“We could do lots of averages but let us be generous and assume that the average rate for the period is 25%. That would mean that on its estimated £7.2bn UK profit Google should have paid corporation tax of £1.8bn. At best, it paid about £200m. That is an estimated shortfall of £1.6bn – lots of nurses and teachers, and probably bigger than the yield from the bedroom tax.
“Osborne will probably chicken out of explaining and say that the Treasury does not discuss individual tax payments but they have instigated this by talking about it, so that is out of the window.”
This was written by Prem Sikka, a tax expert.
If Google had paid its tax morally, the bedroom tax would not have been needed.
How many other companies like Google need to look at the morality of paying tax?
It seems odd to me that the two people who are in charge of politics in this country both benefit from the tax regime that they will not change.
It is definitely a question of morality, not the law. Cameron and Osborne have changed lots of laws, and will change lots more before they leave office.