Jeremy Corbyn says the PM should "tell
us exactly what's been going on" in response to claims about his late
father's tax affairs.
Jeremy Corbyn has demanded an investigation into
the tax affairs of Britons linked to the Panama leaks, including the
Prime Minister's family.
The allegations in the Panama Papers have seen David Cameron dragged into a row about his late father's business affairs.
According to The Guardian, papers leaked
from the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca are said to suggest Mr
Cameron's father Ian ran an offshore fund that avoided having to pay tax
in Britain by hiring Bahamas residents to sign its paperwork.
Downing Street insists it was a "private matter" whether the Cameron family still had funds in offshore investments.
But while launching Labour's local elections campaign on
Tuesday, Mr Corbyn told reporters: "It's a private matter in so far as
it's a privately held interest, but it's not a private matter if tax has
not been paid.
"So an investigation must take place, independent investigation, unprejudiced, to decide whether or not tax is owed.
"I think the Prime Minister, in his own interest, ought to tell us exactly what's been going on."
The Labour leader said a probe by HM Revenue and Customs
should be "about the amount of money of all people that have invested in
these shell companies or put money into tax havens".
He said he also wanted HMRC "to calculate what tax they should have paid over the years".
Asked whether the PM should resign if he is found to have
benefited, he replied: "Let's take one thing at a time. We need
openness, we need an examination, we need a decision after that."
Pressed about his own taxes, Mr Corbyn said: "There is no
problem with my tax affairs, they are very, very limited indeed. I have
got an income as an MP, sadly I have got no family trusts of any sort."
Among the revelations in the Panama Papers is a network of secret
deals and loans worth $2bn (£1.4bn) which apparently leads to Russian
President Vladimir Putin.
Others said to be involved in the schemes include the prime
ministers of Iceland and Argentina, as well as footballer Lionel Messi -
who is among those now being investigated by Spanish authorities.
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