Decent Article About Ebt's And Taig Inferiority

[Siam69 26,864]

Yes, I know it's the Bear's Den, but it's about us, and them!

by Jonathan​McFarlane​

RANGERS fan Jonny McFarlane says that the entire EBT debate has already 'jumped the shark' and highlights rival fans' bitterness.

Reuters

"You have to feel for some of the Celtic fans. They talk about us all day, they tweet about us all day and they have Rangers and our ‘crimes’ fermenting constantly in their brain" {C} {C} {C} {C}

AS we witnessed on Sunday, sober reflection isn’t really Celtic fans' strong suit.

Undeterred I would ask that those of a non Sevco-obsessed disposition look at the results of the tax case objectively.

This is a complex, layered case with many shades of grey and with two separate judicial panels voting in Rangers favour, no-one should take the final outcome of a potential appeal for granted.

This is still a story without a final chapter and no matter how much the bloggers, agitators and the demented want to twist things to meet an agenda there remains uncertainty about how this tale ends.

Press Association

Rangers celebrate winning their Scottish Cup win over Celtic at Hampden in 2002

Clearly there are some out there who smell the scent of blood and want their taste. They can gnash their teeth and howl at the moon about tainted titles with all their gusto but in the evidence of their own legends lays the answer.

When the blessed Martin O’Neill and Chris Sutton come out and dismiss the notion of ‘financial doping’ you should put down your @sevcozombies1888 Twitter account and listen.

Every pundit, journalist and ex-player asked about this situation has dismissed the notion of title stripping with the dishonourable exception of Darren O’Dea who someone managed to track down in the deepest, darkest corner of India. I’m just glad for the lad that he finally found a league at his level.

PA

Darren O'Dea scores against Rangers in the 2009 League Cup Final

His contribution of note was to compare the use of EBT’s to Lance Armstrong who committed the most heinous, consistent and organised example of drug taking in the history of sport. It’s been lapped up on social media despite the utterly ludicrous nature of the comparison.

What Lance Armstrong did was 100% against the rules, Rangers fans on the other hand might ask someone to point them towards the EBT section of the SPFL rulebook…

Without a breach of rules pundits are left to chin-stroke on the nature of morality. Personally, the moment when I know the entire debate has jumped the shark is when football commentators, those totems of virtue, wring their hands and become moral arbiters. Pass me the sick bag.

The moment David Murray signed over ownership of Rangers to Craig Whyte

All this is not to say EBT use has been without consequence. There is a punishment already in place for tax avoidance and Rangers have suffered it and then some.

EBT use was what forced David Murray to sell Rangers to the only bidder. It’s what drew in the vultures like Charles Green and Craig Whyte. It caused the liquidation of the company. These are all the results of HMRC’s process for dealing with EBT’s.

Doesn’t a fall to the bottom tier of Scottish Football, losing all our good players and being forced to watch Ally McCoist’s interpretation of tiki-taka constitute punishment enough?

I shouldn’t jest because some people simply won’t be happy unless they see Ibrox ground into a fine dust.

SNS Group

The gambler: Former Rangers chairman Sir David Murray

EBT’s were a gamble by a discredited chairman who ran the club in an irresponsible way.

Immoral? Yes. Objectionable? Yes. Do I find it embarrassing that the clubs name is used in context of tax avoidance? Absolutely. But against the rules? No. Illegal? No.

The old saying goes ‘let he who is without sin cast the first stone’ and yet Arsenal, Liverpool and, oh yes, Celtic are among the clubs who have also used the system in the past. Several Celtic players have also been listed in a prominent tax avoidance story about film companies so let’s hear no lectures from them. Theirs is a selective morality based on the colour of your shirt.

Daily Record

"A void so deep and historic, even a European Cup couldn’t fill it."

This has nothing to do with values or politics and everything to do with the dark tribalism that stalks this country.

At the end of the day, you have to feel for some of the Celtic fans. They talk about us all day, they tweet about us all day and they have Rangers and our ‘crimes’ fermenting constantly in their brain filling them with poison and torment.

I’m sure many of them bore their long suffering wives and children at the dinner table by barking about donations to their Sevco blog and title stripping hashtags on Twitter.

It’s sad really, because you know what the driver is? A deep seated recognition of their own club’s inferiority.

It’s a void so deep and historic, even a European Cup couldn’t fill it.

After all our woes and with a division between us, it’s still all about the Rangers.

Video: The Record Sport show on Rangers and the EBT years

[smitzer007 198]

Pretty much spot on but the haters are too busy foaming at the mouth to listen to any sane interpretation of the past few years.

[dan_ger 1,454]

Not sure why anyone would conceded that EBT's are immoral or objectionable. They were widely used and legal at the time.

[Inigo 32,526]

Haha. I like it.

[centenarystand 2,227]

Well worded describing the haters and a couple of journalists fit in with those descriptions too.

[Inigo 32,526]

Not sure why anyone would conceded that EBT's are immoral or objectionable. They were widely used and legal at the time.

Legal doesn't equal moral.

Everyone will have their opinion on tax avoidance. My opinion is also that it's immoral and objectionable. That's not the issue, though.

[minstral 5,375]

Surprised by that article, as the guy that wrote it, is a Republican handwringer.

[cushynumber 25,178]

Theirs is a selective morality based on the colour of your shirt.

I really like that quote.

[Inigo 32,526]

Surprised by that article, as the guy that wrote it, is a Republican handwringer.

Which means what?

It'd be nice if people used meaningful sentences again instead of this 'handwringer' cliched fad, then people might have an idea of what exactly they were talking about.

[B1872 20,665]

Decent article tbf

[WATP-FOREVER 5,231]

"After all our woes and with a division between us, it’s still all about the Rangers".

Very good, honest article - and a true reflection of the club that's never really played a home game; that's the timmigrant club.

WATP

[WATP-FOREVER 5,231]

On second thoughts; no matter how far they are, they'll always be behind 'The Rangers'

[Bad Robot 21,143]

Theirs is a selective morality based on the colour of your shirt.that was the only part I never agreed with as their hatred is stemmed from a lot more than a blue shirt, that aside, a great blog

I really like that quote.

[dan_ger 1,454]

Legal doesn't equal moral.

Everyone will have their opinion on tax avoidance. My opinion is also that it's immoral and objectionable. That's not the issue, though.

Exactly my point. The case has nothing to do with morals or objectivity. It's a legal matter.

The use of these mechanisms is widespread and I'd expect the majority of people to use them if given the chance. I would have used an ebt if my accountant told me it was within the law.

I just think those fighting our corner are making far too many concessions. That's not to say I don't appreciate that they are fighting our corner.

[simplythebest 11,453]

Which means what?

It'd be nice if people used meaningful sentences again instead of this 'handwringer' cliched fad, then people might have an idea of what exactly they were talking about.

In this case he wrote a horrid article about the George Square stuff the day after the referendum, not only repeating the myth that it was all the fault of big bad unionists but basically said Rangers fans were to blame.

[minstral 5,375]

In this case he wrote a horrid article about the George Square stuff the day after the referendum, not only repeating the myth that it was all the fault of big bad unionists but basically said Rangers fans were to blame.

Spot on.

[K.A.I 36,183]

Surprised by that article, as the guy that wrote it, is a Republican handwringer.

Same.

Hate the fat greasy bastard personally but the more articles like that in the public domain the better.

[VallancesDog 2,051]

It’s sad really, because you know what the driver is? A deep seated recognition of their own club’s inferiority.

It’s a void so deep and historic, even a European Cup couldn’t fill it.

After all our woes and with a division between us, it’s still all about the Rangers.

Great quote.

[jintybear 8,536]

Couldn't disagree with any of that

[legalbeagle 3,734]

It is a terrible indictment on these people that after 4 years of this obsessive witch hunt that they are still running on the same hatred.

I recall when we were dumped in division 3 that there was a view we were given that it would repair the image of the club to work our way back through the leagues, that bridges would be built and all that stuff, yet the reality is that we still have people trying to punish us over and over again for the same things.

[dummiesoot 16,003]

These people honestly think the SFA and SPL at the time did everything to help us, it is truly unbelievable.

[K.A.I 36,183]

It is a terrible indictment on these people that after 4 years of this obsessive witch hunt that they are still running on the same hatred.

I recall when we were dumped in division 3 that there was a view we were given that it would repair the image of the club to work our way back through the leagues, that bridges would be built and all that stuff, yet the reality is that we still have people trying to punish us over and over again for the same things.

Spot on. Good post.

[Jelavic191 4,399]

This article is spot on.

[bombaybadboy08 15,660]

Good article, shame about the author.

[bluenose48 951]

EBT's illegal or immoral everyone has an opinion. Some driven by hatred, some by a false sense of morality.

Looked at seriously, which one of us has never claimed an expense, large or small, dubious or not in an effort to reduce our tax bill.

Large companies employ specialized accountants to find ways of offsetting expenses against income, to reduce tax liability ( read avoidance ) if you think its immoral. Large international companies shift profits to tax havens under the guise of paying for stock at inflated prices. Creative accounting its called. Departments of taxation are trying desperately to close every loophole being used.

When we, and numerous other companies, used EBT's and some fake film companies, they were legal, some more borderline than others. In the UK HMRC have closed most if not all these schemes and most companies including RFC stopped using them. But for HMRC to single out RFC for prosecution, to use their new rules retrospectively, reeks of a motivation not just to help pay for all those hospital beds and teachers we robbed the people of the UK of.