A Jeremy Corbyn spokesperson said:
“Jeremy’s tax return is complete
and accurate. He has declared all income and paid the appropriate amount
of tax.
“The payment he received in
2015-16 as Leader of the Opposition of £27,192 appears on the return as a
‘benefit’ rather than as pay because that is how it is categorised by
HMRC.
“This figure is calculated after
deducting the waivers Jeremy has made of earlier increases to the benefit.
These waivers were also made by his predecessor, Ed Miliband. A parliamentary
pension contribution of £3,395 was also deducted (see note).
“We are disappointed the Cabinet
Office did not clarify this and explain the figure used on the P60 yesterday in
answer to media inquiries they received.
“It is also a matter of concern
that some media organisations made entirely false claims without verifying or
confirming the facts, and we expect these now to be corrected.
“The owners of the media companies
that have attempted to cast doubt over Jeremy’s transparent and accurate tax
return are of course among those who could stand to lose from the tax
transparency and justice the British people demand.
“Jeremy believes firmly in
transparency. These media barons have tax questions of their own to
answer. Tax avoidance and evasion deprive the public purse of billions in
revenue for vital services and is unfair on those with much lower earnings who
pay a higher proportion of their income in tax.”
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