[News] Facebook - doing their bit for UK plc

[Silkster365]

So the staff of Facebook are paying more tax than the company that's making billions, and you think that makes it ok? Sure the headlines don't mention that we also get some tax from the employees, but the fact is facebook make a lot of money, and don't pay their share of tax.

Where it's sold.

Have you not seen the average salary of Facebook employees? I thought people of a left persuasion believed in taxing the rich?

Only when it suits their argument it seems

 

[maltaseagull]

We are compliant with UK tax law, and in fact in all countries where we have operations and offices.

The law is an ass!

Needs changing.

 

[Simster]

But they're happy to criticise those who also aggressively avoid tax.

I liked your original post, but I'm not sure it follows that they shouldn't aggressively criticise the tax regime. Would it make you feel better if they just stayed quiet on the issue and continued to pay minimal tax?

Ok, that was too flippant, but surely they'd argue that they need to minimise their own tax in order to stay competitive with other papers. I'm sure they'd say that if they started to pay more tax than other papers, their costs would have to rise and they'd lose circulation.

 

[mikeyjh]

But they're happy to criticise those who also aggressively avoid tax.

In fairness, 'they' are a journalist who is free of editorial constraint, the fact that he challenges the alleged structure of the ownership group is a good thing right? For what it's worth, I actually thought the Guardian Media Group is held in trust by directors who cannot take a dividend. Was it not a subsidary of one of the investment groups that was registered in Cayman?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

In fairness, 'they' are a journalist who is free of editorial constraint, the fact that he challenges the alleged structure of the ownership group is a good thing right? For what it's worth, I actually thought the Guardian Media Group is held in trust by directors who cannot take a dividend. Was it not a subsidary of one of the investment groups that was registered in Cayman?

The GMG is wholly owned by the UK limited company Scott Trust. And indeed " The company is barred from paying dividends, and "its constitution has been carefully drafted to ensure that no individual can ever personally benefit from the arrangements."

There is some distant link somewhere to a Cayman island company but as far as I can remember there company has been dormant for many years. I understand there is/was the potentental to transfer assets to this company but whether they use this or not I do not know and whether it is the Guardian directly or a linked Scott Trust company I also do not know. To me the alleged hypocrisy is, at worst, on the scale of a vegetarian wearing a leather belt.

 

[pastafarian]

for some reason the pro EU brigade are happy with the current tax evasion system of everyone pretending to have headquarters in a different country

its quite obvious who the main tossers are here

 

[El Presidente]

for some reason the pro EU brigade are happy with the current tax evasion system of everyone pretending to have headquarters in a different country

its quite obvious who the main tossers are here

I didn't know the Cayman Islands were part of the EU.

#BarberOut

 

[pastafarian]

I didn't know the Cayman Islands were part of the EU.

#BarberOut

yes carry on........nothing to see here

 

[El Presidente]

I think one of the ways The Guardian avoids paying tax is by being in an industry that is loss making. It made an operating loss of £48.5 million in the year to 29 March 2015.

The twelve directors of the Guardian took £131,000 in emoluments between them.

News International, owner of The Sun, paid Rebekak Brookes, former editor, and full time homophobic cow, £16.1 million as a payoff for being totally innocent of the phone hacking that took place under her leadership.

 

[Machiavelli]

And what a proper shìt point it is.


The point being, it's ok for a firm not to pay it's dues because the people who work for that firm pay their income tax. Why do you have to suck up to big business and the worst excesses of capitalism with these feeble instances of defending the indefensible? The fact is, if Facebook really was only making £5,000 in Britain after a presence of over a decade, they'd have sold up or cut back. So let's cut the bullshit and get major markets to agree on a minimal level of corporation tax payable.

Cracking use of language here. There's been a massive shift in the proportion of taxation paid away from businesses. Only two outcomes follow from this, although they can overlap: reduced tax-take and, consequently, impoverished public services, and things like 9k p.a. (plus interest) university fees; or increased taxes on "hard-working families".

 

[El Presidente]

Does this mean that if I decide to work for a company that pays a lot of corporation tax then I don't have to pay any income tax?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Does this mean that if I decide to work for a company that pays a lot of corporation tax then I don't have to pay any income tax?

I've done this gag already

 

[Triggaaar]

Have you not seen the average salary of Facebook employees? I thought people of a left persuasion believed in taxing the rich?

Only when it suits their argument it seems

I don't know what you're talking about. The employees are being taxed aren't they? This thread is about Facebook (and other large companies) making millions/billions and not paying their share of tax.

 

[Triggaaar]

Does this mean that if I decide to work for a company that pays a lot of corporation tax then I don't have to pay any income tax?

I've done this gag already

Yeah, it was funnier when El Pres said it.

 

[El Presidente]

Yeah, it was funnier when El Pres said it.

It's the way I tell 'em.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Yeah, it was funnier when El Pres said it.

 

[beorhthelm]

There's been a massive shift in the proportion of taxation paid away from businesses.

has there, or is that just based on misguided perceptions? and quantify "massive", is that a 10%, 20% 50% shift? we, personal and business, are being taxed more than ever and our government is spending more than ever, i suspect the proportions have kept pace give or take a few %.

 

[Machiavelli]

has there, or is that just based on misguided perceptions? and quantify "massive", is that a 10%, 20% 50% shift? we, personal and business, are being taxed more than ever and our government is spending more than ever, i suspect the proportions have kept pace give or take a few %.

There's not too much information readily available on the Internet on this, but one of Corbyn's economic advisors, the excellent Richard Murphy from the Tax Justice Network has some figures from the US. See p.5 of:

http://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Ten_Reasons_Full_Report.pdf#5

Nicholas Shaxson's Treasure Islands will also have good information on this, and the good news is that one of Piketty's colleagues, Gabriel Zucman has a new book coming out on this, The Hidden Wealth of Nations. For a newspaper article, see:

http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...continue-until-corporations-stop-avoiding-tax

I'm sure you'll also be able to find some ripostes to these, written by those funded by neoliberal and libertarian think tanks.

 

[El Presidente]

There's not too much information readily available on the Internet on this, but one of Corbyn's economic advisors, the excellent Richard Murphy from the Tax Justice Network has some figures from the US. See p.5 of:

http://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Ten_Reasons_Full_Report.pdf#5

Nicholas Shaxson's Treasure Islands will also have good information on this, and the good news is that one of Piketty's colleagues, Gabriel Zucman has a new book coming out on this, The Hidden Wealth of Nations. For a newspaper article, see:

http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...continue-until-corporations-stop-avoiding-tax

I'm sure you'll also be able to find some ripostes to these, written by those funded by neoliberal and libertarian think tanks.

Be away with you and your pesky facts.

Corporation tax as a percentage of total UK tax revenue has fallen from 10.5% in 2005/6 to 8.3% in 2014/15. During that period the government's tax revenues have increased by £112,474,000,000 a year, and Corporation tax receipts have increased by £650,000,000.

 

[beorhthelm]

I'm sure you'll also be able to find some ripostes to these, written by those funded by neoliberal and libertarian think tanks.

i thought i would provide numbers instead:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/461721/Aug15_Receipts_Bulletin_v1.pdf

shows a small variation, about 2% range for corporation taxes. seems El pres has gotten here first. if you venture as far as page four, the graph shows about 5% from mid 80s, so agree some shift though not what i would consider massive.

i dont know why you went off on US information, as if thats relevant. i'll oblige with a riposte wondering if Zucman's book will be less flawed than Pikett'ys, and not come up with a self-perpetuating conclusion.