Leaving the EU?

angrypirate

"The letter in the Indy has been put together by Roland Rudd, a corporate lobbyist who heads the Euro-integrationist pressure group Britain in Europe, which has spent a decade campaigning to join the euro. (How’s that working out, by the way, Roland?) Look at the names below his. Sir Andrew Cahn was Neil Kinnock’s Chef de Cabinet in Brussels. Lord Kerr and Sir Nigel Sheinwald are both diplomats whose careers peaked when they headed UKREP: Britain’s permanent representative office in the EU. These men, in other words, are not just bogus businessmen; they are Eurocrats."

Full article here
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100217867/the-pro-eu-campaign-is-reduced-to-dressing-up-eurocrats-as-businessmen/

Thrugelmir

BobQ wrote: »

True but are their opinions any the less valid on the subject of whether its a good idea to leave or stay in the EU?

Sorrell based WPP outside of the Uk to avoid paying high rates of Corporation tax. So do his interests lie in his share options or for the betterment of the British people?

wotsthat

Graham_Devon wrote: »

The EU allows companies to do what they are doing. That resuilts in lower revnue for the UK.

It seems that Apple don't pay any tax in the US which results in lower revenues for the US treasury. They ought to leave the EU.

Graham_Devon

wotsthat wrote: »

It seems that Apple don't pay any tax in the US which results in lower revenues for the US treasury. They ought to leave the EU.

The thing is wotsthat, all you seem capable is these sort of silly arguments which don't actually provide any substatial points.

wotsthat

Graham_Devon wrote: »

The thing is wotsthat, all you seem capable is these sort of silly arguments which don't actually provide any substatial points.

It cuts through your 'logic' though - if Apple didn't pay tax in the UK (apparently they don't) you'd say the EU allowed it.

If non-EU countries have exactly the same issues with tax avoidance it's a 'silly argument'.

Thrugelmir

wotsthat wrote: »

It cuts through your 'logic' though - if Apple didn't pay tax in the UK (apparently they don't) you'd say the EU allowed it.

If non-EU countries have exactly the same issues with tax avoidance it's a 'silly argument'.

Appears that Apple are non tax resident in any Country. Thanks to the tax laws of Eire. The issues are far closer to home than the Virgin Islands. Tax losses in the USA are estimated at $10 billion dollars a year. Be interesting to see if the EU probes US Corporations tax affairs.

RJP33

wotsthat wrote: »

It cuts through your 'logic' though - if Apple didn't pay tax in the UK (apparently they don't) you'd say the EU allowed it.

If non-EU countries have exactly the same issues with tax avoidance it's a 'silly argument'.

There are two different issues here - one is the EU rules allows Amazon, for example, to report sales through Luxembourg thus avoiding UK VAT.

The second is where the 'permanent residence' of companies is, and how they use it to avoid corporation tax on profits, and creating non-existent coss. This would need to be tackled globally.

wotsthat

RJP33 wrote: »

There are two different issues here - one is the EU rules allows Amazon, for example, to report sales through Luxembourg thus avoiding UK VAT.

The second is where the 'permanent residence' of companies is, and how they use it to avoid corporation tax on profits, and creating non-existent coss. This would need to be tackled globally.

If I was hanging my hat on an EU exit then corporate taxation would be an area I'd avoid. Nothing would change substantially as it's unlikely that the current international agreements would look much different just because the UK had left the EU.

What bemuses me is that most of the issues are within the UK's gift to do something about it.

Amazon - pay little or no tax in the UK because most of their activity is in Luxembourg - that does't sound true to me but presumably HMRC were convinced?

Starbucks - pay little or no tax in the UK (or Germany I'm hearing) because they transfer legitimate royalties offshore - I'm not convinced that these are totally legitimate but presumably HMRC were convinced?

A few ways to deal with this. Governments could reduce corporate tax rates (the EU 'allow' this), get better tax experts in HMRC and prove Amazon are lying about where activity takes place.

Google is next on the hitlist - they're running rings around the world's tax authorities. It's really nothing to do with whether we are in or out of the EU.

Graham_Devon

wotsthat wrote: »

It cuts through your 'logic' though - if Apple didn't pay tax in the UK (apparently they don't) you'd say the EU allowed it.

If non-EU countries have exactly the same issues with tax avoidance it's a 'silly argument'.

It doesn't, as you are simply trying too hard to trip me up. In the meantime, as the other 2 posters have pointed out, you are finding you are wrong in what you state.

We all know the EU allows companies to set up their tax affairs to their advantage. Why you have issue with me stating this I don't know.

We all know that if the UK left the EU, Amazon EU Sarl would not exist in this country. Amazon UK would (presuming they would want to trade with us).

As I said before, you cannot complain leaving the EU would be bad for business, and then try and trip me up by saying "so why will business need to change".

Graham_Devon

Conviniently, theres a BBC news article out today.

Describes how tax avoidance in the UK can be achieved by routing sales through Eire (EU). This is just Google.

Have a read wotsthat. If we were out of the EU, this situation would be in our hands. As it is, we cannot do anything....bar doing what Cameron is doing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22620615

Even Mr Milliband backs it....as I know you don't like Cameron....

Mr Miliband, speaking at the Google Big Tent event in Hertfordshire, will say: "I can't be the only person here who feels disappointed that such a great company as Google, with such great founding principles, would be reduced to arguing that when it employs thousands of people in Britain, makes billions of pounds of revenue in Britain, but pays just a fraction of that in tax.