Billionaire retailer and mega tax dodger Sir Philip Green is to advise David Cameron on cutting Government spending. The Monaco resident has been recruited to lead a review scrutinising the past three years in order to identify waste.His business empire is mostly owned in the name of his wife Tina because she lives in the tax haven of Monaco, where Sir Philip spends his weekends. The couple moved there in 1998.
This arrangement is thought to have saved the couple tens of millions of pounds in tax over the years. He famously paid his family a £1.2billion dividend in 2005. Lady Tina was able to receive the dividend tax-free because she is an official resident of Monaco.
Asked about his wife's tax status he replied: 'My wife's not a tax exile - my family do not live in the United Kingdom, it's somewhat different.'
And questioned over whether Britain would benefit from owners of British businesses paying all their taxes in the country, Sir Philip added: 'We do pay all our tax in Britain, I think we have paid over the last five years some £300-400 million in taxes on profits that have been made on our company." (Note he spins this answer, as the tax is paid by the company on its profits.)
'I'm a UK taxpayer, I work here every week, we employ 45,000 people in the UK and we have got a £500 million payroll.' (Again more spin. Like most of the other multi-millionaires and billionaires he is a 'UK taxpayer ' in a very limited sense...)
