The EU debate - Part II

It goes to show that austerity has politically driven motives, not purely economic ones.

 

• Unfortunately he is on his one show touring Hull comedy clubs

 

I'm not sure about that. Austerity is your word, not mine.

However, we are talking about what are nowadays some of the very largest corporations in the world. They can very easily afford to pay an equitable amount of tax for the privelige of conducting their business from the UK.

To do otherwise is just pure, indefensible greed.

Having said this, the idiotic vote to leave mainstream Europe may mean they will leave anyway.

 

It's the Tories whole mantra, not my word. And as I've pointed out there are other ways of reducing the deficit, including clamping down on tax avoidance which cost the UK £119bn ! Punishing the poor through austerity, public service cuts, bedroom tax and a desire to abolish working tax credits (successfully downed by Corbyn) are politically motivated policies, rather than simply economic ones.

 

The problem is that international capital, which is most of it nowadays, is vastly more transient. And these are truly global corporations. With modern communications, corporations don't have to be located anywhere. They will locate where it suits them best. It's why Ireland has such a low - 16% - rate of corp tax. There are plans for the UK to follow by lowering to around 20%.

The reasoning behind this, which people like Healey failed to realise many years ago is, better 20% of something quite big, than 40-50% of **** all.

Which is what they'll get if these companies do relocate. Another reason I'm pissed off about this bloody silly Brexit idea!

 

That's a cop out in my opinion. Telling Corporations that they only have to pay a little bit to 'incentivise' them to pay, rather than the full amount that they owe is simply bending over backwards and letting the country take a shafting. Politicians should be much tougher on corporate taxation and ban companies from operating in the UK if they don't pay their fair share. Far from relocating, they would **** themselves and cough up. There's no way a company like Starbucks is going to forgo its UK market if they were told that they had to pay their full tax liabilities.

 

So when is the Dover airport expected to be finished?

 

Only a sith deals in absolutes

Although in this case...

It was a nod to the ideology of right wing George Dubya Bush.

 

Starbucks, I'll agree with you. Different kind of business. Although even they may go if the burden is too high.

But companies, like those I mentioned, can relocate very easily.

As I said earlier, there a very good reason Ireland has such a low rate of corp tax. In my view, that's the way for the UK to go post Brexit. Keep your rate amongst the lowest to say 'we're here to do business' but expect that it's paid, not evaded!

Something Corbyn would never go for, of course!....

 

Which companies ? You didn't mention any.

 

Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc....

 

If Google, Facebook and Amazon were told that they could not operate in the UK unless they paid their fair share of tax, they would pay it ! There is absolutely no chance that they would pull their UK operations, it is far too profitable for them.

 

How are you going to stop internet companies? Do what China and North Korea do, and block them out.??

Mind you, I can see Kaiser Jezza going for that one!...

 

Facebook, Google and Amazon have huge UK based operations, it's not just the actual internet pages that appear in the UK. Where do you think all of that stuff you buy on Amazon.co.uk comes from ? They all employ thousands of UK based staff and their profits from their UK operations are huge. If they were told that they could not operate in the UK unless they paid their fair share of tax, they would pay it. They only reason they don't is because politicians are too **** scared of big business.

HSBC threatened to leave the UK when a tax was levied on their bank, but it was all bluster and guff, because they knew that the UK market was too profitable for them. It's the same with Facebook, Google and Amazon.

 

Are Facebook, Google or Amazon any good at building airports?

 

Most of the stuff you buy comes from Europe - Luxembourg, I believe. That's certainly where everything I've bought from Amazon
came from.

They can very easily cease to employ and pay ****loads of UK staff. Let's not forget that we are talking about some of the very largest and wealthiest corporations on the planet - truly global businesses. It's nothing for them to relocate if you make the business environment unfriendly.

These guys run businesses that are not only truly global, but completely transient. Yes, it's convenient for them to operate from the UK - at the moment - but as alluded to earlier, even that may change with the Brexit vote.

It's an increasingly competitive world we live in. The U.K. Must compete business wise, or die! Living in the 1970's, as Corbyn and his allies seem determined to do, will destroy what's left of the economy in the UK.

 

Have you got some sort of Dover fetish?..

 

I didn't mention Dover then

 

Maybe once....

 

Nope, Amazon has 8 UK based warehouses. They have massive UK based operations. Amazon has just bought a 15 story building in central London to house it's 1,700 corporate staff. Their European based company is located in Luxembourg, but that is exactly why the don't pay their fair share of UK tax, it's got nothing to do with their actual physical operations being based in Luxembourg.

There is no way Amazon are going to ditch their UK share of the market, it is far too profitable for them. This is why politicians should ensure that they pay their fair share of UK tax. But as I've said they are **** scared of Corporate power as they are in the pockets of the Corporate executives.