Starbucks paid less than 3% tax on £8 billion.

How can they get away with this while the poor in this country are having to suffer austerity ?

www.bbc.co.uk...

This makes me sick.
This government are in bed with everyone but they punish the low paid and those on welfare.

So many loop holes, and tax cuts and refunds.

Do these businesses not realize if they were set up in Western Nations, they wouldn't make billions of dollars?

reply to post by lambros56

At the end of the day, the government is to blame.

Whether its the tax loop holes or run away spending.

THEY spend and borrow like crazy, then stick us with the bill.

The sad part is when the governments do raise the taxes on them they just pass it on to us consumers as a price hike. Can't win either way. There has to be a better solution.

My thoughts:

Originally posted by gladtobehere
reply to post by lambros56

 

At the end of the day, the government is to blame.

Whether its the tax loop holes or run away spending.

THEY spend and borrow like crazy, then stick us with the bill.

I agree
That's my point.
The government are criminal.
I was watching Max Keiser this morning and a guy was telling him that the government had blocked all criminal procedures against the City of London banksters.

We need a revolution.

Originally posted by lambros56

Originally posted by gladtobehere
reply to post by lambros56

 

At the end of the day, the government is to blame.

Whether its the tax loop holes or run away spending.

THEY spend and borrow like crazy, then stick us with the bill.

I agree
That's my point.
The government are criminal.
I was watching Max Keiser this morning and a guy was telling him that the government had blocked all criminal procedures against the City of London banksters.

We need a revolution.

Nope wrong. We are to blame. Look in the window of any starbucks tomorrow and it will be full of people buying expensive coffee served by a person on mimimum wage.

Stop spending your money in starbucks and then they will make no profit in reality instead of on paper.

What's stopping you from doing the same things?

If the government made people and businesses like this pay their fair share of tax, then maybe we wouldn't be facing severe cuts in public spending and the like.

It drives me crazy to hear that the average working person earning min wage pays his fair share, but squadrillionaire businesses pay virtually nothing.

It's the government's fault though, and it is the only body which can change things and make tax contributions fair to all. But we need average working people in government, with average backgrounds, to achieve fairness - not the priviledged rich folk like we have now who have never had to work a day in their lives, and have no idea of what it means to struggle to live.

Boot the lot out and let's have some REAL people running the show.

reply to post by colin42


because you buy a cup of coffee you are to blame for this travesty of justice.

the blame lies on whoever came up with the tax code and the reasons behind it.

and i'm sure corporate campaign contributions have something to do with it.

reply to post by lambros56


Corporations don't pay taxes but everyone who works for them does. Does the low corporate tax rate enable the corporations to compensate their employees better?

Taxes never solved anything. You demanding they pay taxes is the same as them demanding you pay taxes.

Taxes period are the problem not who pays them.

reply to post by lambros56


The part I enjoyed in this article is where they emphasis that mom & pop coffee shops pay their full tax rate, and yet they continue to compete with this giant corporation.

I don't and never will go to Starbucks...going back to the first Gulf War ,when our troops requeste there coffee they were tol NO! Newmans Own Dunkin donuts just to name a few donated a ton of coffee for our troops and still do.

reply to post by lambros56


Classic moves, Starbucks, classic moves.

This is how they do it; old school style.

In this example Starbucks makes $100 in revenue, $50 in profits. It creates a subsidiary based outside of the UK, let's say the Cayman's, and charges Starbucks a ridiculous sum for various services like IT consulting, product marketing etc. This will reduce Starbucks operational profits within the tax jurisdiction of the UK to say $2 of which the UK is entitled to $.50.

Starbucks however is very profitable, but investors are not limited to the jurisdiction of the UK as it's actually a US Based international corporation .. so all of Starbuck's assets report huge profits, investors win. UK loses.

Want things to change?

Stop spending money with these corporations. There are now lists of them available for anyone to look through, boycott them, or join a protest outside their businesses.

Trust me when I say that when it comes down to the crunch, people will act against these businesses. They might think that they saved themselves some billions, but their long term profits and business will be harmed thanks to this.

Imagine that the people of the UK actively attacked this corporation. Imagine that every time they passed, instead of walking in people spat on the door. Imagine that in five years time Starbucks is forced to close its last shop in the UK because no one wants to work for them, no one wants to buy their coffee, they're having to defend themselves every day and clean up the mess outside their doors from protesters...

That could happen to all of these companies, and unless they act NOW to redress the theft (that's what it is, let's not sugar coat it) then they will sink in this country.

It might start through peaceful protest and boycotts, but who do they think will be targets when the SHTF and the riots start?

Some might think that people have no power, and to that I ask you to go and buy a copy of the Sun in Merseyside. Link

Of course, the government needs to change the tax laws too and prevent this from happening, but that's a different argument that will be mentioned a lot more during protests in the coming months.

Originally posted by jjkenobi
The sad part is when the governments do raise the taxes on them they just pass it on to us consumers as a price hike. Can't win either way. There has to be a better solution.

You are exactly right. Hasn't anyone taken an Economics class? One of the first things taught is that all costs are borne by the consumer.

Originally posted by JIMC5499

Originally posted by jjkenobi
The sad part is when the governments do raise the taxes on them they just pass it on to us consumers as a price hike. Can't win either way. There has to be a better solution.

You are exactly right. Hasn't anyone taken an Economics class? One of the first things taught is that all costs are borne by the consumer.

Both of you are absolutely correct. They ARE going to get theirs first. They will either jack up prices which is cast onto the backs of the consumers...or they will cut wages and benefits to their workers...or both. Either last year or year before...forget which...mega corporation GE (General Electric) made billions of dollars but were so clever...they paid zero taxes...that's right folks...zero. You know...these guys have a hand in ownership of an astounding array of things. From Appliances, to Television broadcast networks to military defense contractors...staggering...and they paid nothing. How is that for fair?

I agree that taxation itself is an unfair action...BUT...we all do have to pitch in to take care of the necessities. We need roads to move products and commerce. We need a coastal/national defense (I mean here, not everywhere). So...we all DO have to pay something to keep this show on the road. However, it definitely needs to go on a diet.

reply to post by randomname


I think I've gone and purchased from Starbucks a total of maybe 5 times in my life. I'm not a coffee drinker so I have no need to drink overpriced coffee on a daily basis.

How many people were employed ?

Sometimes it's better to have people have jobs then to worry about a corporation paying enough tax.

If you taxed them at what you might consider a fair rate, perhaps they wouldn't have opened so many stores and employed so many people.

Originally posted by Wildbob77
How many people were employed ?

Sometimes it's better to have people have jobs then to worry about a corporation paying enough tax.

If you taxed them at what you might consider a fair rate, perhaps they wouldn't have opened so many stores and employed so many people.

Well maybe if I paid 3% tax.
With the extra money I could employ a gardener or buy a car and get someone to drive me round.

It may sound like sarcasm but going by your logic..........wouldn't that be right ?