31-10-2017, 19:43
(31-10-2017, 18:55)0762 Wrote: it always astounds me that bank robbers, or similar, are sentenced for clearly stealing lotsa money and these high up fraudsters/tax evaders are not treated/sentenced in the same manner even though, in many cases, they are 'stealing' lots more money than said bank robbers! The UK is rife with this kinda 'leniency' and yet it shouldn't be!!! Why? Indeed a recent Panorama Special investigation exposed the offshore tax evasion which is not being 'policed' properly by a complicit Tory govt! Why?
I think the difference is often the use or threat of violence that a bank robber would usually use to get what he wants. Not sure the amount of money "stolen" should matter too much either, its either stealing or it isn't but you are right that these type of cases should be both treated as theft, with an added element for the violence aspect if that is used. Every western democracy is rife with this sort of crime, particularly tax evasion, its a bit like the drug cheats in sport, as the laws change to close loopholes, the accounting experts find other ones for these guys to take advantage of. Its also a crime that is far more difficult to prove than other crimes such as bank robberies and that requires more resources and money to investigate and prosecute, something that is always up for debate when it comes to where the police spend their money and indeed how much money they have to start with!!