Company Taxation

There is a lot of hot air being spouted by politicians on the vexed question of company taxation.In a tax case in1929 the celebrated Scottish judge Lord Clyde made the following pronouncement : "No man in the country is under the smallest obligation, moral or other, so to arrange his legal relations to his business or property as to enable the Inland Revenue to put the largest possible shovel in his stores. The Inland Revenue is not slow, and quite rightly, to take every advantage which is open to it under the Taxing Statutes for the purposes of depleting the taxpayer's pocket. And the taxpayer is in like manner entitled to be astute to prevent, so far as he honestly can, the depletion of his means by the Inland Revenue"

Dry January - what is it for February?

I must confess that I failed the dry January test. I had tried to go the whole month drinking nothing but Dry Martini. However over the weekend I succumbed  to the temptation of a couple of pints of Doombar. But what is it that one drinks in February is the question that it troubling me. Black September is for Guinness and Red October is obviously for red wine. But what is one meant to drink in the other months of the year. It seems to me that this "Dry January" thing has been very badly thought out.

Catenian Dinner and Dance

We braved the snow to go to the Bromley Circle New Year Dinner and Dance last Saturday. It was held at Chislehurst Golf Club. It is a magnificent setting, the clubhouse, Camden Place was the home of  Empress Eugenie and her son the Prince Imperial when they were exiled from France in 1870. The Prince Imperial was killed in 1879 in South Africa during the Zulu wars. He had volunteered to fight for Queen Victoria. Nearby this is a memorial to him. More details can be found by clicking here.
The D&D was very good and a good time was had by all as they say!

Every Blog has to have a Snow Photo!

Snow 1 United Kingdom 0

Well the much heralded snow arrived today and as per usual the UK ground to a halt. Julia and I enjoyed a brisk walk to Church as the snow was falling this morning. Most enjoyable; sadly she declined the offer of a snowball fight!
Meanwhile the East Midlands was struck with an earthquake. We are all doomed!

Peanut Allergies

The tragic death of a teenage boy has been reported today. He died after eating a couple of mouthfuls of spare ribs cooked in a peanut sauce. The headline said that he was allergic to nuts. My question of the day is that peanuts are not a true nut, being a member of the legume family along with peas and beans; therefore are people allergic to peanuts also allergic to other legumes? What is it about peanuts that make them so lethal? You never seem to read about people dying after a mouthful of peas.

Taking Time Out

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

by William Henry Davies

Happy New Year

Wishing you all  peace, prosperity, happiness and good health in 2013.