HMRC boss Dave Hartnett’s retirement do – a swanky black tie gala dinner at Oxford’s Magdelen College – didn’t go exactly as he no doubt hoped it would. That’s because the event was targetted by a group of activists, who, posing as representatives of company executives from Vodafone and others, presented Hartnett with the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to Corporate Tax Avoidance.”
The stunt was performed by a group called The Intruders who explained their motivation on YouTube: “HMRC boss Dave Hartnett is the man responsible for cutting dodgy deals with Vodafone, Goldman Sachs and other large corporations that have cost the taxpayer billions in lost revenue.”
Political Scrapbook noted that it took the boss of HMRC a few moments to realize the ‘award’ he was presented with at a swanky black tie dinner wasn’t real: “With thirsty guests having applauded Hartnett for his new gong, it was then left to one of the UK’s leading tax lawyers to eject the group … with a legal flourish befitting the port course: ‘This is an unlawful conspiracy to trespass. You will depart immediately before we set the dogs on you.’ At least Hartnett’s final speech before retirement was a memorable one.”
Our first video has just received over 100,000 views! People seem to like seeing the 1% get rumbled. youtube.com/watch?feature=…
— The Intruders (@IntrudersAction) September 26, 2012