.

The young Master: Danny Willett’s strokes of genius

COMETH the hour, cometh the man. Proud Yorkshireman Danny Willett did not just inspire the sport of golf with his fairytale win at the iconic US Masters. He captured the hearts of an entire country as millions stayed up late into the night to watch the ice-cool 28-year-old show nerves of steel to join the all-time greats, like Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Severiano Ballesteros and Tiger Woods, who have won the coveted green jacket.

Not even a payer as gifted as Rory McIlroy possesses this most elusive of garments after Willett, playing without fear after his wife Nicole gave birth to their first child Zachariah 12 days previously, pounced with ruthless precision when runaway leader Jordan Spieth imploded. Just the second Englishman in history to conquer Augusta’s contours, the other being Sir Nick Faldo, this win is one of the greatest ever performances by a Yorkshire competitor or team.

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An inspiring win made even more uplifting because it was so unexpected by everyone except Willett and his devotees, spare a thought for the golfer’s family from Sheffield who were going through mental torture as the tournament reached its denouement. They’re the ones who made the sacrifices when the future champion first picked up a club and needed ferrying to the lessons and tournaments that were to change his life. Their faith has now been repaid in abundance.

The Ryder Cup and Olympics now beckon for the wonderful Willett. And don’t forget young tyke Matthew Fitzpatrick, another proud son of Sheffield, who finished joint seventh at Augusta – the future of British golf looks very safe in the steel city’s hands.

Cold comfort

IS IT any wonder that the National Health Service is so short of money when doctors are issuing so many prescriptions for everyday cold remedies and throat lozenges which are cheaper to buy over the counter at a local pharmacy?

Even though medical practitioners have a duty of care to their patients, and particularly those in financial hardship, it does appear the benevolence of the NHS is being stretched too far on occasion.

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At a time when so many NHS trusts are unable to afford life-enhancing cancer drugs, these latest revelations create the unhelpful impression that health policy is being determined by bureaucrats for the benefit of bureaucrats rather than the greater good of all.

Unless a remedy is found for this mismanagement, the NHS will simply lurch from one financial crisis to another – irrespective of the amount of money made available by the Government of the day.