When doing the sums, Mr Worstall might want to factor in the cost to taxpayers of those free-riding companies that are failing to discharge their basic responsibilities.

FORBES: A Response to Global Witness

Even if that were true, it would hardly be reassuring that so many people from one particular economic group are opting out of one of the basic responsibilities of citizenship.

ECONOMIST: American politics is both too rigid and too flexible

But Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman said the government had proved it was incapable of getting its "basic" responsibilities right.

BBC: Search the

This week, we reflect on the basic rights and responsibilities of citizenship, the founding documents from which they were drawn, and the extraordinary legacy of progress they have enabled.

WHITEHOUSE: The White House

Executors may also benefit from a basic explanation of the role and responsibilities of the position.

FORBES: Understanding the Role and Responsibilities of an Executor

Figuring out how to do the laundry, cook a basic meal or even wait for a handyman "are not crippling responsibilities" but rather "minor life skills" that can prove useful if the housekeeper cancels.

WSJ: Forget the Old College Try, Ring the Concierge

It claimed the jobs and the homes and the basic security of millions of people -- innocent, hardworking Americans who had met their responsibilities but were still left holding the bag.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Speaks on the Economy

It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country - the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like, or who you love.

BBC: State of the Union: Obama pledges to reignite economy

It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country -- the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like, or who you love.

WHITEHOUSE: State of the Union 2013