One of the great strengths of the Liberal Democrats in Torbay is that just about all of our funding comes from within the bay. That makes the local party and its representatives answerable to local people.
Unlike others there are no trade union levies, no big business grants, and no donations from tax exiles or their surrogate companies resourced from funds that might otherwise have gone to the Treasury.
Other parties would benefit from being funded locally rather than from outside and if Jack Straw accepts an amendment passed by the House of Lords the Tories might just have to rely more on the people of Torbay for their funds. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/11/non-residents-donations-labour-straw
An amendment, tabled by Lord Campbell-Savours, is designed to force the Tory donor Lord Ashcroft to clarify his tax affairs. It will have the effect of placing a ban on non-residents and so-called "non-doms" making donations to political parties.
The Belize based Lord Ashcroft has donated millions of pounds to the Conservative Party including large sums to the Torbay and Teignbridge local parties through his Berkshire registered Bearwood Corporate Services Company.
Should any of this matter? Well who would you rather your MP was answerable too. Local people who worked hard to raise the funds to pay for the election costs of their candidate, or tax exiles who avoid paying their fair share towards the costs of defence, welfare, health & social care, pensions, education etc, many of whom support polices to cut welfare spending and their own personal tax liabilities?
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