gj, and others, you are failing to understand the salient point: Specsavers, Starbucks, etc are paying tax as they should, i.e. what the law says they must pay. It is tax law that is at fault for not making them pay more than they do and that is not the fault of anyone but our politicians.
Point taken thatbags- and yet! Why should I go to Starbucks and drink their coffee (crappy anahow, but that is besides the point) and eat their dried up industrial cakes- knowing they will not pay FAIR tax- when I can go to the small independent Café around the corner and have delicious coffee and fresh home made cake (I know this is irrelevant too, re tax)- and know that they have NO choice but to pay tax at much higher rate. I'll support them all the way everytime. It is so unfair that small businesses have to pay full tax and large ones get away with not.
We can vote with our feet, and put pressure on those businesses- if the government won't- and it HAS A HUGE EFFECT on the attitude of those businesses when they see their profits go down the pan.