Is it just me?

Is it just me?

This week has seen the revelation that many powerful people, our PM included, have profited from shady tax affairs, hiding their money offshore to avoid paying tax. These revelations have been met with a mixture of anger and cynicism- Iceland is getting their shit together and trying to force their head honcho to resign, which is what us Brits are doing to, albeit with many people saying 'we always knew they were dodging tax, now we just know so what's the difference?'- Well maybe they have something, we've always known that a lot of the upper echelons of society are dodging tax, but now we can prove it. I'll tell you the difference: me and many like me are fucking sick of it.

Now I could go on about the Panama papers and how they suck, but as blogs are personal, and I have a personal story that relates (sort of ) to the issue, I'm going to share it with you guys. Recently, I started a new job at a bar/restaurant- nothing unusual in that, I'm an arts graduate, it's only natural I should be serving food and drinks to people. However, after a few weeks I received my first wage- an envelope full of cash. Yay! Oh. Not enough cash. The money I've been given equates to working for 6.50 an hour. Below the minimum wage. I ask the boss about it. Apparently he is in the process of buying his wife's business (conveniently at the end of the tax year) and as I'm 'still on trial' I'll continue to be paid cash in hand until a few weeks down the line when 'We'll have a sit down chat and work out what's best for you'. My bullshit sense is tingling. I decided to talk to a few of my colleagues, they're also all on cash, similar wages, some of them in spite of being over 25 n thus eligible for the new minimum wage of 7.20.

Now, on my only day off of the week I'm gonna sit down n tell you all why this is wrong:

Its indicative of a wider culture of 'fuck it, if he's doing it, I'll do it'. (Although I feel my current employer has never had any qualms about dodging tax regardless).

It also means I am party culpable purely through accepting it, as I'm evading income tax and national insurance contributions. (I'd probably get my income tax back as a rebate cos there's no way I'm earning enough money) And national insurance is something I really agree with, it's something everyone pays, usually in line with what they earn, to help people who are unable to work, or who are ill.

Tax evasion itself is 'a legal grey area'- as most savvy accountants will tell you, with enough money you can basically pay 'as much tax as your moral compass allows'. See: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/on-demand/62134-001

What annoys me as much, if not more, is that my employer was trying to pull the wool over my eyes by telling me that I'm on the wage I'm on because I'm 'on trial' while people who have worked for him much longer than me are still on the same wage. Ironically, my flatmate is working for a restaurant chain, and works almost double the hours I do, for minimum wage, but after tax, we take home similar wages. It's like if you work minimum wage and dont somehow game the system you're losing regardless. But that doesnt make it right.

Now I know exactly what I should do- phone HMRC, report my employer, get what I'm owed and walk out. But I'm not going to, because I need the money, and because a lot of my colleagues might lose out too. What I'm going to do is demand to be put on the books (ie start getting paid legally and properly) in two weeks. Otherwise I leave. I like this job, I like the place, I like the people I work with. But I am sick and tired of employers taking advantage because it's hard to find work.

Am I the only one who just wants to get paid an honest wage, pay their taxes and get on with it?

'Next time some greasy moron starts bullshitting me I'm going after him, all the way to the president of the United States'- Hunter S Thompson.

And yes, I know, I still havent written about films in a while.