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 http://t.co/opNi2VDz
— Huffington Post 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
