Be careful who you punish in a witch-追跡（する）

By Lisa Buckingham for the Daily Mail
Updated: 09:15 BST, 24 June 2007

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All it needed was a 行列 and 結論 at hangman's point and the 財務省 Select 委員会's work would have been 完全にする. Having recently roasted a couple of benighted figur eheads of the 私的な 公正，普通株主権 world, last week it was the turn of a handful of those 億万長者 bosses who 支払う／賃金 いっそう少なく 税金 than their cleaners.

They'd all spent a working lifetime under a dank 激しく揺する, and to be 軍隊d blinking into the daylight was 罰 enough without having to answer whether they could remember how much 資本／首都 伸び（る）s 税金 they and their companies paid.

Of course, they couldn't. Probably because they don't 支払う／賃金 any. If they do, it is at the piffling level dealt with by their accountants.

As 財政上の Mail readers know, we have little sympathy with the way in which the 税金 system is - perfectly 合法的に - working to such 驚くべき／特命の／臨時の 利益 for the major 私的な 公正，普通株主権 organisations.

It is unconscionable that (n)役員／(a)執行力のあるs 収入 hundreds of millions 支払う／賃金 only scant 税金. It is more alarming that this 税金 system has encouraged the 強襲，強姦 on some perfectly 有能な organisations such as Boots or the AA.

Of course, 年金 基金s - which don't 支払う／賃金 税金 either - now 支援する 私的な 公正，普通株主権 と一緒に their mainstream 投資s and this means they often sell from one part of a 基金 to buy with another.

But ever since Gordon Brown's 早期に misconceived £5bn-a-year （警察の）手入れ，急襲 on （株主への）配当 税金 credits, they have been on the 支援する foot and desperate to make a turn for their members.

And that 急襲する is an example of 正確に／まさに why Brown and his 後継者 at the 財務省 should not give in to a 膝-jerk reaction in an 試みる／企てる to 浴びせる／消す the incendiary 批評 of 私的な 公正，普通株主権.

Most 刺激（する）-of-the-moment 財政上の 法律制定 backfires - just look at Sarbanes-Oxley as a 返答 to Enron.

Just when it has won such plaudits for 減ずるing the 会社／団体 税金 率, for 申し込む／申し出ing 前進するd 税金 指導／手引 on big 取引，協定s and for 許すing the taxfree 本国送還 of £100bn of overseas 法人組織の／企業の 利益（をあげる）s, it would be a particular pity for the 財務省 to blot its 税金 copybook once more.

Yes, something needs to be done about 私的な 公正，普通株主権's 税金 法案. We, along with others, have 示唆するd possible ways out.

There are working groups looking into the 問題／発行する. Something will need to be said in the 予算 in the autumn. At 現在の, though, we would do better to take 公式文書，認める of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard: 'When a lot of 治療（薬）s are 示唆するd for a 病気, that means it can't be cured.'

Worryingly most of the obvious 解答s for the egregious rewards will have knock-on consequences for small 商売／仕事s. Some family 会社／堅いs are already looking to sell up. Others are 存在 再編するd.

It will not be a proud moment if the fearless 強襲，強姦 on the 億万長者 税金 ペテン師 of the 私的な 公正，普通株主権 産業 by Select 委員会 chairman John McFall results in 広大な／多数の／重要な 列s of 努力する／競うing families and entrepreneurs losing much of the hard-won value in their 商売／仕事s.

AS new French 大統領 Nicolas Sarkozy, who （人命などを）奪う，主張するs to want to emulate our market-driven economy, 試みる／企てるs to 押し進める through EU 法律制定 to 取って代わる the goal of 競争 with one of 十分な 雇用, I was 利益／興味d to learn that his country is about to become the largest and most lucrative market for international professional 新規採用 会社／堅い Robert Walters.

Why? Not because French 産業 is crying out for overseas talent. Nor because the economy is 拡大するing so 速く that 職業s are 開始 up by the minute. No. It is because 雇用 法律s in フラン make 解雇（する）ing 労働者s pretty 近づく impossible.

So companies don't take on 十分な-time people. Instead, they go to the likes of Robert Walters to 供給する an '機関' 全労働人口 where all those hallowed 雇用 権利s for which フラン and its 貿易（する）s unions have stood so proud can be easily swept aside. Now there's pragmatism a la Sarkozy for you.

DAME Marjorie Scardino last week looked as though she had finally 削減（する） Pearson's umbilical cord with its 商売／仕事 publishing 操作／手術s.

Les Echoes will be sold to LVMH boss Bernard Arnault, a の近くに chum of Sarkozy. In America, the 財政上の Times was to spearhead a consort ium to 素早い行動 Dow Jones and its 塀で囲む Street 定期刊行物 out of the 決定するd しっかり掴む of マスコミ 大君 Rupert Murdoch and into an 武器-length 共同の 投機・賭ける.

The 攻撃する at WSJ fell at the first 障害物, leaving Murdoch to 選ぶ up the 商売／仕事 and 開始する far sterner international 競争 to the FT.

株主s in Pearson will not 許可／制裁 spending more on the Pink'un to 報復する.

She may not have dotted the i's and crossed the t's on the exodus last week, but it is only a 事柄 of time.