Non-Doms – it’s time to “pay up or ship out”

By Lopa Patel, 27 July 2009.

As I have had a lot of feedback on my editorial from 23 July 2009 regarding the article ‘Indian businessmen pledge to stop bankrolling Labour if 'non-dom' tax bill passes’, here it is in full….

Britain's rich Indian businessmen just don't get it, do they? This week Lord Swraj Paul and Sir G K Noon have pledged to stop funding the Labour Party if the proposed £30,000 annual 'non-doms' tax goes through. Well, Good! 'We The People' (including all the other less-rich Asians living here) don't want you to be able to influence our Prime Minister by throwing money at their political campaigns anyway.

The irony is that neither man would miss the £30K from their multi-million pound fortune. What is being lost in this 'war of words' is that the British public (including all the less-rich other Asians living here) want UK politics cleaned up. We want useless Peers booted out of the House of Lords, we want corrupt and sleazy MPs kicked out too and we want those confused about their identity because of their untold wealth to "Pay Up or Ship Out".

Perhaps then, we might get a Government that works for 'Us', rather than un-elected self-serving individuals who don't do anything for anyone else. Britain has a lot going for it - let's not make it like South Asia.

Non-Dom status is all about money, not identity

I know that a lot of “non-doms” are not in the super-rich category enjoyed by Lord Paul and Sir G K Noon, but the issue of the “non-doms” is all about money and not about identity. The time to make difficult decisions is now – are you part of British society, enjoying free services like healthcare, state education and the state-supported pensions and benefits system, or are you here to earn as much as possible and repatriate this “back home” (where ever that may be)? If it is the former, then revoke your non-dom status, if it is the latter then “pay up or ship out”.

Non-Doms should not be able to make donations to political parties

It is right and just that non-doms should be barred from making donations to political parties. We, the British Citizens (including all the less-rich other Asians living here), do not want any U-Turns on this policy.

It is not irony that those who cannot vote in our democratic process should determine the outcome of a British General Election – it is just plain WRONG!

Britain is a great democracy and our politicians should acknowledge that now.