An urgent plea has gone to Chancellor George Osborne asking for the government to publish online a list of all those major companies who pay no corporation tax on their profits made in the UK because they are registered in tax havens.
It is the latest development in the boycott campaign against Caffe Nero in Marlborough launched by independent town councillor and local activist Val Compton in the wake of the outcry against Google, Amazon, Starbucks and others who make multi-million profits in the UK.
Caffe Nero, which made record profits of £39.9 million last year, has come in for even more criticism because of the cost to the community of public inquiries being held after it opens new outlets without seeking initial planning consent, then appeals when permission is refused.
And Claire Perry, Marlborough’s Tory MP, has joined in the campaign against Caffe Nero, who opened in the High Street in April without planning permission, after receiving a letter from Councillor Compton seeking her political support.
Mrs Perry is personally writing to the chief executive of Caffe Nero, which faces a public inquiry at Marlborough town hall on January 15, and has advised Councillor Compton to write directly to the Chancellor.
And Councillor Compton has now told the Chancellor: “The public would benefit from a complete list of companies to be published online by the government, in order that many of us who wish to shop only with ethical, well behaved companies, can easily check.”
“We can then choose retailers who will be benefiting this country by the proper and rightful payment of tax. Other ethical standards such as the sourcing of goods etc, is covered in various publications. It is the use of tax avoidance and evasion that should be made clear.”
And she declares: “The tax situation for the very poorest in the community generally has no wriggle room for non-payment whatsoever. Why should these huge bully empires feed off the expertise of armies of accountants and lawyers who actively search for every available loophole to avoid supporting the country in which they trade?”
“It is so morally wrong and unacceptable that we need, as a nation, to stand together and say, ‘Enough is enough – our business will go elsewhere,’ whilst the government tackle what will be a prolonged process of shutting down loopholes and collecting the tax.”
“In the immortal words contain in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado – I would like to hear you, George Osborne, say, ‘I’ve got them on a list.’”
“The song goes on to mention ‘Society offenders who might well be underground’, I really can’t think of anything more appropriate for 2013. This could be an all time hit with a small amount of re-writing.”
Councillor Compton points out to the Chancellor the fury that has followed the case of Starbucks and that it was only when the public turned their backs on the coffee chain that Starbucks offered £20 million over two years.
She adds: Here in Marlborough, we are dealing with a smaller version of Starbucks in Caffe Nero, who pay no corporation tax on their last record earnings of £39.9 million because they are registered in the tax haven of the Isle of Man and also in Luxembourg.
“But their escape from paying corporation tax is equally matched by their arrogant attitude to the planning regulations, opening new outlets without gaining planning consent in advance (which unfortunately also happens to be legal) and then seeking retrospective approval once they are up and running and have made their mark.”
“The arrogant attitude means that the community is forced to pay for planning inquiries to be held when Caffe Nero appeals against refusal, in this case for change of use, by the local authority.”
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