Bloomberg has reported that 'U.K. Company Tax a Bigger Burden Under Brown, World Bank Says'

That's not true. The World Bank had PWC prepare a report for them. PWC said:

Many countries need to reflect on the likely deterrent effect of the ever increasing complexity of their tax legislation and the resulting probable reduction in their international competitiveness,'' said Peter Cussons of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, who compiled the report with the World Bank.

PWC must have thought all their Christmases had come at once: the chance to earn a fat fee whilst asking for an extended licence to undertake tax avoidance.

One can only presume that the World Bank were not seeking an objective report.

The reality is simple. The tax burden of UK companies is falling steadily as a percentage of profit and as a proportion of GDP, as I have shown on this site. But that apparently is not enough for PWC.