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<p>The Coalition Government took the decision not to implement the 2009 legislation,
as it was not deemed to be workable</p><p><br>During the passage of the 2009 Act,
the Electoral Commission raised concerns about the legislation (further to Official
Report, House of Commons, 15 October 2009, Col. 998W), and in 2013, the Electoral
Commission also flagged issues about the tax status declaration requirements. The
Labour Government conceded that the provisions could not be commenced at that time
“due to their complex nature” (as outlined in the answer of Official Report, House
of Commons, 10 March 2010, Col. 5MC)</p><p><br>The UK has a robust legal framework
in place that bans foreign donations.</p><p><br>There is a long-standing principle
– as originally recommended by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in 1998 –
that permissible donors are those on the UK electoral register, and this includes
UK citizens who are registered overseas electors. Companies wishing to make donations
must be UK-registered and carrying on business in the UK</p><p><br>If a British citizen
is able to vote in an election for a political party, they should also be able to
donate to that political party, subject to the requirements for transparency on donations.
Supporting a political party is part of the democratic process, and is an expression
of freedom of association</p><p><br>Since the adoption of universal suffrage, taxation
has never been the basis of enfranchisement in the UK. Those who do not pay income
tax, such as those earning less than the tax-free personal allowance, rightly remain
entitled to vote. Similarly, full-time students are legally exempt from paying council
tax, but still have the right to vote in local elections</p><p><br>More broadly, since
2010, the Government has taken action to sanction and deter those involved in offshore
evasion, including creating a new criminal offence for serious offshore evasion, and
introducing penalties for those who deliberately help others to evade tax offshore.
The Government has introduced over 100 new measures to tackle tax avoidance, evasion
and non-compliance.</p>
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