Category: tax

Life, politics, Politics, religion, taxLeave a comment

Mark Cathcart for SC House 42

Mark Cathcart

If you arrived here looking for the website of Mark Cathcart, running for South Carolina House of Representatives, district 42, you’ve arrived in the right place. Before you take the link over to the actual website of my namesake, full of the usual rhetoric, unsubstantiated claims, and factless assertions, have a read of this. I emailed the other Mark, hence forward referred to as TOM(The Other Mark) and asked him for his position and action on one, relatively simple topic, Civil Forfiture. For a candidate for State office, would he work to eliminate or seriously improve civil forfeiture in South … Continue reading Mark Cathcart for SC House 42

healthcare, Life, Politics, politics, tax, technology, transport, workLeave a comment

Government US style

Mark Cathcart

It’s clear that many Americans view “Big government” as a bad thing, it seems though that they are OK with lots of branches of small government, that is ineffective, costly and open to misuse, and often technology challenged. Given the size of the USA, any government is going to be a big government. With over nearly 320-million people, and almost the largest country in geography in the world, most people clearly are clueless about the scale and the challenges of delivering services in what was the worlds most advanced country. Listen to this 10-second clip from NPR’s Morning Edition today, a … Continue reading Government US style

Life, politics, taxLeave a comment

Happy July 4th

Mark Cathcart

This year is my 15th July 4th, as a Brit’ abroad, I take my annual message to the occupiers of the former British Coloney, now known as America, seriously. This July 4th, as you ponder the growing inequality, and the gap between the rich and poor, consider this quote: this summer when you’re being inundated with all this bi-centennial, fourth of July, broo-ha-ha just remember what you’re celebrating- that’s the fact that a bunch of slave-owning aristocratic white males didn’t want to pay their taxes from the teachers speech in the Linklater classic, Austin TX based film, Dazed and Confused. … Continue reading Happy July 4th

healthcare, politics, taxLeave a comment

FIFA vs The Government

Mark Cathcart

I heard the BBC reporting the Governor of the Bank of Englands remarks that the “age of irresponsibility” in the City of London is over as the Bank of England promised a crackdown on rogue traders. In a speech on Wednesday evening, the Bank of England Governor said that banks, regulators and individuals had collectively failed to prevent the market rigging that has led to bank fines worth billions of pounds and he recommended tougher rules for the City and longer jail sentences for those who attempt to manipulate markets. This is a very British approach to a problem, introduce … Continue reading FIFA vs The Government

politics, tax1 Comment

insidious greed – HSBC

Mark Cathcart

If you’ve not been following along today, it’s well worth reading back through the BBC Business Live News feed on the HSBC Tax Avoidance scandal. It is indeed the perfect example of the sort of insidious greed that is destroying society today. It’s not just the “me” culture that is all around us, but the industry and culture that is behind it. Rather than pay taxes now, there is a whole industry on tax-avoidance. It’s become an accepted practice, mostly illegal, certainly immoral and to deflect interest in their actions, just like with the bully at school, they deflect criticism … Continue reading insidious greed – HSBC