George Osborne secretly included a horses' paddock on his Co

[Jasper]

Tory axeman George Osborne secretly included a field for a horse on his taxpayer-funded expenses.
His outrageous Commons claim for the piece of land is exposed after experts demolished the Chancellor’s pretence that his brutal policies are fair.
The poorest 40% lose more from cuts and tax rises in his crisis mini-budget than the richest 10%, the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies found.
It also found a £27billion black hole in his plans and boss Paul Johnson warned the NHS and pensioners – so far protected – could be in the firing line.
Mr Osborne, who earns £134,565 and has a £4million trust fund, said he was sharing the nation’s pain yesterday as he defended his Autumn Statement.
"I took a pay cut and froze my pay on taking this job,” he said.
But his claims that “we are all in this together” were ridiculed after documents showed the taxpayer-funded mortgage for his second home also covered the paddock.
Mr Osborne and author wife Frances bought the land with their exclusive Cheshire farmhouse for £455,000 in 2000, Land Registry documents show.
He extended a mortgage on his London home to pay for it but started claiming expenses towards the cost when he became an MP the following year.
In 2003 he took out a separate £450,000 mortgage on the house and land at Harrow Fold Farm, near Macclesfield, charging taxpayers the interest.
In all, the MP claimed up to £100,000 for the cost of the loan before selling the house and acre of land this year.
The Land Registry papers, unearthed by Channel 4’s Dispatches, show he got up to £1million – more than thought – from the sale.
He did not mention the paddock during a Commons inquiry which found he overclaimed for the mortgage.
Labour’s John Mann said he could face a tax investigation to see if the land was a “benefit in kind” and said he should give his £450,000 profit back to taxpayers.

“The millions of people across the country paying the price of George Osborne’s austerity measures will be appalled to learn they have been paying for him to have a paddock,” Mr Mann said.
“Mr Osborne clearly didn’t need it to discharge his parliamentary duties, which is what Commons expenses are supposed to cover.”
The Chancellor came under more pressure as a credit rating agency said ­Britain’s AAA status was at risk because borrowing was so high.
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said the mini-budget meant a working family with children on £20,000 would lose £279 a year.
An aide of Mr Osborne said he had to buy the paddock with the house, even though it is registered separately rather than as one property.
“It was sold as one and had to be bought as one,” he said

[moderator6]

jasper I think I have to ask if you have links with any political parties that you should declare as it seems to be a favourite subject of yours? Of course you're more then welcome to PM me in confidence.

Moderator 6

[Wes]

There just article snippets...A back linking strategy...Might be worth engaging the forum properly rather than copy and pasting stuff. No offence btw Jasper..

Stalk the forum for questions and help out...Just a thought

[northwales4u]

What was the name of the horse and why can't he claim for it?

[Wes]

Britain’s AAA status was at risk because borrowing was so high.

And it's an old snippet..Britain lost it's AAA rating on 22nd February

[Jasper]

OK I hate the Conservatives!
I am not a supporter or any party. I just cannot stand hipocrites, liars and the dishonest!
The article may have been old but I hadn't seen it until a few days ago and I thought others may be interested.
Is this not supposed to be a "forum" ?

[dewaltdisney]

I think you should be more balanced as it was Labour you should hate as they are the cause of all the problems we now face. Blair and Brown did their best to ruin the country and I would say that the issues you see are either caused or matched by Labour.

This is a DIY forum and I think that politics should be avoided unless it is light hearted banter.

DWD

[Wes]

Of course it's a forum, hence, expect opinions

[joinerjohn]

What was the name of the horse and why can't he claim for it?

Nah, his horse is now in a thousand lasagnes, various beef pies and minced beef products. All of which he charges us VAT on, when we buy them. So in effect, he's raking it in.

[royaloakcarpentry]

Whats wrong with that. All he has done is claim as per the allowance rules.

My dad had a heavily subsidised mortgage because of who he worked for. If he moved region they would pay all removal costs and estate agency fees.

There are countless firms that own properties or rent them and place employees in them free of charge. Do the employees pay tax on it....NO.

Like it or not the vast majority of people are on the fiddle. Tradesmen using company vans for private mileage and fixings for private jobs. Office workers taking pads, pens, pencils home for the kids and adding a bit on travelling or lunch expenses. There is no reason why the politician would be any different. Still human, just a different job.

[northwales4u]

[scot-canuck]

ROC: and on a FAR bigger scale, if you billed your work account for 60,000 lengths of timber and then it was found the job only required 25,000, I think the old bill would be involved under the heading of fraud

[Jasper]

ROC: and on a FAR bigger scale, if you billed your work account for 60,000 lengths of timber and then it was found the job only required 25,000, I think the old bill would be involved under the heading of fraud

Well said.

Regarding Labour, it should be noted that by 2015, under the Coalition, Britain will have the worst budget deficit in the western world.
Furthermore, the government has already incresed the national debt by more that labour did during the entire 10-year period they were in power!

If you are hungry and have a choice of three rotten apples, do you pick and eat one or do you look for an apple tree with fresher crisp new apples full of the promise of juicy nourishment?

Me, rotten apples make me sick!

[royaloakcarpentry]

ROC: and on a FAR bigger scale, if you billed your work account for 60,000 lengths of timber and then it was found the job only required 25,000, I think the old bill would be involved under the heading of fraud

Same as billing for 60,000 and only using 59,999 lengths of timber......fraudulent claim. Fraud is fraud doesn't matter if it is large or small amount.

You put receipts for materials through your books. If you need a socket for your house, I bet you get it out the van. You ain't going to a retailers to buy one especially paid for out of your own pocket and not claimed on. Still fraud.

Big line in the sand is your example and mine are cases of fraud. Osborne just played the lax rules.

If Osborne some how owes the government and ultimately the tax payer all the profit from the house sale, then what about all the council tennants who bought under right to buy. Should they be paying profit back on what they made. Are the tennants who had 3rd parties buy for them in return for a percentage of the profit, criminals.

[Jasper]

The issue here is Osborne claims "we are all in it together" when he is secretly playing the system and being greedy.
This is a man who comes form a wealthy family and alreaay has more persoanl money than he can spend.
Trouble is as chancellor, he is spending more UK money than he has"

Right to Buy gave people the oportunity to buy council homes at a discount.
Everyone knew it was a good deal.