There was no need to ask him what he earned, completely irrelevant in the context of the discussion. Yes we know that big companies do all they can to avoid paying tax but I fail to see why he was getting grilled. HMRC should be carrying the can, they agreed the deal and could have equally said actually you need to pay more yet they seem to be getting off relatively scott free compared to the big evil conglomerate. If they want google and the like to pay more tax, change the law so they will
Does Google Chief's bashfulness prove pay at the top is skewed.
- Thread starter estebanrey
- Start date
Soldato
To ask him during an open session like that is just seeking to embarrass him and she had no right to ask him. He should have just said "That's none of your business unless the committee has a question relevant to what my own pay is, in which I shall answer it privately."
However since we're on the topic - in isolation, a CEO/high ranking exec pay is none of our business, until we start looking at the bigger picture. I've got absolutely no problem with people making money, however the issue comes when the wealthy are becoming wealthier at a geometric rate, whilst people who work in their businesses are losing their jobs/not getting paid a fair share of the work they put into the company. This then does start to affect everyone else, because with people out of work/unhappy in their jobs/falling ill because of the stress at work, they put a significant burden on the state.
And when you hear that these companies can't even pay a fair amount of tax to recompense the state for the underlying protection provided by the rest of society which allows them to make the astronomical amount of money they do, you can't help but think something is awry.
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Are you thinking of the Cleese/Ronnies sketch? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2k1iRD2f-c (originally Peter cook iirc).
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It's none of anyone's business what he's paid but personally I wouldn't see a problem with answering if someone asked me. It's nothing to do with google avoiding tax either so has no place at this enquiry.
To answer the original question however, pay at the top is unbelievably skewed and it's damaging to society which works on the basis that everyone contributes to make this country a better place for all and is financially rewarded for that. The basic capitalist system is exploitative in the fact that someone on minimum wage isn't properly compensated for their work by the very nature of profits which is permissable to a degree.
When it comes to executive salaries being such a magnitude greater than those at the bottom then clearly society isn't working in their best interests and historically this is the point where societies break down. Any system needs to work for both the society as a whole and all individuals; when that is no longer the case then disenfranchisement occurs and can you really blame anyone for not following the rule of law, rioting, stealing etc?
Ultimately it's the general publics fault for consistently voting in dreadful governments.
To answer the original question however, pay at the top is unbelievably skewed and it's damaging to society which works on the basis that everyone contributes to make this country a better place for all and is financially rewarded for that. The basic capitalist system is exploitative in the fact that someone on minimum wage isn't properly compensated for their work by the very nature of profits which is permissable to a degree.
When it comes to executive salaries being such a magnitude greater than those at the bottom then clearly society isn't working in their best interests and historically this is the point where societies break down. Any system needs to work for both the society as a whole and all individuals; when that is no longer the case then disenfranchisement occurs and can you really blame anyone for not following the rule of law, rioting, stealing etc?
Ultimately it's the general publics fault for consistently voting in dreadful governments.
If someone could legal save me millions of £'s in tax, I would pay them lots to do it.
Haha not seen that before.