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Peak MP to repay 'extravagant' £389
HIGH Peak MP Tom Levitt has agreed to repay taxpayer-funded cash after being contacted by the independent auditor who has been investigating the expenses scandal that has rocked politics.
Sir Thomas Legg has investigated all MPs' expenses, and sent a letter to each one.
He found that in 2004, Mr Levitt purchased a sofa bed for a price which he described in his letter as "extravagant".
Speaking to the Buxton Advertiser, Mr Levitt said: "I have agreed to repay 389 towards the cost, even though the fees office did not raise the issue in 2004 or since.
"Had they done so, I would have been happy to pay the balance at any time."
Sir Thomas's decision to impose retrospective rules has led to anger from many MPs, including Mr Levitt.
He said: "Where standards are not appropriate, they should be changed – but it is not right to apply new standards retrospectively.
"In inventing arbitrary rules on cleaning and gardening and then backdating them, Legg has gone against natural justice.
"In not backdating the cap on mortgage interest he has been inconsistent in a manner which benefits the richest MPs in the biggest houses.
"I stress that I have not been questioned by Legg on these grounds."
Last week, Mr Levitt refused to reveal precise details contained in the letter from Sir Thomas.
At the time he said the letter "invites discussion on certain issues" and "is not a bill to be paid as some parts of the press would have us believe".
The Buxton Advertiser asked Mr Levitt to consider publishing the letter. However, as we went to press, he had not responded to the request.
* Mr Levitt has dismissed "poisonous innuendo" on the internet which suggests he avoided paying capital gains tax when it came to selling a flat in London.
The anonymous and unsubstantiated allegations suggest Mr Levitt told the Inland Revenue it was his main home while telling the fees office it was his second home.
But Mr Levitt said: "This is not true and I resent this, especially as the rumours are coming from people who do not even identify themselves or their sources."
He slammed the "mischievous and misleading rumours" which "assist political opponents, simply by being uttered".
He added: "Some use innuendo simply to be poisonous."
In his investigation of MPs, Sir Thomas had looked into the 'flipping' of main and second homes to avoid paying capital gains tax – but Mr Levitt said Sir Thomas had not raised the issue with him: "I have acted in line with the law of the land and with specific advice from the Inland Revenue and the fees office at all times."
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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