Our response to their PR
Posted on Sun 6th Feb 2011, 9:20pmWhile doing press work over the past three months we have noticed that journalists never ask us for any response on what the companies we have targeted have said in response to our protests.
So, we offer them here...
PHILIP GREEN
What we said: "Philip Green sits on a personal wealth of some £4bn and yet has registered his business into his wife's name, who lives in the tax-haven of Monaco. Therefore, in 2005, when he paid himself a whopping dividend of £1.2bn he managed to avoid £285m in tax. Despite this, David Cameron seems to think he is an appropriate man to advise the government on austerity."
What he said: No comment
What he said earlier in 2010: "I employ 45,000 people and have paid tens and tens of millions of pounds of tax over the past five years"
What we say: "Philip Green does not employ people out of a philanthropic intent. He employs people to make him money. As soon as he thinks that an employee is returning him less profit than it costs him, they will be fired. Plus, you cannot dominate a market, by taking over brands or by destroying independent retailers and then have the cheek to highlight how many people you employ and how much tax you pay. Those employees and tax contributions would have just belonged to someone else. Nor have we ever said he pays no tax, we have said that he tries to minimise his tax bill. That still stands. Why does Philip Green think that £285m is better in his wife's bank account than in public services?
VODAFONE
What we said: "Vodafone have managed to get away with paying £6bn in tax after 'settling' with HMRC after a decade long disupte.
What they said: "We pay all the tax that we are required to in Britain, we do not owe any tax, and the £6bn figure is an 'urban myth'.
What we say: "Vodafone do indeed pay all the tax that they are 'required' to. To do otherwise would be to evade tax. We have accused Vodafone of tax avoidance. You can be a tax avoider and still say that you pay the tax that you are 'required' to. It is also technically true that Vodafone does not owe HMRC anything because they reached a 'settlement', where the money that was once owed has since been wiped off. We are saying that it should not have been wiped and Vodafone should pay it.
As for the £6bn figure being an "urban myth". Richard Brookes who wrote the Private Eye investigation that came up with the £6bn figure used to be a senior HMRC corporate tax inspector and knew the case well. While Tesco took legal action over the Guardian's wrongful accusations of a £1bn tax dodge, Vodafone have not made any attempts to get the Private-eye investigation removed, despite the fact that it has sparked protests that are clearly impacting on their business. Vodafone have not provided any actual evidence of the deal made with HMRC. We absolutely welcome full tax transparency for corporations, just like ordinary people. Unsurprisingly, corporations and their accountants do not support transparency. Until actual evidence is provided to support saying the £6bn figure is wrong, the protests will continue.
BOOTS
What we said: "Boots Alliance, the owners of Boots have registered the company to a postbox in Switzerland. As a result they pay about 3% tax, therefore managing to avoid up to £100m in tax per year."
What they said: [we have moved to Switzerland because] "in the longer term we believe it will better reflect the increasingly international nature of our wider group...Boots has contributed to the UK's finances through increased business rates and national insurance contributions resulting from the expansion of the brand.
What we say: Apologies, we didn't realise that postboxs were a leading light in international business and language. We have never said Boots contributes absolutely nothing to the public purse, but Boots cannot deny that it is trying to minimise the contributions it makes to this country at a time when we face the deepest cuts since 1919. That is of course despite the fact that the Boots brand was built off the back of a century and a half of British labour and services. Boots pay 3% tax, which is probably less than the office and in-store cleaners pay out of their wages.
PHILIP GREEN
What we said: "Philip Green sits on a personal wealth of some £4bn and yet has registered his business into his wife's name, who lives in the tax-haven of Monaco. Therefore, in 2005, when he paid himself a whopping dividend of £1.2bn he managed to avoid £285m in tax. Despite this, David Cameron seems to think he is an appropriate man to advise the government on austerity."
What he said: No comment
What he said earlier in 2010: "I employ 45,000 people and have paid tens and tens of millions of pounds of tax over the past five years"
What we say: "Philip Green does not employ people out of a philanthropic intent. He employs people to make him money. As soon as he thinks that an employee is returning him less profit than it costs him, they will be fired. Plus, you cannot dominate a market, by taking over brands or by destroying independent retailers and then have the cheek to highlight how many people you employ and how much tax you pay. Those employees and tax contributions would have just belonged to someone else. Nor have we ever said he pays no tax, we have said that he tries to minimise his tax bill. That still stands. Why does Philip Green think that £285m is better in his wife's bank account than in public services?
VODAFONE
What we said: "Vodafone have managed to get away with paying £6bn in tax after 'settling' with HMRC after a decade long disupte.
What they said: "We pay all the tax that we are required to in Britain, we do not owe any tax, and the £6bn figure is an 'urban myth'.
What we say: "Vodafone do indeed pay all the tax that they are 'required' to. To do otherwise would be to evade tax. We have accused Vodafone of tax avoidance. You can be a tax avoider and still say that you pay the tax that you are 'required' to. It is also technically true that Vodafone does not owe HMRC anything because they reached a 'settlement', where the money that was once owed has since been wiped off. We are saying that it should not have been wiped and Vodafone should pay it.
As for the £6bn figure being an "urban myth". Richard Brookes who wrote the Private Eye investigation that came up with the £6bn figure used to be a senior HMRC corporate tax inspector and knew the case well. While Tesco took legal action over the Guardian's wrongful accusations of a £1bn tax dodge, Vodafone have not made any attempts to get the Private-eye investigation removed, despite the fact that it has sparked protests that are clearly impacting on their business. Vodafone have not provided any actual evidence of the deal made with HMRC. We absolutely welcome full tax transparency for corporations, just like ordinary people. Unsurprisingly, corporations and their accountants do not support transparency. Until actual evidence is provided to support saying the £6bn figure is wrong, the protests will continue.
BOOTS
What we said: "Boots Alliance, the owners of Boots have registered the company to a postbox in Switzerland. As a result they pay about 3% tax, therefore managing to avoid up to £100m in tax per year."
What they said: [we have moved to Switzerland because] "in the longer term we believe it will better reflect the increasingly international nature of our wider group...Boots has contributed to the UK's finances through increased business rates and national insurance contributions resulting from the expansion of the brand.
What we say: Apologies, we didn't realise that postboxs were a leading light in international business and language. We have never said Boots contributes absolutely nothing to the public purse, but Boots cannot deny that it is trying to minimise the contributions it makes to this country at a time when we face the deepest cuts since 1919. That is of course despite the fact that the Boots brand was built off the back of a century and a half of British labour and services. Boots pay 3% tax, which is probably less than the office and in-store cleaners pay out of their wages.
Press release: UK Uncut condemns political policing at peaceful protest
Posted on Sun 30th Jan 2011, 3:47pm30/01/2011
UKUNCUT
Tel: 07591 992825
www.ukuncut.org.uk
Twitter: @ukuncut
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UK UNCUT CONDEMNS POLITICAL POLICING AT PEACEFUL PROTEST
UK Uncut is issuing a statement condemning the use of pepper spray by police on a peaceful UK Uncut protest on Oxford Street this afternoon.
Before 15:00 outside Boots on Oxford Street a female activist tried to push a leaflet through the closed door of Boots explaining the details of Boots' tax avoidance to the staff.
A police officer then arrested the individual for "criminal damage". Around 20 people tried to help the female being arrested and 10 were subsequently pepper sprayed. Three people have been taken to hospital.
Anna Williams who saw the incident said "I condemn the violent behaviour of the police who have attacked a peaceful protest against tax avoidance, with three people being taken away in an ambulance."
she continued, "This is yet another example of political policing that is about protecting corporate interests and not those of ordinary people. We will not however be intimidated off the streets! We have a right to protest when the government are making unnecessary cuts that will hit the poorest in our society the hardest."
ENDS
This twitpic shows one of the people that were pepper sprayed http://twitpic.com/3uvph0
UK UNCUT CONDEMNS POLITICAL POLICING AT PEACEFUL PROTEST
UK Uncut is issuing a statement condemning the use of pepper spray by police on a peaceful UK Uncut protest on Oxford Street this afternoon.
Before 15:00 outside Boots on Oxford Street a female activist tried to push a leaflet through the closed door of Boots explaining the details of Boots' tax avoidance to the staff.
A police officer then arrested the individual for "criminal damage". Around 20 people tried to help the female being arrested and 10 were subsequently pepper sprayed. Three people have been taken to hospital.
Anna Williams who saw the incident said "I condemn the violent behaviour of the police who have attacked a peaceful protest against tax avoidance, with three people being taken away in an ambulance."
she continued, "This is yet another example of political policing that is about protecting corporate interests and not those of ordinary people. We will not however be intimidated off the streets! We have a right to protest when the government are making unnecessary cuts that will hit the poorest in our society the hardest."
ENDS
This twitpic shows one of the people that were pepper sprayed http://twitpic.com/3uvph0
Press release: UK Uncut shut down Boots and target Tesco over tax avoidance
Posted on Sun 30th Jan 2011, 2:15pm30/01/2011
UKUNCUT
Tel: 07591 992825
www.ukuncut.org.uk
Twitter: @ukuncut
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UK UNCUT SHUT DOWN BOOTS AND TARGET TESCO OVER TAX AVOIDANCE On the day before the tax return deadline UK Uncut’s Big Society Revenue and Customs have taken to the streets once again calling on wealthy tax avoiders to pay their tax.
Up to 30 protests took place around, with many focusing their anger at Boots and Tesco. On Oxford Street, around 150 activists dressed as Doctors and Nurses occupied and shut down the large Boots store. They chanted "save the nhs".
Boots have moved their Boots Alliance HQ to a postbox in the Swiss town of Zug, where they now pay around 3% tax to the UK public purse. It is estimated that this is costing the tax payer £100m per year [1] .
Walkers Crips and Cadbury products were also removed off the shelves of Tesco in central London [2]. Tesco have avoided over £100m through using complex offshore holding vehicles and partnerships [3]. Kraft have moved the Cadbury HQ to Switzerland which is estimated to cost the tax payer £60m [4]. Walkers Crisps, despite priding themselves on having 100% British Crisps, have had their HQ registered in Switzerland which is estimated to cost the British tax payer between £10 - 20m every single year [5].
The group has said that the day will “ram home the message that the cuts are ideological and unnecessary”. They are also pointing out that the government will fine ordinary people who miss the deadline for self-assessment tax returns, which are due on the day after the protests, whilst Big Business and wealthy individuals that avoid tax through complex systems of offshore trusts, accounts, partnerships and subsidiaries are rarely held to account. The groups previous days of action on the 27th, 30th October and 4th and 18th of December have seen thousands of ordinary people creatively targeting tax-dodgers such as Vodafone and Philip Green. Previous actions have included a ‘read-in’ in Vodafone, confronting cuts to libraries and a ‘sports day’ in Top Shop highlighting cuts to schools sports programmes [6]. Samina Fiaz from UKuncut said, “We are clearly not all in this together. The cuts that will hit the poorest in our society the hardest are a political choice, there is an alternative.”
She continued, “Whilst we rush to complete our tax return forms, rich corporations and individuals are getting away with shirking £25bn of tax every single year, and yet the government is barely lifting a finger to stop it.” [7]
Ben Day said “On Sunday, we will go knocking on the doors of corporate demanding that they pay. We will not let these unfair and unnecessary cuts happen without a fight”
ENDS For more information and interview please call: 07591 992825 Email ukuncut@gmail.com The locations are as follows: assembly details are shown on the ukuncut website www.ukuncut.org.uk/actions
Notes to Editors
[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/11/boots-switzerland-uk [2] http://twitpic.com/3uudrd [3] http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/targets [4] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1335774/Cadburys-Swiss-avoid-British-tax-cost-Treasury-60-million-year.html [5] http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/05/tax-gap-walkers [6] http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/targets [7] Richard Murphy, a long standing and respected campaigner on the issue of tax-avoidance has produced a report stating that 25bn is lost to the public purse by tax avoidance. £13bn through individuals. £12bn through large corporations. http://www.tuc.org.uk/touchstone/Missingbillions/1missingbillions.pdf
UK UNCUT SHUT DOWN BOOTS AND TARGET TESCO OVER TAX AVOIDANCE On the day before the tax return deadline UK Uncut’s Big Society Revenue and Customs have taken to the streets once again calling on wealthy tax avoiders to pay their tax.
Up to 30 protests took place around, with many focusing their anger at Boots and Tesco. On Oxford Street, around 150 activists dressed as Doctors and Nurses occupied and shut down the large Boots store. They chanted "save the nhs".
Boots have moved their Boots Alliance HQ to a postbox in the Swiss town of Zug, where they now pay around 3% tax to the UK public purse. It is estimated that this is costing the tax payer £100m per year [1] .
Walkers Crips and Cadbury products were also removed off the shelves of Tesco in central London [2]. Tesco have avoided over £100m through using complex offshore holding vehicles and partnerships [3]. Kraft have moved the Cadbury HQ to Switzerland which is estimated to cost the tax payer £60m [4]. Walkers Crisps, despite priding themselves on having 100% British Crisps, have had their HQ registered in Switzerland which is estimated to cost the British tax payer between £10 - 20m every single year [5].
The group has said that the day will “ram home the message that the cuts are ideological and unnecessary”. They are also pointing out that the government will fine ordinary people who miss the deadline for self-assessment tax returns, which are due on the day after the protests, whilst Big Business and wealthy individuals that avoid tax through complex systems of offshore trusts, accounts, partnerships and subsidiaries are rarely held to account. The groups previous days of action on the 27th, 30th October and 4th and 18th of December have seen thousands of ordinary people creatively targeting tax-dodgers such as Vodafone and Philip Green. Previous actions have included a ‘read-in’ in Vodafone, confronting cuts to libraries and a ‘sports day’ in Top Shop highlighting cuts to schools sports programmes [6]. Samina Fiaz from UKuncut said, “We are clearly not all in this together. The cuts that will hit the poorest in our society the hardest are a political choice, there is an alternative.”
She continued, “Whilst we rush to complete our tax return forms, rich corporations and individuals are getting away with shirking £25bn of tax every single year, and yet the government is barely lifting a finger to stop it.” [7]
Ben Day said “On Sunday, we will go knocking on the doors of corporate demanding that they pay. We will not let these unfair and unnecessary cuts happen without a fight”
ENDS For more information and interview please call: 07591 992825 Email ukuncut@gmail.com The locations are as follows: assembly details are shown on the ukuncut website www.ukuncut.org.uk/actions
Notes to Editors
[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/11/boots-switzerland-uk [2] http://twitpic.com/3uudrd [3] http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/targets [4] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1335774/Cadburys-Swiss-avoid-British-tax-cost-Treasury-60-million-year.html [5] http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/05/tax-gap-walkers [6] http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/targets [7] Richard Murphy, a long standing and respected campaigner on the issue of tax-avoidance has produced a report stating that 25bn is lost to the public purse by tax avoidance. £13bn through individuals. £12bn through large corporations. http://www.tuc.org.uk/touchstone/Missingbillions/1missingbillions.pdf