Now for a genuine crackdown on enormous companies paying very littleLast week,the government chose to play both David and Goliath. George Osborne declared the deal UK tax authorities struck with Google to cover a decade of tax liabilities “a major success”, despite the fact that some estimates suggest this may represent an effective tax rate of just 3%. The government also announced it would be appealing against a judge’s ruling that the bedroom tax violates the rights of grandparents looking after a severely disabled grandchild.
The contrast is stark. The government is aggressively pursuing vulnerable people for a “spare room subsidy” that some families require for overnight carers for disabled children, or panic rooms for women at serious threat of sexual violence. Yet it has shied absent from using its powers to ensure enormous global companies pay a fair share of corporate tax.
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Source: theguardian.com