Politicsmargaret hodgeChancellor George OsborneDanny Alexander

Gary Barlow's Tax Avoidance Slammed By Politicians, But Here Are 6 Who Had Tax Scandals

6 Politicians Who Probably Should Not Slam Gary Barlow's Tax Avoidance
Asa Bennett
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Take That singer Gary Barlow has sparked calls from politicians to hand back his OBE after he allegedly invested in a tax avoidance scheme.

Labour’s Margaret Hodge, chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said Barlow “might want to show a bit of contrition by giving back his OBE”. She was backed by Tory Charlie Elphicke who told The Sun: “People who have seriously abused the tax system should be stripped of honours.”

Gary, his Take That bandmates Mark Owen and Howard Donald, and their manager are facing huge bills after it was revealed by The Times that they reportedly paid into the £66 million Icebreaker Management partnership, which was billed as a music-industry investment scheme.

Hodge's attack on Barlow's tax affairs was met with bemusement by some commentators on Twitter, as she has had to deal with a controversy around the tax arrangements of her family's business Stemcor. The steel trading giant, in which she had a "registrable shareholding", was reported to have paid tax of just £163,000 on revenues of more than £2.1bn in 2011.

Hodge defended Stemcor's tax payments, telling The Daily Telegraph that she had been "assured" that the firm paid “every penny of tax that is owed”, adding that she was only “a very small shareholder”.

HuffPostUK thought it worth showing that Hodge is not the only politician to have been caught up in her own tax avoidance controversy, as these six people could find it just as awkward to come out against Barlow.

Politician Tax Avoidance Controversies
George Osborne (01 of05)
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The Chancellor was embroiled in his own tax controversy after Channel 4 reported in 2010 that he stood to gain more than £4 million from a family trust fund which would save him and fellow beneficiaries £1.6 million in inheritance tax. Osborne's spokesman seemed to accept that he would get his share of the family fortune tax-free, but that his share would still face death duties when he died.
Danny Alexander(02 of05)
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Osborne's Lib Dem deputy at the Treasury, Danny Alexander, admitted that he had used a tax loophole to not pay capital gains tax when he sold his taxpayer-funded second home in South London for £300,000 in June 2007.
Stephen Hammond (03 of05)
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Transport minister Stephen Hammond, who criticised Livingstone for axoiding tax, was reported to be an investor in a firm that also used tax breaks - and had failed to declare this to Parliament.Hammond is a partner in Harwood Film Partnership, which has deferred tax for its partners, the Guardian reported. The minister said that the scheme was legal and he did not have to declare his involvement.
Ukip leader Nigel Farage(04 of05)
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Nigel Farage, who previously railed against "rich people and successful companies" not paying their fair share, was reported to have funneled earnings into a company which meant he pays 20% corporation tax on profits of £45,000, rather than 40% income tax.According to the Mail Online, Farage set up a company, Thorn In The Side Ltd, to manage earnings he makes from media appearances and giving speeches. The newspaper calculates the arrangement saved him £11,097.93 last year.
Sajid Javid (05 of05)
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Back when culture secretary Sajid Javid worked as a £3million-a-year City banker, he reportedly received a huge bonus channeled through a tax haven.According to the Mail on Sunday, Javid was among a group of senior Deutsche Bank executives who received bonuses worth at least £50,000 each shares in a Cayman Islands company – to lower the company’s total tax bill.A spokesman for Javid said that he was paid with "all tax deducted already" and "did not personally receive any tax advantage whatsoever from these arrangements."
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