Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg raised the Guardian's tax investigation at prime minister's question time this afternoon- and got an answer as incomprehensible as the subject itself.
Clegg accused Brown of not getting tough on tax avoidance. He called for "British taxes for British companies", employing a formulation that looks set to become a British cliché for British opposition.
Brown waffled about getting an international agreement for the exchange of information once a "Swiss tax avoidance" case was settled in the US. What this has to do with information exchange with the Swiss is a mystery. A new agreement on the subject was announced a month ago, so another one seems unlikely. Some suspect Brown might have got his briefings confused.
Yet Brown presided over the tax system for 10 years, ushering in much anti-avoidance legislation but also several business-friendly reviews and "light touch" regulation from HM Revenue & Customs. He also rejected a general anti-avoidance rule as too onerous.
So when he was questioned on the subject on the floor of the House, shouldn't the greatest chancellor for decades have been capable of a more coherent reply?
