Comments on: Rail companies pay 7.9% corporation tax http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/10/05/rail-companies-pay-79-corporation-tax/ Richard Murphy on tax and corporate accountability Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:00:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Tax Research UK / Deferred tax: a con to hide subsidies to shareholders at taxpayers expense http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/10/05/rail-companies-pay-79-corporation-tax/#comment-394178 Tax Research UK / Deferred tax: a con to hide subsidies to shareholders at taxpayers expense Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:03:54 +0000 http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/10/05/rail-companies-pay-79-corporation-tax/#comment-394178 [...] following Early Day Motion has been tabled in the House of Commons. It is clearly based on the work I did for the RMT last year, although I had no hand in its [...] [...] following Early Day Motion has been tabled in the House of Commons. It is clearly based on the work I did for the RMT last year, although I had no hand in its [...]

]]> By: Tax Research UK / The UK Tax Gap: deferred tax is just another wheeze to hide the truth http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/10/05/rail-companies-pay-79-corporation-tax/#comment-393551 Tax Research UK / The UK Tax Gap: deferred tax is just another wheeze to hide the truth Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:50:35 +0000 http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/10/05/rail-companies-pay-79-corporation-tax/#comment-393551 [...] exchequer (Fairness is forgotten in a culture of tax avoidance that shames Britain, February 29). A similar study Murphy carried out for RMT found that the privatised rail industry is profiteering on £1.3bn in unpaid [...] [...] exchequer (Fairness is forgotten in a culture of tax avoidance that shames Britain, February 29). A similar study Murphy carried out for RMT found that the privatised rail industry is profiteering on £1.3bn in unpaid [...]

]]> By: E Autio http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/10/05/rail-companies-pay-79-corporation-tax/#comment-265243 E Autio Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:58:06 +0000 http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2007/10/05/rail-companies-pay-79-corporation-tax/#comment-265243 It seems astonishing to me that the UK government cannot create a system which would support sustainable investment in transportation infrastructure. The basic problem is that UK has a fragmented system of sub-optimal private monopolies who are given lucrative 7-year licenses to fleece the public. Competition works only when there are markets. If you have no real and feasible alternatives, you create a private monopoly. Worse, these monopolies need to satisfy only one customer, the regulator. This situation not only leads to sub-optimal investment, the risk of corruption is great, given the amounts of money involved. Look at Denmark (the metro and rail system in the Copenhagen region would make any London commuter weep), France, Germany, Scandinavia. All of these have well functioning transport infrastructures, within a centralised system that can be managed strategically. Not only are they most cost efficient, they actually work. The UK system is designed to generate huge profits for the few lucky license holders, while the public suffers. It seems astonishing to me that the UK government cannot create a system which would support sustainable investment in transportation infrastructure.

The basic problem is that UK has a fragmented system of sub-optimal private monopolies who are given lucrative 7-year licenses to fleece the public.

Competition works only when there are markets. If you have no real and feasible alternatives, you create a private monopoly. Worse, these monopolies need to satisfy only one customer, the regulator. This situation not only leads to sub-optimal investment, the risk of corruption is great, given the amounts of money involved.

Look at Denmark (the metro and rail system in the Copenhagen region would make any London commuter weep), France, Germany, Scandinavia. All of these have well functioning transport infrastructures, within a centralised system that can be managed strategically. Not only are they most cost efficient, they actually work.

The UK system is designed to generate huge profits for the few lucky license holders, while the public suffers.

]]>