Tuesday 21 May 2013

Punishing The Tax Avoiders

So far this year Google, Starbucks, Amazon and now Apple have been exposed as tax avoiders who have paid far less in tax then they should have but the surprise is that anyone is surprised, the purpose of a company is to deliver profits for its shareholders. That's it, they are in business to make a profit and if that means exploiting tax loopholes so they barely pay any tax then they will.
This leaves us with just two options, one for the politicians and one for the consumers.
Governments have to slam shut the loopholes which allow the likes of Apple and Google to shift their profits across national boundaries to avoid paying what they owe, that's down to the politicians but the second choice is something that we can all do, boycott the tax evaders.
The success of any attempt to change the moral compass of a profit driven company comes down to hitting the company in the wallet and if we don't do that we can't complain.
The tales of sweetheart deals between the UKs Revenue Collectors and the likes of Vodaphone and Goldman Sachs prove to us that there may not be the desire for our politicians to go after the big companies so it would be naive to expect the initiative to come from the Governments so it will have to come from us going without the Starbucks coffee or choosing another mobile and leaving the iphone to gather dust on the shop shelf.
A third option is that the companies will change themselves but as we are increasingly living in a world that is run by and for Capitalists, if you believe that then I know a Nigerian ministers wife that would like to meet you and your bank details.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

People don't start businesses so they can pay taxes.
Nobody makes anybody buy from the companies you noted. I suggest you boycott.

Q

Lucy said...

I'm not sure how Google could make money from me.

Anonymous said...

I know how.

Q