I'm delighted to announce the birth of my first grandchild who was born on Sunday evening. As such, I thought I would write a few words to welcome him into the world and also pass on some advice which either I wished I'd known earlier in life or had followed myself. Feel free to impart any useful advice you may have in the 'Comments' below.
"Welcome to the world little James Francis Buxton.
We've been waiting for you and we are overjoyed you are finally here.
You are loved by so many - most importantly your mother and father.
You have the good fortune to be the first-born child to wonderful parents.
They are warm and caring; they hold dear their family and their friends.
They know how to enjoy life, and they are fun to be with.
Furthermore, they are intelligent, responsible, and hard-working.
Your home will be filled with love and laughter and learning.
You are also my first grandchild and that makes you very special to me.
You give me the gift of knowing my own son as a parent.
You bestow upon me the cherished role of grandfather.
As your grandfather, I will love you forever and will always delight in you.
I look forward to sharing in your explorations and discoveries of the world
around you.
Monday, 23 April 2012
Why are we hell bent on bashing the rich?
It's becoming increasingly depressing to witness this current obsession we have with criticising the higher earning proportion of our population. An article in the Guardian this weekend was a perfect example. Here the paper tries to suggest that the Cameron family are somehow corrupt because David Cameron's father ran a number of offshore investment funds. In actual fact, what he did was perfectly legal and the paper admits this. However it tries to make out that this was some kind of tax avoidance. The reality is that Ian Cameron would have paid tax to whatever county the funds were located in. Were we honestly expecting him to pay tax twice - both in this county and the country the funds were based in?
In some respects, running an offshore investment account is little different from running a business overseas. Would we expect BP to pay UK corporation tax on separate businesses that incorporated abroad? No, so why expect offshore investment accounts run by businesses incorporated in another country to pay UK tax?
In some respects, running an offshore investment account is little different from running a business overseas. Would we expect BP to pay UK corporation tax on separate businesses that incorporated abroad? No, so why expect offshore investment accounts run by businesses incorporated in another country to pay UK tax?
Sunday, 8 April 2012
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