Billy Bragg threatens to withhold his UK taxes
Singer, songwriter and political activist Billy Bragg has today threatened to withhold his UK taxes unless the UK government acts to curb the spending plans of Royal Bank of Scotland. There is a suggestion that Royal Bank of Scotland, 84% owned by the UK taxpayer, is ready to pay out £1.5 billion in bonuses this year at a time when UK taxpayers are still feeling the pinch and many are still losing their homes.
While Billy Bragg understands that the UK government had little option but to bail out the bank, he believes there should be a significant reduction in spending until the UK economy is back on its feet and UK taxpayers can afford to cover their own bills. A Facebook campaign has begun which has already attracted the attention of many in the UK in what could be a very embarrassing situation for the UK government.
Even though the Treasury has declared that "there will not be big bonuses paid with taxpayers money at RBS" there is very little in the way of substance to back up this claim. Indeed it was reported just a few weeks ago that the Treasury had privately admitted that the bank needed to pay bonuses to attract the kind of quality employees required for the future.
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