there is some truth in billionaires not paying much tax as non doms or in the case of philip green his wife holds bhs etc and is registered to nice. Branson is here, but many of his businesses operate from foreign bases.
They can also stucture their money differently. Many give much to chairty, but this isn't because they are nice, it's because they are control freaks who beat the system this way.
The current govt (gordon brown) has a deliberate policy of keeping them here and the only way that works is by letting them get away with murder. These people aren't very nice. they tend to have high IQ's, but are as morally bankrupt as the average serial killer.
They mostly don't think they should pay tax because they are the wealth creators, but don't factor in that they operate in a safe and stable (well it was) economy. Or else they consider a few quid for a knighthood or large sum for a uni library named after them and a lordship a better spend all round than just handing it over to the tax man.
For the two historians the knights templars were the boys, absolutely brilliant, they paid no tax because their allegiance was to god. They became the richest men in europe and invented the modern banking system (promissary notes/ cheques).Sheep was the internet of the day, and markets were a good earner too. Many of these clever men are barristers and a secret network still persists.