How to avoid the secret new steath taxes

In the past couple of months the media has reported several secret stealth taxes on car parking, broadband connections, mobile phones, patios , and company cars. There have been plenty of other reports in the past too.

However, often when I look at such stories the suggestion that they refer to secret or stealth taxes is spurious to say the least. Sometimes it is simply media speculation and on other occasions the story has it's origin in Government spin.

Of course including the word 'taxes' in the titles makes them more newsworthy. Adding the words 'secret' or 'stealth' almost guarantees reader interest. I think that's proven if this is the first time you've read an item on this TaxBuzz blog! ;-)

Typically such stories in the media refer either to:

• charges to be levied by local authorities or commercial businesses;
• ideas being floated by the Government to assess public reaction; or
• plans that the Government has little intention (or prospect) of introducing - but which it wants to be seen to have advocated.

Rarely are these taxes already in place or even inevitable.

At the risk of being flippant, the best way to avoid any such secret new stealth taxes is to stop reading about them. At least until and unless they actually start to affect you - and that's often going to be 'never'.

As and when you are subject to taxes or want to better understand how you can legally avoid them impacting you, do ensure that you talk to real tax specialists - such as members of the Tax Advice Network - simply click one of the links above or use the search facility (top right).