http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20301381

[theonemanyuri]

Amazon looking a bit squirmish, although I find it pretty laughable that anyone in politics can take the fiscal moral high ground. Apologies if already posted..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20301381

 

[liam]

Starbucks is the best Only payed £8.6m in Corporation tax in the last 14 years. Yes 14 years.

 

[TinkyWinky]

They even tried to say they they had made profts in only one year in the UK - 2006 despite t/o of more than £3bn... blimey good to see they like a loss leader then !!!

Meanwhile in Switzerland I am sure I read that just 10 employees selling beans made something like $110m profit... !!!

Government needs to get a grip on this as they all cry wolf and try to worm their way out by saying they pay NI and give jobs to people.

 

[jonno]

I wrote to my MP about this over 2 years ago and got no reply. It's no wonder british business is going down the pan when the honest person can't compete because corporations benefit from lower, foreign, tax overheads.

Imagine the billions of pounds in corporation tax that is being shipped from our back yard to Luxembourg or Dublin.

 

[theonemanyuri]

It takes the biscuit, they're quick enough to clamp down on individuals who dodge tax. All the tradesmen in all the land that do jobs for cash and don't declare it are a tiny amount compared to the corporations

 

[Blossom]

For Amazon at least it means the prices of their goods are lower, surely? If so, I'm betting most people have benefited from it one way or another in some way...

 

[theonemanyuri]

It does Blossom and in the short term that's cool, but it doesn't take long for the companies with the advantage of less tax to become the only players, then long term they can dictate whatever prices they want. There's pros and cons I suppose, especially given that the government will waste any additional income on complete sh1te anyway

 

[vizzo]

That was a pretty pathetic display from the Amazon guy.

Wonder if they will get someone in from google to quiz as well

 

[Systreg]

Wonder if they will get someone in from google to quiz as well

After being quizzed they'll ask if they understand the questions, and Google will reply, sorry, "nofollow"

 

[theonemanyuri]

sean - I prefer the tories approach to labours, but that's like saying I prefer being stabbed to death than hanged. That article was an interesting read though cheers.

vizzo - I think the idea is that all the companies in the news recently will go before the panel, G and Starbucks included, although I could be wrong.

systreg - LOL.

 

[tifosi]

That was a pretty pathetic display from the Amazon guy.

Wonder if they will get someone in from google to quiz as well

Sheep in wolf's clothing. Looks like they though 'hey, only a parliamentary committee, sod 'em. Let's send in one of the grunts'.

Problem with these corporations which play the international hq card yet trade freely in this country is that they have an immediate fiscal advantage over pure uk companies. Especially those with the model like Starbucks.

As mentioned the racket that was the previous government spend half their time selling off the uk's wealth to fund their public sector binge and the other half brown-nosing Brussels and Washington, and at the same time showed an overwhelming ineptness at fiscal management and understanding the market - as shown by Gordon Brown being lead around the parade ground like a prize bullock by the banking sector. End-point. UK on point of bankruptcy, bloated red-tape, and massive financial loop-holes.