ASDA says sorry over charity money gaffe - mirror.co.uk.

Supermarket giant Asda apologised yesterday after asking two charity groups for a cut of cash donated by kind shoppers.

Store managers asked Christian Aid and a local school to pay £100 each from collections and bag-packing - a quarter of the total.

One parent said: "We couldn't believe it. Stores like this always talk about playing a role in the community - then they want to take money out of children's pockets."

Pupils from Cardiff High School raised £500 at Asda's nearby Pontprennau store for a trip to Tanzania. Christian Aid raised £300.

An Asda spokeswoman said: "We're sorry for this mistake and we will, of course, refund both charities immediately."

25% sounds suspiciously like a tax to me. It can't be rent after all - it doesn't seem to be a fixed charge.

Except that would be odd as ASDA hates tax - see the headlines in this Google search.

And it is of course owned by Walmart, of whom it has just been written:

Walmart, America's largest retailer, has been using high-risk tax loopholes to avoid liability for up to $2.9 billion in additional taxes to state, federal, and other governments, as disclosed in the company’s recent SEC filing

So ASDA opposes tax, and its parent refuses to pay its fair share of taxes - reportedly using aggressive tax avoidance techniques, but at the same time it seeks to "tax" those who might want to relieve a little of the poverty in the world organisations like Christian Aid seek to alleviate.

I guess that's ASDA's sort of charity - starting very close to home. And their sort of tax too - entirely for their own benefit.