July 20, 2008 - By Simon Bennett

Two years ago we began “Allowancesgate” and reported with much frequency upon matters pertaining to, what many would regard as, fraud perpetrated against the taxpayer by “Honourable Members” in The House. In the early days we felt very much like the proverbial lone wolf howling in the wilderness, as few in the media seemed at all concerned by the blatant abuses of the “Privileges of Parliament” being enacted beneath their very noses. How things have changed!

So contemptuous have “Honourable Members” grown towards the public that they started to actually believe they were “untouchable” and that they could continue with their widely perceived thieving with impunity. Unfortunately for them their greed and arrogance has sickened even media stomachs, not an easy prospect at the best of times, to the extent that stories concerning the activities of the inhabitants of “Troughminster” are now almost daily events.

However there is one issue that the media have largely steered clear of, choosing to concentrate on the “John Lewis List” instead. That subject is, of course, MPs selling off second homes purchased, maintained and furnished, in all too many cases, through “iffy” allowances and expenses paid from the Public Purse – i.e. from our taxes! These properties are then, at a later date, sold – with the MPs concerned pocketing the profits without even having to pay Capital Gains tax!

We suspect the Establishment media have avoided this extremely lucrative aspect of Troughminster free-loading for one very simple reason – some of the biggest political names in the country have their trotters well and truly immersed in this particular trough.

And so it is with a little surprise, but no little pleasure, that we read the following in today’s Sun:

Quote: Drastically reducing the amount MPs are allowed to lavish on furnishings was a good start, but what about the vast profits they can make from property deals at our expense? At present, MPs can continue to claim up to £24,000 a year under the controversial “additional costs allowance”. So while the amount they can spend on furniture has been capped, they can still make up the difference by claiming back rent or mortgage interest on second homes.

You might think that’s fair enough . . . after all, not all MPs live within commuting distance of Westminster.

But is it right that MPs should be allowed to keep the profit from the eventual sale of their second homes when you and I have paid the mortgage interest?

In my view, this is a far bigger outrage than the prospect of them spending £350 of our money on a washing machine. Even with the economy in disarray, you can still expect to make a killing on the sale of property in the capital.

Surely that money should go back into the coffers of the Inland Revenue, not the pockets of some grasping politician. Unquote.

More here .