More Fun With Roger: Fraud

In a thread on welfare fraud, Roger Thornhill pointed out that even a simplified welfare system like Citizen's Income would be prone to fraud, which is of course true, but the opportunities for fraud, as compared to the current system, would be greatly reduced (and I gave ten real life examples here). To my mind, the reduction in fraud you could achieve by simplifying welfare payments would be A Good Thing, while to Roger, the existence of any fraud whatsoever means you can rule it out.

It culminated with Roger Thornhill posting this:

Anon @14:59. I did not mention passports but that is not relevant, it is about fraud in general. If you can get a fake passport or use fraud to gain a "genuine" one, then any amount of checking or poxy forms thereafter is a bit meaningless, no? The state thinks you are kosher.

As to your request for stats, that is not logical, for we are talking about a potential future for fraud when you change the environment.

Ho hum.

If we are seriously going to worry about things with potential for fraud using a fake ID, then we wouldn't be able to hold elections (even before postal voting, there was little to stop you voting in somebody else's name, for example). We wouldn't be able to have a tax-free personal allowance, because an enterprising fraudster could get hold of multiple PAYE codes with a personal allowance on each, and work one day a week on each one (thus paying no tax or national insurance whatsoever). In fact, we'd have to rule out any form of taxation of incomes or profits whatsoever, as some people will always evade taxes. Offering education vouchers as an alternative to a 'free' State education would be a non-starter. Driving licences and qualification certificates would be meaningless. Why not shut down HM Land Registry as well while we're at it, as we know that some people transfer their properties to a nominee or an offshore company to keep them out of reach of creditors?