…the answer is “no”.
Should we boycott Google, Starbucks and Amazon?
As I don’t drink coffee, Starbucks isn’t a business I patronise anyway, however I do use Google products and buy regularly from Amazon and have every intention of carrying on. If they can keep pounds away from the avaricious hands of the grasping, greedy state, then more power to their elbow. Indeed, I will use them even more now that I know they are pissing off Hodge and her immoral cohort of thieves and scoundrels honorable members.
I watched that arch hypocrite Margaret Hodge complaining to these businesses that their tax avoidance strategies were immoral.
Ahem! For a politician to accuse anyone of being immoral is, frankly, rich in the extreme. And that is the retort I would have fired back – and added that tax avoidance is not immoral, it is perfectly legal and it the duty of anyone running a business to minimise their exposure to the thieving hands of the state. Their duty is to their shareholders, not the state. If the organs of the state are not happy with this arrangement, then they need to change the law. Avoiding tax is not immoral, it is a sacred duty. I do it and have every intention of continuing to do it and I’ll take no lessons in morality from MPs, thank you very much.
And changing the law is what MPs do. So does she not know what her job description is. Has she been an MP for so long and not realised that she can change the law. Or could it be that she realises that the law can’t be changed because it is right and proper already, but through sour grapes she makes this stupid statement. Her tame supporters will lap this up and believe it to be gospel truth – from the mouth of an MP, haven’t the learnt anything yet.
Of course, for them to have any effect the UK would have to leave the EU and the EEA and set up a beneficial tax regime. This situation exists because the EU signed it into existence.
Absolutely every adult in the UK practices tax avoidance because absolutely every adult could rearrange their affairs to pay MORE tax (or receive fewer benefits).
How many of those criticising Starbucks et al are doing THEIR bit by voluntarily and happily rearranging THEIR affairs so that they can remit even more tax to the Revenue?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businesslatestnews/9668396/Margaret-Hodges-family-company-pays-just-0.01pc-tax-on-2.1bn-of-business-generated-in-the-UK.html
Also linked from here.
http://www.worksmart.org.uk/company/company.php?id=01038435