Comedian Mark Thomas stages protest outside Leamington tax office
Campaigning comic Mark Thomas brought his unique style of direct action to Leamington this week.
The political stand-up used his gig at Warwick Arts Centre to arrange a protest outside the tax office in Brandon Parade, off Holly Walk, on Monday afternoon.
Members of the audience from Sunday's show, including several Green Party supporters, joined him to protest about rent from tax offices being paid to a company which is exempt from tax because it is based in Jersey.
And as part of the tounge-in-cheek stunt, the gathering offered their support to Mark's idea for the UK to arm its tax inspectors to invade the Channel Island.
Mark said: "HMRC is paying money to tax dodgers - it is completely inappropriate.
"The Tax Justice Network is estimating that we lose around 100 billion a year from tax avoidance and evasion and corporate tax deficiency so now is the time to invade Jersey.
"The other reason we should be invading Jersey is to liberate the islanders."
As passing motorists beeped their horns in support, Mark told the gathering of around 20 people that Jersey has become so much of a "tax haven" that it concentrates most of its resources on offshore financial centres.
He explained that only two per cent of the islands gross domestic product is through tourism and one per cent is through agriculture.
Mark added: "Out of an island of around 90,000 people there are 8,000 families on income support - so nearly half the island are on benefits because they have been priced out of their island by the offshore financial industry.
"So it is important we fight to liberate the Jersey islanders as well as dispose of those working in the offshore financial industry.
"We should demand that we create paramilitary tax inspectors to go into Jersey to hold to justice and account those who have made money through the offshore financial regulations - the tax dodgers, the scammers, the hedge funders and the derivative traders and give some of those people some form of forced education."
Green Party member Karen Varga said the money lost by Britain to tax evasion each year could be spent on health care and vital services for the most vulnerable people in communities.
She added: "For the UK tax department to be paying rent to offshore companies is absolute nonsense especially in light of what is going on with the government and MPs' expenses."
Trevor McCarthy, holding an inflatable penguin to represent 'penguins against offshore tax havens', said: "I think the penguin will make more of a difference than me.
"But I feel strongly enough about this cause to come out on a Monday afternoon with a suit on."
Protestor Doug Rattray, 29, designed a 'Dad's Army' style diagram to represent the invasion.
He said: "I'm here partly in support of Mark and partly because I thought it would be a laugh.
"I don't think we are going to invade Jersey but this will make more people aware of the issue."
Mark intends to stage more protests outside tax offices in other UK towns he visits during his current comedy tour.
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Weather for Leamington
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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