TaxPayers' Alliance director pays no UK tax

The Loire, France, home to TPA director Alexander Heath

The Tory-linked “campaign group” TaxPayers’ Alliance has been forced to admit that one of its directors hasn’t paid a penny of UK tax in years. Alexander Heath – who, strangely enough, is not listed on the TPA website – lives in a farmhouse in the French Loire. Heath returns to the UK “for about a fortnight each year and owns no property in Britain”.

The revelation comes after frontbenchers repeatedly ducked the question of the tax status of Conservative deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft at conference this week. Connections such as the “revolving door” of donors between the Conservative Party and the TPA may indicate this week’s protestations about “big government” may have rather less to do with pragmatic fiscal policy than a bunch of shrill free market nutjobs having the ear of Cameron and Osborne.

John Cruddas has commented wryly that “the least we can expect for an organisation that purports to represent the interests of British taxpayers is that it is run by people that pay British tax”.

Those unconvinced of the moronic nature of TPA’s ubiquitous media presence should have a go with this spoof quote generator and then compare it to their actual rent-a-quotes.

The “Other Taxpayers’ Alliance” has more and Prezza reckons the group should be described by broadcasters as “a group with close links to the Conservative Party”.