Introducing Tax Avoiding HuffPo Luxembourg
HuffPoUK have jumped on the tax status exposé bandwagon, lambasting those terrible internet companies for avoiding tax:
Top 5 internet companies paying minimal corporation tax in the UK huff.to/VU0yXE—
HuffPost UK (@HuffPostUK) October 11, 2012
At least they have been gracious enough to admit AOL does not make it into the top five companies on the internet. Guido wonders though, would that by any chance be the same HuffPo UK that is owned by AOL Limited, whose parent company is the Luxembourg-registered AOL Europe Société à responsabilité limitée?
The HuffPoUK exposé makes clear the benefits of such an arrangement:
“Amazon, the UK’s most popular shopping site, generated £3.2 million in UK profits last year yet managed to pay zero corporation tax as its European headquarters are registered in the tax haven of Luxembourg.”
Loads of media organisations have similar set ups, though most would not be so stupid as to throw stones from inside Arianna’s glasshouse. There was no byline on the post – it seems whoever wrote it is ashamed to put their name to the: Biggest Piece of Hypocrisy Ever Seen on the Internet.™
UPDATE:
Richard Murphy, who describes Luxembourg as the "best friends of tax criminals in Europe" writes for Luxembourg-owned HuffPo UK—
Media Guido (@MediaGuido) October 12, 2012
We will all be commies soon.
Labour MP John Mann knows how to help the UK businesses be ultra competitive in the global economy, let’s have a UK “Internet Transmission Tax”, that’ll teach ‘em!
Only the unions can create wealth.
Why bother chasing big companies for corporation tax when those pesky benefits claimants can cough it up instead.
Plus MP’s need to make a living after politics and I’m sure jobs on boards of directors of these firms pay nicely.
Kill the poor
What about a Wanker’s Tax? Would cost him a fortune…
He wants that specific tax to keep loss making newspapers afloat e.g. The Guardian, by state subsidy.
Well we’re all in For in increase in the Beebs licence fee ‘Saville tax’ to cover the costs of eternal litigation for a lifetimes worth of ‘deep throat’ sponsorship.
The Left have no shame, bastards!
Where’s my compo? I’m a victim!
All tax is evil, if the Government didn’t waste it on overseas dictators, benefit spongers, public sector parasites, the EUkkk, MP’s expenses and Quangos then maybe everyone wouldn’t resent paying a fair amount.
I give you a cast-iron guarantee that I will deal with those issues.. right after I make today’s payment of £53,000,000 to the EU.
This MP is a joke.
….To pay for my expenses so that I can misuse them!
Toodle pip, old boy, must dash – got a one item agenda to pursue. What? NO! Not getting out of the EU, don’t be a pleb!! Getting into the HoC, you muppet! Expenses, power, visibility and above all a bloody good pension and a place at the trough!
Calm Down Dear
UK sales over the past three years, according to the SEC filings, were between £7.6bn and £10.3bn. If the same profit margin was applied, this would have generated taxable profits of £266m-£360m and yielded notional UK corporation tax of up to £100m.
Bet all their staff are IR35 on ‘doesn’t happen here’ rolling contracts.
First
Or not.
I’m sure the BBC will investigate this, the BBC does not believe in tax dodging
And exactly when will the BBC not investigate this?
Come on, Come on
BBC bosses Fixed It for Savile to abuse children on BBC premises.
Come On Come On ???
Was nt. that a Gary Glitter hit ??
You are all still cattle.
Mooo-Hamid.
Just back from a hair cut…
Tell me about it.
Try having your ‘crack, sack & back done’ !
No sorry. Cannot tell you. About as Greece are only beginners at haircuts .
Talk to an expert. Whose country has twelve years experience of haircutting bond holders ~~~~. Cristina Fernandes de Kirchner.
In defence of the Huffington Post this is completely in accordance with their guiding socialist principles, i.e. recommending the extraction and use of other people’s money but never your own.
Who is the bird? Does she have a daughter? Jahbulon.
Well said Tony.
My two rules to live by:
(1) never use your own money;
(2) NEVER USE YOUR OWN MONEY!
This has always stood ME in good stead. Say, I’ve got this musical you may wish to invest in, Arianna: “Springtime For Gordon”. I’ll be starring in it myself…
http://content7.flixster.com/photo/13/90/50/13905069_gal.jpg
What is this tax you speak of?
It’s all that money you spend on a Monaco bag, Phil mate.
It is quite simple. If a government wants international companies to pay tax in that country rather than countries (like Ireland and Luxemburg) then it should not over-exploit job-creating companies with high corporation taxes. The fault is not with companies but with greedy governments. Taxes kill jobs and kill growth.
Tax cuts take money out of the economy.
Presumably it’s OK for a company to be registered in Luxembourg but pay its UK taxes in full?
Yes but none of them even approach that level of cretinous idiocy . Thank you.
Get me a story. We need a big story. Make it up (again) if you have to.
QUICKLY.
BBC – 30 minutes ago:
Shallow home secretary Yvette Cooper has called on Andrew Mitchell to be sacked following his outburst at police officers outside Number 10.
So that’s that then – Balls’s Bird has spoken – well droned – the final word on this.
Where’s she been…?
Hillsborough again- that’ll do….
What. About. BBC. DG resigns in record time in order to spend more time with his wallet. ?
Never trust a tax return from a man who buys ink by the barrel
Are you Eric Cantona. posing as a rich leftie journo ???
The tory joke ‘Work Programme’ continues to be shit-useless at finding or helping people find jobs but is hugely increasing the number of people punished for not having the jobs that don’t exist.
Soon there will be so many people hating all you liblabcon scum you will have nowhere to hide. Regime change and guillotines heading your way soon.
ha ha ha ha
Were you ever abused by Savile at your mental hospital?
Thank you for contacting your local surgery. This is just a short note to confirm your long term repeat prescription for Thorazine will be at the front desk for you to collect.
Don’t forget – do not operate any heavy machinery or use a computer!
Or get a job
Indeed.
I read the Huffington Post but the mods there are ten times worse than on this blog.
Clearly off their rocker.
http://news.aol.com
‘Do you agree’ poll : who on earth are the nutters who voted ‘yes’ ???
You’ll have to HUFF & PUFF to blow this away!
Put the blame where it belongs – on those who make the laws. Surely we haven’t yet reached the stage where we are expecting voluntary contributions (in this case it seems from foreigners) to pay any part of the bills our polititians run up. A root and branch reform of tax laws is of course long overdue. Tax law should be short and simple enough to allow ordinary taxpayers to file their tax returns without the costs of an advisor, and solid enough to avoid distortion of competition no matter how clever the advisor. If , though, goods and services are indeed lawfully being provided profitably by some without payment of tax, while others are being called upon to pay up, it is hard to understand why we are not hearing more complaints from those who suffer the unfair competition.
In simple terms, my spending is your income. If you are taxed I pay that tax when buying from you. The money comes from me when I spend my “after tax” income. Half our spending money is taken as tax on average.
Everything else is specious. Can you take that in?
I have very strong opinions on this story, I’ll tell you what they are as soon as I have worked them out with help from the unions.
Fuckwit Fenton and Mong Murphy cranked by this good. Let them be, they should know they’re on the fringe anyway.