Are our MPs being treated differently from taxpayers?
As news emerges that 27 MPs are under investigation by the tax authorities, with one MP potentially under investigation by the police, there are concerns that UK MPs are being treated differently from everyday taxpayers. A number of cases of alleged fraudulent activity have already been clarified and the very fact that Parliament has asked a number of MPs to repay significant amounts of money is a damning indictment of the system and UK political scene. But are MPs actually receiving preferential treatment?
There is no doubt that if "normal" UK taxpayers had been "milking the system" as blatantly as it seems, whether or not these claims were within the rules, a number would already have had their "collars felt by the police". For some reason it appears that MPs in the UK believe they are above the law on a number of issues with the expensive situation a prime example.
The fact that we are still talking about the expense issue after many months does not reflect well on the Parliamentary authorities and the major parties who had promised to "clean up Parliament". They will now be in a rush to resolve various issues ahead of the general election as some people believe voters may move towards minority parties who have not been tainted by the expenses scandal to the same extent as the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties.
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