A third of Britons are currently boycotting the products or services of a company because it ‘does not pay its fair share of tax’ in the UK, according to a ComRes survey commissioned by Christian Aid. Almost half said they were considering a boycott.
Christian Aid said the poll suggested that ‘public outrage appears to be growing following recent revelations about the remarkably small amount of UK tax paid by some multinationals’.
‘Two out of three (66%) Britons now believe tax avoidance to be morally wrong, according to this latest survey – up 10 percentage points from when people were asked the same question in August 2012. And a remarkable four out of five respondents (80%) say that multinationals’ tax avoidance makes them feel angry,’ the charity said in a press release.
‘But there is also public concern that the UK government needs to do what it reasonably can about multinationals’ impact on the rest of the world, the survey found. Almost three-quarters (72%) of people agreed the government has a responsibility to ensure that all UK-based companies pay the proper amount of tax in every country in which they operate, and eight out of ten people (84%) want to see multinationals’ accounts more transparent and publicly available.’
'Loopholes'
For the purpose of the survey ComRes defined tax avoidance as ‘the use of legal loopholes to alter a person or company’s financial position in order to lower the amount of tax that they are obliged to pay’.
ComRes noted that ‘this differs from tax evasion where a person or organisation does not pay tax by illegal methods’.
Some tax experts have been critical of recent statements made by some tax campaigners and politicians, on the grounds that an unduly wide definition of ‘avoidance’ or ‘loophole’ has been adopted.
Tax professionals have pointed out that some so-called ‘loopholes’ are tax incentives enacted by governments in order to attract investment, and that the use of such incentives is not technically ‘avoidance’ at all.
A third of Britons are currently boycotting the products or services of a company because it ‘does not pay its fair share of tax’ in the UK, according to a ComRes survey commissioned by Christian Aid. Almost half said they were considering a boycott.
Christian Aid said the poll suggested that ‘public outrage appears to be growing following recent revelations about the remarkably small amount of UK tax paid by some multinationals’.
‘Two out of three (66%) Britons now believe tax avoidance to be morally wrong, according to this latest survey – up 10 percentage points from when people were asked the same question in August 2012. And a remarkable four out of five respondents (80%) say that multinationals’ tax avoidance makes them feel angry,’ the charity said in a press release.
‘But there is also public concern that the UK government needs to do what it reasonably can about multinationals’ impact on the rest of the world, the survey found. Almost three-quarters (72%) of people agreed the government has a responsibility to ensure that all UK-based companies pay the proper amount of tax in every country in which they operate, and eight out of ten people (84%) want to see multinationals’ accounts more transparent and publicly available.’
'Loopholes'
For the purpose of the survey ComRes defined tax avoidance as ‘the use of legal loopholes to alter a person or company’s financial position in order to lower the amount of tax that they are obliged to pay’.
ComRes noted that ‘this differs from tax evasion where a person or organisation does not pay tax by illegal methods’.
Some tax experts have been critical of recent statements made by some tax campaigners and politicians, on the grounds that an unduly wide definition of ‘avoidance’ or ‘loophole’ has been adopted.
Tax professionals have pointed out that some so-called ‘loopholes’ are tax incentives enacted by governments in order to attract investment, and that the use of such incentives is not technically ‘avoidance’ at all.
