The Fair Tax Mark has just issued this press release:
The new ‘Lockdown mindset:' More Brits call for greater accountability for businesses on tax avoidance and social responsibility
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New research reveals Govt bailouts have prompted growing consumer unease towards companies who avoid or do not publish tax contributions
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A new ‘Lockdown mindset' emerges as more Brits now expect employers to do their bit for local economies and public services
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Significant shift in consumer behaviour towards ethical spending as Brits shop by their values
The public are using lockdown to take decisive action against tax avoidance practices, as record numbers of Brits would rather shop with (79%)1 or work for (82%)2 a business that can prove it's paying its fair share of tax.
The figures are a three-year-high from the Fair Tax Mark's annual polling, with year-on-year increases in those calling for not just greater transparency from businesses but more action from local authorities and the Government.
This year's polling, which took place during lockdown amidst a renewed sense of community cohesion and support for stretched public services, produced new statistical highs including:
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Over three quarters (78%)3 of the public believe that all companies, whatever their size, should have to publicly disclose the taxes that they do or don't pay in the UK
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Over three quarters (77%)4 of the public believe that the UK should take a lead and force multinational businesses to disclose how much income, profit and tax they pay in each country in which they operate
In a first for this year's polling, new insights were generated around businesses currently receiving Government support, as eight in ten people (82%) questioned believe businesses benefiting from bailouts should be forced to agree terms that prohibit tax avoidance and enforce responsible tax conduct.
Paul Monaghan, Chief Executive of the Fair Tax Mark, said: “For many, lockdown has provided an opportunity to reflect more on societal values - whether its supporting our vulnerable, shopping locally or gaining a greater understanding of how employers act at a time of crisis.
“With £7bn of annual revenues still not being collected as a result of corporate profit shifting to low tax jurisdictions plus an estimated £300BN coronavirus economic cost, the public want businesses to prove that we're in this together.”
“The vast majority of people want to support and celebrate the businesses that reject the use of tax havens and tax avoidance, and they want their politicians to force the laggards to come clean. Too often it is impossible to discern whether a company is paying the tax it should, even with a forensic analysis of their accounts.”
“That's why during the coronavirus crisis we have been calling on the UK Government to ensure that any bailouts are conditional on recipients committing to responsible tax conduct and transparency.”
Note to editors
Stat footnote references - Year on year increases
1 - 2020: 79%, 2019: 77%, 2018: 69%
2 - 2020: 82%, 2019: 78%, 2018: 70%
3 - 2020: 78%, 2019: 74%, 2018: 74%
4 - 2020: 77%, 2019: 74%, 2018: no data
Most recent polling conducted via ICM between 15 and 17 May 2020, with a nationally representative omnibus survey of c.2,000 adults across GB
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These surveys always say the same, people when asked value all the higher moral expectations you would find under through fair tax compliance but when push comes to shove, they don’t care.
Which is why Apple and Amazon are two of the most valuable companies in the World.
They are monopolies
Of course they succeed
They are monopolies through excellent products and customer service not because they were gifted monopoly status by the state or some grateful ruler.
If tax status was as important as you claim then a morally righteous competitor would rise and replace them. But it never happens because there is a big difference between how we declare our moral worth in polls or social media…………..and how we vote in elections or with our own money.
For example see every election or referendum in the UK over the last five years.
Absolute nonsense – they have used state created intellectual property rights and weak tax law to absue
Apple is a monopoly?
I think Samsung and Huawei would disagree. Q1 2020 worldwide sales of smartphones, for example, shows Samsung on 20%, Huawei on 17% and Apple on 14%.
Apple’s Q1 2020 share of the PC market is less than 12.5%
What sort of monopoly is that?
“state created intellectual property rights” including the copyright that protects your books?
Once you are on the Apple platform try swapping
I think Amazon and Apple are not comparable. Amazon has created a monopoly. It used vast wealth and sustained losses to ensure that it became the single online aggregator. You only ever need one aggregator which is why Google has a similar monopoly in search. Any competitor service would find it difficult to create improvements which would encourage users to switch. It is afterall a free service for users.
Apple in contrast developed a products that consumers wanted to buy and was very successful at it. Apple does have credible competitors that means that one day it will not be in the same position as it is now. It is similar to Tesco a few years ago where every commentator claimed it was in a dominant monopoly position that wasn’t likely to be toppled. It is still a big business but not the one threatened in 2007.
I agree that surveys will always show how willing we are to e.g. pay more tax to fund NHS etc. yet when it is the ballot box, we would much rather someone else paid the tax. BUT, in our office – a microcosm of statistically valid opinion – staff are saying that they are now avoiding Amazon wherever possible. So I detect a bit of change.
That aside, Amazon has really sewn up much digital infrastructure – I hear software developers readily admit that they are dependent on AWS (Amazon Web Services) to underpin whatever system they are creating. It will be a while before that changes.