Declaration of Interests & Income 2010

What with growing concerns about income inequality, bankers’ bonuses, and tax avoidance by the rich, I though I should join a couple of my self-employed writer/activists colleagues (George Monbiot and Alastair McIntosh) and make an annual declaration of interests and income. Two other factors compel me to do so.

I believe that we have too much secrecy in the UK on matters of income and wealth and that if everyone’s income was openly declared, there would be much less inequality. This is not an especially radical idea. In Norway, you can find details of every citizen’s income and the tax they pay on this website.

Secondly, as a member of the Scottish Green Party, I feel obliged to comply with the policy resolution passed at the 2011 Conference on Tax Evasion and Avoidance which encourages corporations and individuals to not use tax havens and to publish their accounts on a a country by country basis.

2010 INCOME

I earn my living by writing, research, consultancy, lecturing, undertaking landownership investigations, subscriptions from the www.whoownsscotland.org.uk website and forestry contracting. During 2010 my income was as follows

GROSS INCOME      £18,359

COSTS                      £ 6,052

NET INCOME          £ 12,307

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

I own no property.

I have no shares in any companies.

I am on the Board of Directors of the Caledonia Centre for Social Development (Company No. 192099 & Scottish Charity No. SC 028485)

I do not undertake any work for any Government.

My main clients are from the wind energy, community organisations, private landowners and media sectors. In 2010 I earned the majority of my income from royalty advances for my book, The Poor Had No Lawyers.

All of my income in 2010 (apart from a few book sales) was generated from within the UK.

I do not make use of any tax havens or artificial accounting structures to conceal my income.