This thing is QC’s are supposed to be the smart ones. Not something we’ve got much evidence of given Soapy Joe’s views on taxation:
Uber has argued it is just a ‘platform’ on which drivers can book fares, rather than a transport firm, and is therefore not liable to collect VAT, a claim that Maugham describes as ‘palpable nonsense’.
He said: ‘Tech companies need roads to deliver their products. They need the legal system to protect their intellectual property rights. They need a stable political environment. They need an educated workforce.
‘All of these things cost money, but they are not prepared to contribute to those costs.’
VAT is collected by a producer, not paid by it. It is consumers who bear the cost of VAT. That’s why it is known as a consumption tax. This is before we even get to the point about who pays for the roads – fuel and VED duty.
But then who needs facts or economics when there’s grandstanding to be done in pursuit of a title or gong?
A purely personal opinion here. That family background with David Benedictus. I have a feeling that the capering in the public eye is to gain that gong and thereby prove worth. Most unkind of me of course but…..