Let nobody say that the political wrestling ahead of the general election is mere point scoring or in some way irrelevant. The ferocious row about tax avoidance – running from the shadow chancellor Ed Balls getting a receipt from the bloke cutting his hedge for a tenner, through to the tax dodgers aided by HSBC’s Swiss arm– goes absolutely to the heart of civilised life in a modern state.
Who pays their fair whack? Who sidesteps their obligations to fund a common health system, safe roads, proper schools? Who are the free riders and who are the real scroungers? These are fundamental questions to our notion of fairness and the common good. What the past few days shows, however, is how badly confused the political system now is.
Related: Ed Balls vows comprehensive review of tax-planning schemes
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