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Rpsh Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary
bar of persecution
Britain’s chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, requested new powers to clamp down on companies and individuals who evade or avoid tax. He is consulting Parliament about lowering the bar for prosecution, so that in future the taxman would not have to prove intent to evade tax by placing money offshore, merely that it was undeclared income.
What 's this paragraph mean? Especially the phrase 'bar of prosecution'.
What 's this paragraph mean? Especially the phrase 'bar of prosecution'.
Top answer
rpsh Especially the phrase 'bar of prosecution'. That is not a phrase. The phrase is 'to lower the bar' = to ease the requirements.
- rpsh Especially the phrase 'bar of prosecution'.
- That is not a phrase.
- The phrase is 'to lower the bar' = to ease the requirements.
- Does that help?
- What else in particular do you not understand?
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11 Answers
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rpshEspecially the phrase 'bar of prosecution'.That is not a phrase. The phrase is 'to lower the bar' = to ease the requirements.
Does that help? What else in particular do you not understand?
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"lower the bar" means to make something less difficult than it was before. In this particular case, it simply means that the taxman will not have to prove that a person has placed money offshore, which is a clear indication of tax evasion ( but is also very difficult and often impossible to prove).
"raise the bar" means exactly the opposite, i.e. making something more difficult .
"raise the bar" means exactly the opposite, i.e. making something more difficult .
00
Actually, some words here are ambiguous, namely, they have their special meaning in their domains. For instance, 'bar' means court as a legal jargon. I think the same as the word 'persecution'. By the way, the last sentence confuses me for its grammatical ingredient. Could you tell me what this sentence modifies?
00
Got it. Thank you!
But there is still a question here—‘ merely that it was undeclared income’. Could you tell me what's the modified object of this sentence?
But there is still a question here—‘ merely that it was undeclared income’. Could you tell me what's the modified object of this sentence?
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Thinking for a while, I feel confound about the word 'taxman' yet. Because, the main stream of the population that have to prove if he or she has the intent to evade tax should be taxpayers. Why is 'taxman' here? I think this is the main reason why I feel 'persecution' is ambiguous. Because a 'persecution' should be imposed on the taxpayers who don't comply with laws.
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http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/taxman
BTW, it's 'prosecution', not 'persecution'.
BTW, it's 'prosecution', not 'persecution'.
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Eh... Thank you!
Could you tell me why a taxman have to prove his intent to evade tax? Shouldn't it be a taxpayer? Or I totally misunderstand the paragraph?
Could you tell me why a taxman have to prove his intent to evade tax? Shouldn't it be a taxpayer? Or I totally misunderstand the paragraph?
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rpshopulation that have to prove if he or she has the intent to evade tax should be taxpayers. Why is 'taxman' here?No, it's exactly the opposite (just as the police has to prove that someone did something wrong, so does the taxman).
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rpshOr I totally misunderstand the paragraph?Yes.
...in future the taxman would not have to prove [intent to evade tax (by the taxpayer) by placing money offshore], (but) merely (to prove) [that it was undeclared income (of the taxpayer)].
The square brackets indicate what the taxman would or would n
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