Tax avoidance and morality

Jimmy Carr and Gary Barlow were named and shamed last week alongside other celebrities dentists and doctors as part of an investigation by The Times into tax avoidance sparking a nationwide debate on whether tax avoidance is acceptable in austerity Britain. The question of morality comes up time and time again but could it be a red herring?

Whilst we may all have our own views on the morality of a particular course of action professional advisers are not here to sit in moral judgment of their clients. If a client seeks tax advice then the professional response is to advise on the tax implications based on the law and other tax rules and not whether it is morally...