How much tax did you pay last year?



They are paying a huge amount of taxation - they are not cheating the exchequer they are simple using the loop holes available in the law. Close the loop holes don't blame companies from using the loop holes!! To say they are cheating the poorest in society is a bit rich - their contributions to tax revenue is massive - perhaps if the public sector weren't quite so wasteful then there would be more of the Tesco tax revenue for poorest and most vulnerable!!



I bet your accountant ensures you pay the maximum you can in tax!! it is this hypocritical stance that loses you what little credibility you have.

You really cannot be this stupid!!

So answer a few basic questions - maybe you can get a Graham to hold your hand!!



1. So how did Ed Milliband get elected as leader of the labour party?

2. What taxes are Tescos witholding against the laws set out!!

3. If you increased fuel duty by 50p a litre do you think you tax take would go up or down!!



Your idea that you can just tax to the hilt and everyone will simply comply is nieve beyond belief - if I had a company the last thing I would want to do is give it to the government so they can waste a good majority in services with union dictated working conditions. I would much rather spend the money on my own business where it will get much better value.

You do know it is one or the other dont you?

They are either avoiding paying the right amount of tax (cheating the exchequer and using loop holes) or they arn't (Paying all the tax they are due to pay and not using loop holes) .

Which one is it?

Did you miss the increase in VAT as well as the widening of what it can be added to?

Did you miss the anouncement that 9p (Yes 9p) will be added to fuel duty by Aug 2012?



The poorest where given a tax break but add all that to the pot and they are really either no better off or it is hardly worth noticing.



Whilst the rest are being screwed to the wall.



Ah so we are back to your idea that workers should just shut up and work with no recourse if they are being wronged by their employer.

This will hardly come as a shock as you are on a diffrent planet most of the rest of us.



All in it together unless you own big buisiness or are the CEO of a big company or work for the government.



Apparently some of us can.

Quote Sal Paradise="Sal Paradise"maybe you can get a Graham to hold your hand!!'" Who? Quote Sal Paradise="Sal Paradise"1. So how did Ed Milliband get elected as leader of the labour party?'" All you need to know here - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Par ... tion,_2010 Quote Sal Paradise="Sal Paradise"3. If you increased fuel duty by 50p a litre do you think you tax take would go up or down!!'" Straw man alert... You can not avoid fuel duty in the same way you can many other taxes.

Quote Sal Paradise="Sal Paradise"maybe you can get a Graham to hold your hand!!'" Who? Quote Sal Paradise="Sal Paradise"1. So how did Ed Milliband get elected as leader of the labour party?'" All you need to know here - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Par ... tion,_2010 Quote Sal Paradise="Sal Paradise"3. If you increased fuel duty by 50p a litre do you think you tax take would go up or down!!'" Straw man alert... You can not avoid fuel duty in the same way you can many other taxes.

Totally irrelevant but proportionately more than Tesco







My accountant ensures I pay what is due, without having to offshore any of my operations in order to avoid paying UK tax.



Oh BTW the £864 millions was the group's total tax paid, that will include taxes in other countries, not just the UK

Quote Big Graeme="Big Graeme"All you need to know here - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Par ... tion,_2010'" Poor old Dave really got screwed, didn't he? Quote Big Graeme="cod'ead"My accountant ensures I pay what is due'" And Tesco's accountants ensure they pay what is due. A few salient points for those who didn't read the article: Quote Big Graeme"These placements are not a substitute for full-time employees."'" Quote Big Graeme"We have since reminded our stores that they must continue our normal work placement policy, which means they will take on candidates only when there is a chance of a permanent role at the end of the placement."'" Quote Big GraemeHe was working at Tesco with two other young unemployed people [iwho did get a job[/i at the end of their placement.'" So the companies say that the positions are only made available when there is the possibility of taking people on full time as a result and the anecdotal evidence provided backs this up.

Quote Big Graeme="Big Graeme"All you need to know here - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Par ... tion,_2010'" Poor old Dave really got screwed, didn't he? Quote Big Graeme="cod'ead"My accountant ensures I pay what is due'" And Tesco's accountants ensure they pay what is due. A few salient points for those who didn't read the article: Quote Big Graeme"These placements are not a substitute for full-time employees."'" Quote Big Graeme"We have since reminded our stores that they must continue our normal work placement policy, which means they will take on candidates only when there is a chance of a permanent role at the end of the placement."'" Quote Big GraemeHe was working at Tesco with two other young unemployed people [iwho did get a job[/i at the end of their placement.'" So the companies say that the positions are only made available when there is the possibility of taking people on full time as a result and the anecdotal evidence provided backs this up.

No. Tesco's accountants ensure the company pays what it can get away with paying.



Just as with Vodaphone's accountants ensuring they get to have a nice chat with the revenue to pay a lower amount than what had been due.

They pay what is due. They don't pay what isn't due. If they take steps, within the law, to reduce what is due then there is nothing wrong with that. Just like there is nothing wrong with me reducing the amount of income tax I pay by using salary sacrifice to pay into my pension.

In the tax debate I do think that governments have to be careful with legislation, the unfortunate reality at the moment is that we have a market that dictates ever increasing profits rather than just profits. Large employers (like supermarkets) come under tremendous pressure to cut jobs if profits and revenue don't perform in a certain way, and I know profits are quoted pre-tax, but if the likes of Tesco were taxed more heavily by closing loopholes then they would have to spend more revenue and potentially face reduced profits.

However, I don't think our tax system is used correctly to balance out who you take from, taxing an employee is easier because it doesn't make him unemployed, taxing his employer might result in that. There has to be a bit of balance in it and there have to be corporate taxes that can be raised without the ability to avoid them in some way (legal or not) and also targetted personal taxation for those who can afford an extra few quid (like myself) have to be used.



Then of course we could go complete bat $h!t crazy and blame trade unions for giving us (I say "us" but I've never actually been a member of a trade union) all too high a standard of living and running the country every time we have a Labour government.

Those two are not "just like" each other at all.

The first is taking advantage of the unintended consequences of an unplugged hole, the second is using a deliberately-provided encouragement.

They are exactly the same thing. The government uses taxation to try and influence behaviour. People and companies change their behaviour in order to benefit from tax breaks. If these behaviour changes are not what the government intended then the problem lies with the tax breaks not with the people and companies.



It is crazy to suggest that people and companies should have some kind of psychic ability to determine the intent behind the tax rules and only seek benefit from some of them

.