Petition calls out to Amazon to pay UK taxes

Syther101 · 23 Apr 2013 at 11:57

What's are peoples opinions on the matter?

And a link to the campaign if interested: https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/amazonuk-pay-corporation-tax-in-the-uk

Danthus · 23 Apr 2013 at 11:59

They pay the tax they are required to under UK law. If people don't like it,don't shop with them.

Illgresi · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:00

Yeh, that'll work.

"Amazon, please pay massive sums of tax that you are not legally obliged to pay."

"Sure, here's a free Kindle as well."

Dave M · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:00

what are they doing and why is it wrong?

[FnG]magnolia · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:02

My opinion is that they provide a service and you can use it or not.

djxput · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:03

lol ya is it google amazon and starbucks pay very little taxes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20560359

Amazon, which had sales in the UK of £3.35bn in 2011, only reported a "tax expense" of £1.8m.

And Google's UK unit paid just £6m to the Treasury in 2011 on UK turnover of £395m.

InertProtocol · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:04

How are Amazon to blame for this?.

I do have sympathy for independent retailers going up against the big boys but they really shouldn't be complaining about Amazon, it's not their fault.

Syther101 · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:04

OldCoals said:
They pay the tax they are required to under UK law. If people don't like it,don't shop with them.

They seem to be crushing so many small businesses in the UK. I guess they could at least contribute the same way our businesses have to.

But like said I was just wondering what other peoples opinions were on the matter, I have no idea what it is like from an actual business perspective.

HecFam · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:05

They just look peeved because Amazon can outsell them on the majority of the books they sell, so they booted up the ol' internet explorer 6 and made a petition.

I still think even if the petition goes through, not much will change. Amazon will most likely get out of it. I don't think they'll take too much notice of 150,000 people writing to them, they'll just carry on with their millions of sales.

Sliver · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:05

OldCoals said:
They pay the tax they are required to under UK law. If people don't like it,don't shop with them.

This. However . . .

You can't blame Amazon for using a flawed taxation system. It's successive UK governments that have allowed this state of affairs to persist.

I love Amazon and use them all the time. I hate the tax system in the UK, it's clearly unfair and has built in loop holes. All we minions can do is cast our vote for any party that has a clear concise policy for dealing with what is essentially tax evasion on a massive scale.

[FnG]magnolia · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:06

Overclockers UK Forums > Life > General Discussion > Reasons why I am not a CFO (or can even count, I thought elventy was a number, where are my tax dollars now Obama!!)

HecFam · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:09

[FnG]magnolia;24166518 said:
Overclockers UK Forums > Life > General Discussion > Reasons why I am not a CFO (or can even count, I thought elventy was a number, where are my tax dollars now Obama!!)

Silly Magnolia, of course Elventy is a number. Next you'll be telling us Twelvety-four isn't a number. PFFT :rolleyes:

JonJ678 · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:13

Amazon pay the amount of tax the UK requires. You should be petitioning HMRC, not Amazon.

Azza · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:15

Syther101 said:
What's are peoples opinions on the matter?

And a link to the campaign if interested: https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/amazonuk-pay-corporation-tax-in-the-uk

What are you opinions on the matter?

scorza · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:16

OldCoals said:
They pay the tax they are required to under UK law.

This is a bit of a myth because it hasn't been determined yet. Profits occur where the business activity takes place. In this case an order is placed from within the UK to a .co.uk website and fulfilled by a warehouse in the UK - to any reasonable way of thinking that's business activity taking place in the UK. Sure you can charge reasonable costs to other geographies, but is it reasonable for Amazon to charge almost 100% of the profit to Luxembourg? Well that's for some very expensive lawyers to determine.

Raumarik · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:18

Not a failing on the company, more on our politicians and HMRC for not having tax rules which pull in the appropriate amount.

Doomedspeed · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:19

[FnG]magnolia;24166518 said:
Overclockers UK Forums > Life > General Discussion > Reasons why I am not a CFO (or can even count, I thought elventy was a number, where are my tax dollars now Obama!!)

HecFam said:
Silly Magnolia, of course Elventy is a number. Next you'll be telling us Twelvety-four isn't a number. PFFT

You pay Eleventy Dollars Tax? Steep..

isonomicjedi · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:20

Without matter we would not be here so I am firmly against matter and all of the evils it has thus made possible.

DanielMMS · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:21

I'd like to see a proper cost/benefit analysis of imposing more strict tax requirements on the likes of Amazon. On the face of it, taxing them could help local businesses and could lead to increased revenue to HMRC but it might not. It might just result in increased prices and lower demand which could have a negative knock-on effect.

francky · 23 Apr 2013 at 12:29

Not entireley Amazons fault, as no-one would ever pay more tax then they are legal obliged to.

BUT the goverment should make it so that companies have to pay a set percentage (20%) of profits made in this country....full stop, regardless of what is done thereafter that profit has been made.

Transfering all your years profits to a sister company in holland as a royalty payment is legal, but imorale.

They are happy to make money of the british public....but not contribute back into it.