Database Britain (part xx)

The totalitarian instincts of this most vile Labour government seem to know no bounds. The latest revelation is that:

"Personal data gathered for the controversial ID cards scheme will be made available to the taxman.

HM Revenue and Customs officials will be able to trawl through a person's financial transactions for hints of any undeclared earnings or bank accounts.

...

The powers that give 'Commissioners for Revenue and Customs' access to the ID cards audit log were buried away in orders laid before Parliament earlier this week - at the same time as the full extent of the expenses scandal was emerging.

The log records each time a card has been used to verify a person's identity when they make a big value purchase, open a bank account or take out a mortgage.

If a large number of verifications for big items are recorded, it could signal to the taxman a person earns more money than they declared. Undeclared second homes could also lead to higher tax payments. "

As usual it is No2ID that cut to the heart of the matter:

"Phil Booth, of the NO2ID campaign, said: 'The big lie of the ID scheme is that it's for our benefit - the detail shows it's all about giving the bureaucrats and bean-counters more control.' "