The Title Stripping Inquisiton

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

There was a considerable response to my last blog “Gunning for Rangers”, with surprise support and agreement from some elements of the Celtic fraternity with whom I’m normally “jousting” with on Twitter. Of course they were in a minority compared to those who wished to point out that Arsenal paid the money due to HMRC. When I use the term minority – I refer of course to social media given that a number of high profile ex Celtic players and an ex-manager have already publicly stated they have no desire to see Rangers forced to forfeit honours.

This is of course was a fact already alluded to in the blog but it served to underline the problems the “title stripping inquisition” have created for themselves with the “sporting advantage” argument. If EBTs are used as a tax avoidance measure, does it really matter in terms of sporting advantage if retrospective payments are made to HMRC? If the sporting advantage has been gained it is utterly preposterous to suggest that retrospectively paying the back tax nullifies or negates the alleged sporting advantage which was gained at the material time, in Arsenal’s case 2001 (Perhaps Earlier) – 2005.

Of course some still don’t get it – despite us having a wealth of tax experts such as Jo Maugham and Richard Murphy providing alternative opinions on the subject. But the reality is they don’t want to get it they just want to see Rangers punished or in some cases eradicated.

One is reminded of the atmosphere which was the catalyst to one of the best narratives I read in those dark days of 2012 – Alex Mooney writing for the Rangers Standard.

http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/196-the-witch-hunt-that-shamed-scotland

Any hopes that lessons have been learned from that period are fading fast. The usual suspects within the media, and some new additions, are already leading a very anti-Rangers narrative. Those familiar with the Allport’s Scale of Prejudice will recognise the motivation behind this Tom English tweet following the Rangers statement today.

For those who are not familiar with Allport’s work let me lay it out in its simplest form – How dare the victim have the audacity to stand up for themselves. Shades of 2012.

Unsurprisingly, in a narrative which talks about sporting advantage, living beyond your means and signing players you could otherwise not afford, there has been a deathly silence with regard to those clubs who benefited from having their debt written off by the bank. Would they be signing the players they have in recent times if they were still saddled with their accumulated debt? Does this fit the narrative of sporting advantage, living beyond your means or signing players you couldn’t otherwise afford; or is there an essential part of the narrative missing – Rangers.

Will the many Scottish individuals from Scottish football who availed themselves of the tax avoidance schemes operated by Inside Track Productions, Ingenious Film Partners 2 LLP and Ingenious Games LLP find themselves subjected to the adjectives applied to Rangers these last few years?

http://news.stv.tv/west-central/308290-high-profile-scottish-football-figures-in-sweat-over-tax-avoidance-scheme/

Im not sure whether it will prove to be a Greek tragedy or farce, perhaps both, but nonetheless these lines seem very apt :-

“Pandora flung herself at the box. She caught the lid and managed to fit it on.

But it was too late. All of the awful things were out of the box”

[cushynumber 25,178]

Trying to get these people to see Rangers as anything other than "bad" is simply becoming pointless D'art. Rational argument, obvious similarities with other clubs in similar circumstances and most of all their own blatant hypocrisy - it is all lost on them as we are the focus of there hatred and nothing will deflect them from it.

They have embarked upon the same course they did in 2012, regardless of consequence. With willing parties in the media egging them on the call for titles will only grow.

Sanity and reason will not prevail here, just as it did not 3 years ago. The only difference I see is that we are not quite as weak and not quite as at their mercy. But there is trouble ahead.

[OlegKuznetsov 10,816]

A concise and irrefutable argument.

Apparently there are some "good" and acceptable illegal tax avoidance schemes.

Also, if you're neighbour assaults you and by revenge, you then assault him and four other members of his family, you're both guilty.

He doesn't receive a "get out of jail, free" card because he broke the law less frequently.

Are there acceptable levels of tax avoidance, whereby you can effectively fly under the radar, and receive no scrutiny?

Well, we're all too familiar with special condition that manifests itself in all one-sided moralising that we see in Scottish football.

[minstral 5,375]

They hate us that much, that no matter what argument you put up, they will not listen.

[sandyinroyalblue 16,478]

You expect the title stripping talk to come from the haters of various Scottish football clubs but maybe naively I thought that the media would not be complicit in this nonsense but clearly stirring up trouble again for Rangers sells newspapers to those who wish to damage our club.

And to those who accuse our club of cheating had better take heed that making tax avoidance a crime punishable by title stripping may involve a big fall from their high moralistic pedestal.

[danger ranger 922]

Trying to get these people to see Rangers as anything other than "bad" is simply becoming pointless D'art. Rational argument, obvious similarities with other clubs in similar circumstances and most of all their own blatant hypocrisy - it is all lost on them as we are the focus of there hatred and nothing will deflect them from it.

They have embarked upon the same course they did in 2012, regardless of consequence. With willing parties in the media egging them on the call for titles will only grow.

Sanity and reason will not prevail here, just as it did not 3 years ago. The only difference I see is that we are not quite as weak and not quite as at their mercy. But there is trouble ahead.

So you are basically calling them corrupt, they peddled their hate on Rangers knowing that they also were guilty of the same tax avoidance schemes, making up conditions and using the baying mob(supporters) to suit their agenda against Rangers. The people responsible should be asked to resign or be legally removed to allow Scottish football to go forward.

[danger ranger 922]

They hate us that much, that no matter what argument you put up, they will not listen.

That's why they need to be removed by any means.

[cushynumber 25,178]

So you are basically calling them corrupt, they peddled their hate on Rangers knowing that they also were guilty of the same tax avoidance schemes, making up conditions and using the baying mob(supporters) to suit their agenda against Rangers. The people responsible should be asked to resign or be legally removed to allow Scottish football to go forward.

the people responsible are also in charge of clubs with fans that despise us. They would have to remove themselves and the term "conflict of interest" washes over them unchecked.

[eejay the dj 31,964]

Surprised you even debate with them .I honestly think what certain high profile beggars say in our favour means didly squat to every hater out there .It will certainly mean even less to the cabal ,that was set up just for moments like this where without a shadow of a doubt now .They are going to try to hang our club out to dry .The signs are there for me now .If we appeal ,it may or may not delay it but they are ready to pounce .Anyone that thinks that this is anything other than a Rangers witch hunt is fooling themselves .The biggest worry for me .We have two weak people controlling our defence with the help of a rebel reject who at one point would stick the boot into us given half a chance in JT.

It's truly a sad state of affairs .The frenzy and bloodlust is almost as bad as it was 4 years ago and I fear that again we don't have enough clever people coming out and going on the attack ..We are on the defensive and it's not a healthy sign .I would never debate any talk with a beggar regards the subject of cheating .It's a stitch up in every way so they can besmirch our great institution for years into the future .If they manage to do it .I just don't know how I'm going to feel about King and Murray who for the past year have been sitting on their arses building bridges with their brown brogues .It's been unacceptable for the hardcore Rangers fans who all have been put through the emotional ringer with all the scandals that have befallen us due to corruption ,disgraceful treatment and utter contempt of our fantastic club .

[Drunk and disorderly. 14,673]

They can't beat us on the pitch so they resort to rewriting history.

Total cowards.

[Helicopter Sundae 6,185]

There may come a time in the near future where the haters of our club, and here I am specifically referring to those over the Clyde, who having started a bloodlust in trying to get us destroyed have karma served up to them in the form of having to cope with a media onslaught over how they made a fortune from having patrons in local Glasgow/Scottish politics who sold them assets at vast discounts which were later worth a fortune, and also spent vast sums of PUBLIC money using the facilities at Parkhead.

I am talking about the fans of STATE AID FC, and their celebrity fanboys.

And it is people like D'Art who are trying hard to get this into the public arena, and it is being swept under the carpet, as usual.

Tonight, Alex Thomson was asked on Twitter if he would look into these claims, and he tweeted (VERBATIM) ....

CAN'T BLOODY DO EVERYTHING SURELY SOMEONE ELSE CAN DO CELTIC IF THERE'S A STORY THERE?

There you go.

PS Thanks D'Art, for what you are doing.

[GWR1979 1,987]

They have underestimated us if they think they can run the same propaganda campaign as 2012.

Keep up the good work Dart.

[GMac 1,405]

A concise and irrefutable argument.

Apparently there are some "good" and acceptable illegal tax avoidance schemes.

Should ask the BBC about that. They ran a massive avoidance scam for years involving over 1500 high paid employees. Paying employees through personal service companies as a way of reducing NIC. Maybe we should campaign to have them stripped of BAFTAS.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9588020/How-Jeremy-Paxman-blew-lid-on-BBCs-complicity-in-tax-avoidance-pay-deals.html

"It resulted in a stormy evidence session with Zarin Patel, the BBC’s chief financial officer, in July. Under close questioning, Ms Patel disclosed that BBC employed hundreds of news presenters and on air talent through the service companies. Some 342 ‘stars’ were paid over £50,000 a year.

Yet by last night the BBC risked being accused of misleading the committee after it released revised figures which showed the number of stars paid more than £50,000 a year had increased to “around 400”. In addition, it disclosed for the first time that 1,500 of its "on-screen" talent were paid through service companies.

The BBC admitted that many of the contractors were on deals that “can often share the characteristics of typical PAYE contracts”, raising major questions about why the arrangement was set up in the first place. The broadcaster could not be sure that the correct tax was being paid by its employees.

Margaret Hodge MP, the chairman of the PAC which published its findings today, described the practice as “staggeringly inappropriate”.

She told The Daily Telegraph: “I want the BBC to stop and call a halt to what is completely unacceptable use of tax avoidance schemes."

[dougie76 15,362]

Trying to get these people to see Rangers as anything other than "bad" is simply becoming pointless D'art. Rational argument, obvious similarities with other clubs in similar circumstances and most of all their own blatant hypocrisy - it is all lost on them as we are the focus of there hatred and nothing will deflect them from it.

They have embarked upon the same course they did in 2012, regardless of consequence. With willing parties in the media egging them on the call for titles will only grow.

Sanity and reason will not prevail here, just as it did not 3 years ago. The only difference I see is that we are not quite as weak and not quite as at their mercy. But there is trouble ahead.

You are right there is trouble ahead but not for us, no cunt will take anything from us but we will take revenge where it matters on the pitch and they fucking know it.

[B1872 21,080]

My only hope is BDO appeal and we win. This recent attack on our club has just reminded us who the real enemy are out there. I just wish we could put the petty fighting about King and Ashley to one side and focus on the real enemy out there!

[BL11 33]

Didn't the BHEAST gain the services of Mr Jobbie Keane by virtue of a rich benefactor ie Desmond Dermot?

They couldn't afford Keane's wages so Dermot paid them.

THAT'S CHEATING FFS!!

[gogzy 31,195]

So you are basically calling them corrupt,

To the fucking core mate.

[loyalfollower 1,543]

It's a long shot but can we all not write a letter to Neil Doncaster pointing out our concerns and how flawed this whole thing is?

[Blue Avenger 22,567]

Surprised you even debate with them .I honestly think what certain high profile beggars say in our favour means didly squat to every hater out there .It will certainly mean even less to the cabal ,that was set up just for moments like this where without a shadow of a doubt now .They are going to try to hang our club out to dry .The signs are there for me now .If we appeal ,it may or may not delay it but they are ready to pounce .Anyone that thinks that this is anything other than a Rangers witch hunt is fooling themselves .The biggest worry for me .We have two weak people controlling our defence with the help of a rebel reject who at one point would stick the boot into us given half a chance in JT.

It's truly a sad state of affairs .The frenzy and bloodlust is almost as bad as it was 4 years ago and I fear that again we don't have enough clever people coming out and going on the attack ..We are on the defensive and it's not a healthy sign .I would never debate any talk with a beggar regards the subject of cheating .It's a stitch up in every way so they can besmirch our great institution for years into the future .If they manage to do it .I just don't know how I'm going to feel about King and Murray who for the past year have been sitting on their arses building bridges with their brown brogues .It's been unacceptable for the hardcore Rangers fans who all have been put through the emotional ringer with all the scandals that have befallen us due to corruption ,disgraceful treatment and utter contempt of our fantastic club .

Very accurate account.

We remain a useful deflection for all the ills of society. The snp must love those rhabids for the all the free bile and lies they have provided them with. It's like if the rhabids say it, then it makes it credible and can be legitimately used against us. The mhedia continue with their demonisation. The political classes won't touch us with a barge pole. Our state institutions are taig infested as are our football institutions and their church of the anti christ continue to influence politics and they remain courted to do so to catch the taig vote. They all want us gone.

That is the big picture. If we think anything other then we are deluded.

We are clearly on our own.

We are a weakened institution, ill served by a succession of self serving owners, leading to division and in fighting. Our leaders do little to give us the direction we need, being too busy with self serving matters and deflecting from their ineptness. We in turn do little to help ourselves and are becoming masters of the own goal. We untite for 90 minutes on the field of play and it doesn't appear to be much more than that. We have fan groups exploiting our weakness for self gain and perpetuating the agendas of our leaders as opposed to putting our club first and attacking these external forces that want us dead.

The silent majority remain just that, whilst the minority engage in such acts as disrespecting the most solemn day of the year and abuse their fellow fans. I firmly lay the blame for that at the door of our current leaders.

The VB are a lone voice in their sustained campaign, doing their utmost to take the battle to the enemy, whilst the others persevere with matters of the self serving.

Our current Chairman's statement on EBT's from June 2012, let's us know where he stands on the matter or was it all just lies, to endear himself to our haters in that he was what is best for Rangers and Scottish football. Either way, it doesn't bode well in our defence. I notice many amongst us have have become sullied or just frustrated by the bullying element amongst us who blindly support of this board, in that they can do no wrong, they are not to be questioned and so on. However, as these things do, it unravels before our eyes. Promises remain unfulfilled. We live in austerity, dependent upon promises of continuing individual soft loans. A Rangers Chairman who possibly faces a jail term. An ongoing dispute with a supplier that has been very badly handled. A supporters group who act like they run the club, perpuating lies and causing untold damage to us.

Title stripping is one thing, but it is linked to all that happens to us both within and outwith our club. We should not be distracted by these individual events, to have any chance of succes in any campaign we need to be aware and take acount of the landscape by which these acts are perpetuated and how they are received and only then can we establish a strategy by which to achieve victory.

The steer needs to come from our board, as influenced by the will of the majority of the fans as we are the club, not the board, but whatever we are these days, it will determine our future.

[magic8ball 27,901]

Any attempt to take titles should see our board take legal action and the rest of the game in this country should face the consequences of being banned from UEFA competitions,

The football authorities knew of the scheme and signed off figures supplied annually by the club of what was paid into the trust and who were the employees in the scheme allowing us to play in the competitions we won that are now under threat

Also if there is any attempt to take titles every member club should have their tax arrangements scrutinised to the same level and punished accordingly

All in the interests of sporting integrity of course

The mob from the easts web of companies and fritzels involvement with the blue chip players brought in needs scrutinised too

I can see it now,the roll of honour in the Scottish football honours list will be blank from the mid 90s onwards

With the hoo ha created and the lack of brain power being used in this scenario it makes me even happier that there was a no vote in the referendum last year,the knee jerk reaction trait in the scots psyche is really not one to be proud of

[Helicopter Sundae 6,185]

Any attempt to take titles should see our board take legal action and the rest of the game in this country should face the consequences of being banned from UEFA competitions,

The football authorities knew of the scheme and signed off figures supplied annually by the club of what was paid into the trust and who were the employees in the scheme allowing us to play in the competitions we won that are now under threat

Also if there is any attempt to take titles every member club should have their tax arrangements scrutinised to the same level and punished accordingly

All in the interests of sporting integrity of course

The mob from the easts web of companies and fritzels involvement with the blue chip players brought in needs scrutinised too

I can see it now,the roll of honour in the Scottish football honours list will be blank from the mid 90s onwards

With the hoo ha created and the lack of brain power being used in this scenario it makes me even happier that there was a no vote in the referendum last year,the knee jerk reaction trait in the scots psyche is really not one to be proud of

Maybe here you have hit the nail on the head....possibly we should approach UEFA and FIFA and get clarification re the security of these trophies we won.

Those umbrella bodies have far superior power over the SFA/SPFL, so maybe we should launch a pre-emptive strike and go direct to the top and get their assurance that these titles are safe!!

However, FIFA are fighting the biggest fight of their lives over corruption, and I am sure UEFA have been dragged into it too.

However, in all seriousness, I would ask them for clarification. A simple DO NOT TOUCH warning from them would end that witch hunt once and for all.

[Rangers Lady 2,380]

They hate us that much, that no matter what argument you put up, they will not listen.

This x 10

It's like debating the religious

[Helicopter Sundae 6,185]

We need a clear statement from UEFA and/or FIFA over this.

That would shut the shitstirrers up.

[davis2804 6]

Here's the facts as I see it.

The SFA investigated Rangers use of EBTs ('side letters') to see if they had broken any rules as they existed when the practice took place. Rangers made no attempt to hide the use of EBTs but, still, the SFA wanted a legal view on whether a) the side letters not being part of any filed paperwork to the SFA meant a rules breach and b) if so, were the players registrations incomplete. The investigation made no attempt at looking at the legality of EBTs from a taxation standpoint as there were no rules at that time covering the question of tax avoidance. As this was the case, the SFA could move forward with their investigation BEFORE the 'big tax case' decision was made in the courts. The result of the 'side letter' investigation was that Rangers were guilty of administrative failures but those failures did not provide any sporting advantage.

Now that we have another change in direction of the 'big tax case' - someone please tell me which rules existing at the time of practice have been breached? Surely, if there were rules on the subject of tax avoidance at that time, the SFA investigation on 'side letters' should not have taken place BEFORE the court judgement(s).

[BurdyBurdy 4]

Rangers did not cheat anyone! SDM used a perfectly legal loophole as many MPs etc still do! HMRC are trying to bring in a RETROSPECTIVE LAW which makes no sense as accounts were public during those years and HMRC never complained.Now 14 years later they want something initiated in 2001 declared illegal! Utter madness!

Even if the final outcome is that EBTs were tax liable common sense should mean it can only apply to EBTs from the date of the court decision forward,not 14 years

ago when HMRC condoned it by not challenging it at the time!