Tax Avoidance

All types of people try to avoid paying tax or to pay less tax, but the public judges them differently.

• The British public assume around one third of taxpayers have exploited a tax loophole.
• Just under half (48%) thought tax avoidance was "usually or always wrong".
• But more than 60% believe it is "usually or always wrong" for poorer people to use legal loopholes to obtain more benefits.

So people are far more concerned by the idea of low-income groups exploiting the system than about high-income groups doing the same. This discrepancy is reflected in government priorities - speedy changes to welfare legislation and little done to address widespread tax avoidance by the wealthy.

Why? People are bad at dealing with numbers in the millions and billions. Simply listing the vast sums of money going offshore that could be spent on public services in the UK means little emotionally to people.

We need to link the numbers to their consequences.

• The money lost because someone does not pay tax on their private jet means thousands more visits to food banks.
• Fewer people might have killed themselves after a work-capability assessment if big companies had not registered their offices in offshore tax havens, and the pressure to reduce benefits payments was not so intense.

Source: Robert de Vries and Aaron Reeves: Why do people care more about benefit 'scroungers' than billions lost to the rich? in The Guardian, 15 Nov. 2017

Perception Versus Fact

People's perception of facts is often wrong. News media focus on the bad news, with the result that we think things are worse than they really are. And if we allow the gloom to bring us down, it can affect our health. Remember that 5 positive, encouraging remarks are needed to offset the negative impact of just one piece of bad news.

In the UK

Murder: people think that the murder rate is getting higher or staying the same - wrong. In reality the murder rate is plunging and dropped by almost a third since 2000.

Terrorism: we think deaths from terrorism has got worse in the last 15 years - wrong. In fact they are significantly lower, down from over 300 to just 62.

Prisoners: people guess that 34% of prisoners are foreign born - wrong. The actual figure is 11.8% (much the same as the proportion of the overall population.)

Teenage pregnancy: people guess that 20% (or 1 in 5) babies are born to teenage mums - wrong. The real teenage pregnancy rate is 1.4% (just 1 in 70).

Diabetes: people think that about a quarter (25%) of British adults have diabetes - wrong. In fact the actual number is just 5% (5 in 100).

Vaccines: more than half of Britons are unsure or believe there is a link between vaccines and autism - wrong. The claim is widely discredited but only 45% of people know that it is false.

Health: people guess that only just over half of us are in good health - wrong. Actually the majority (75%) of Britons say their health is good or very good.

Technology: we estimate Facebook membership guessing that 74% of Britons aged 13+ have a Facebook account - wrong. In fact 58% are members.

Source: IPSO MORI Perils of Perception 2017 report

Which Oil to Use in Cooking

Dressings and drizzling
Extra virgin olive oil is cold-pressed, with a better flavour. Alternatives: pumpkin seed, walnut and avocado oils.

Frying
Olive oil has a neutral flavour and high smoking point (the temperature at which flavour is affected). Alternatives: rapeseed oil, butter, ghee or coconut oil.

Roasting
Rapeseed oil has a subtle flavour and doesn't break down at high temperatures. Alternative: olive oil.

Baking
Butter has a high fat content and rich flavour, giving excellent taste and texture to cakes and biscuits. Alternative: Olive spread.

Worst for frying
Sunflower or corn oils release chemicals linked to heart disease, cancer and dementia when heated to high temperatures.

END

Wills

Update your will regularly - check it every five years or so to make sure it still reflects your intentions.

Small changes (e.g. changing an executor or adding a legacy) can be made using a codicil to the original will - this costs less than a new will.

Bigger changes mean starting afresh. The more complex the will, the more expensive it will be. It will need to state that all previous wills are revoked. You must also destroy all old versions and tell your executor(s) where your new will is kept.

Reasons you need to change your will

• Getting married - any existing wills are revoked when you marry in England and Wales (but not in Scotland).
• Getting divorced - your married will is not revoked, but in England and Wales your ex won't benefit.
• New children or grandchildren - you may wish to include them as beneficiaries.
• Buying a house - it's a big purchase and it's good to mention it.
• Coming into some money? Say who will be the beneficiary.
• Losing a loved one? You'll need to update the will, especially if they are an executor.

Source: feature in Good Housekeeping, November 2017

Stay Safe Tips

While terror attacks are rare, there are some useful tips to staying safe.

On the street

• Don't walk chatting on your phone, looking at your screen or wearing headphones.
• Walk with your head up and stick to busy, lit-up areas. Don't wear obviously expensive clothes or jewellery. 
• If people who catch your eye continue to stare at you, they may be targeting you. (Most peopl will look away again.)
• If you feel threatened, dial 999 on your phone. If unsure, dial the number but don't send until things escalate.
• If attacked, don't curl into a ball; protect your vital organs and inner arms as stab wounds here can be fatal.
• Vehicle-ramming incidents. Walk along the inside of pavements with traffic facing you. 
• The impact of jumping into water from a bridge could kill you; if no other option, concentrate on keeping your mouth closed, your arms by your sides and legs bent to lessen the impact.

When travelling

• Research your destination. Are the countries bordering it unstable?
• Always check gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
• Put the emergency services of the country you are visiting into your phone.
• At your hotel, check fire escapes, entrances and exits.
• Walk around outside to familiarise yourself with the layout.
• In a hotel shooting, may be best to barricade yourself into your room. Use a wardrobe across the door first, then a bed and mattress. Take cover well away from the door.
• Gunfire sounds like a whip being cracked (not fireworks).
• On a beach and hear gunfire? Don't go into the sea, you'll be a slow moving target. Avoid your hotel.

Caught up in a terrorist attack?

• Run if you can, hide if you can't and tell the authorities what is going on.
• A crowd heading in one direction, is probably running away - join them.
• In a shopping mall, look for a fire exit.
• In direct sight of a gunman, move in a zigzag with your head down.
• At a concert venue, stay on your feet and get to a wall, then move along it, towards the stage area fire exits. Hide in a lockable storeroom and barricade yourself in.
• Stay silent till you are sure the threat has gone. 

Taken hostage?

• If you are British and taken hostage, the SAS will be in charge of the situation.
• Take shelter - sit in a corner (not along a wall, window or door, which could be SAS entry points). The same applies to the seats by the emergency exits of planes.

Protecting your family

• Be careful on Facebook and social media. Check your privacy settings and and be careful what you post. You don't want to tell everyone where you are and that you are not at home.
• If someone breaks into your home when you are on your own with the kids, go into one room and use a wedge shaped door jam. (Take one with you on holiday.)
• GPS trackers can be useful for vulnerable people like children and the elderly. They can be sewn into clothes, put onto a keyring or shoes.

Source: Feature by Chris Ryan in Good Housekeeping, November 2017