About this blog

Tax the fish provides (occasionally witty) commentary and analysis on UK tax. In particular, the blog is focused on the tax burden, which has been rising steadily for a while. The aim of the blog is to present tax news, analysis and commentary in friendly, non-technical language.

Why 'Tax the fish'?

There is an interesting story in the Bible about Jesus and his disciple, Peter. The tax collectors were going around collecting the temple tax, and one of them asked Peter whether Jesus paid tax. Peter said yes, and went to find Jesus. When they met, Jesus gave him a short lecture on the tax system. The upshot was that both of them were exempt from paying tax. However, so as not to offend the tax collectors, Jesus decided that they would pay, anyway. He asked Peter (a fisherman by vocation) to go fishing, and that the first fish he caught would have a coin in its mouth. This turned out to be enough to pay both their taxes.

So there we have it. Fish can pay afford to pay tax. We humans are already taxed to the hilt, while the Government's greed just grows. This is the root of the idea behind the name of the blog. Perhaps the Government could leave us alone, and turn to our piscine friends instead. God knows they can afford to pay.

Who is 'The Fisherman'?

I have chosen to blog anonymously, under the pseudonym 'The Fisherman'. I am a UK chartered tax adviser with many years' experience dealing with the finer points of tax legislation. In addition to tax consultancy work, I have also built up a career writing and lecturing about UK tax. Tax the Fish is my personal blog, in which I share my thoughts on the UK tax burden. No way are these to be taken as the views of any organisation or clients associated with me.

At the moment, I write a lot of tax articles for both old and new media. Financial journalism is something I have fallen into rather unexpectedly, and it has proved a lot more exciting than I had first imagined. Quite apart from the captivating topics I have to write about (yes, I find tax that interesting), there is also the challenge of deciphering, untangling, and translating into plain English the subject-matter for your readers. If, in doing so, you can achieve the impossible, and make people want to read about tax, then so much the better.

If you would like to commission me to write for your publication, kindly get in touch at fisherman AT taxthefish DOT com, and we can discuss further.