A petition calling for Amazon to pay more U.K. corporation tax was hand-delivered yesterday to the British Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing St. in London by Frances and Keith Smith of Warwick Books and Kenilworth Books, the Bookseller reported. Frances Smith said the petition, which garnered more than 150,000 signatures, was part of a movement to "keep putting pressure on the government to so something in the long term.... We've heard some warm words from government on clamping down on the tax avoiders, but not so much action. Surely it's about time that all companies who choose to do business and make profits in this country pay a reasonable amount of tax on their operations, just like we do."
Shelf Awareness
and in The Guardian:
Independent booksellers deliver Amazon taxation petition to No 10
The petition, asking the PM to make Amazon pay UK corporation tax, had over 150,000 signatures
We the undersigned … Frances and Keith Smith hand in the petition at No 10 Downing Street. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images
Supported by Stephen Fry, Margaret Hodge and Charlie Higson, independent booksellers Frances and Keith Smith delivered a petition calling on David Cameron to take "decisive action [to] make Amazon pay its fair share of UK corporation tax" to Downing Street on 24 April.
Over 150,000 people have joined the Smiths' campaign, which they launched last December, saying that "we pay our taxes and so should [Amazon] – please take a stand with us and tell Amazon to pay their fair share".
The Smiths decided to launch the petition after seeing MPs including Hodge, chair of the public accounts committee, attack Amazon, Google and Starbucks over their tax affairs. The MPs claimed that Amazon was avoiding UK taxes by reporting its European sales through a Luxembourg-based unit, and Hodge said that "people want to know why companies which benefit from an infrastructure paid for by them and who are paying people low wages who receive taxpayer-funded tax credits from the exchequer are not paying their fair share".
"Times are tough and getting tougher," the Smiths write in their petition. "We face unrelenting pressure from huge online retailers undercutting prices, in particular Amazon, and it's pushing businesses like ours to the brink. But what's even worse is that Amazon, despite making sales of £3.3 BILLION in the UK last year, does not pay any UK corporation tax on the profits from those sales. In my book, that is not a level playing field and leaves independent retailers like us struggling to compete just because we do the right thing."
Back in December, "we would have been glad with a few thousand signatures", said Frances Smith, "so to get almost 160,000 is just amazing. It just shows you how much people care."
Together with Hodge and the Smiths' local MP Chris White, the couple, who run the Kenilworth and Warwick bookshops, handed their petition in to Downing Street at 11am on 24 April. "I hope it will have an effect," said Frances Smith. "At least it's showing them how strongly people feel about it – that they have to act. [And] it's making people aware of the fact that if they don't use their high street, it will be a sad day when there's nothing left."
Over 150,000 people have joined the Smiths' campaign, which they launched last December, saying that "we pay our taxes and so should [Amazon] – please take a stand with us and tell Amazon to pay their fair share".
The Smiths decided to launch the petition after seeing MPs including Hodge, chair of the public accounts committee, attack Amazon, Google and Starbucks over their tax affairs. The MPs claimed that Amazon was avoiding UK taxes by reporting its European sales through a Luxembourg-based unit, and Hodge said that "people want to know why companies which benefit from an infrastructure paid for by them and who are paying people low wages who receive taxpayer-funded tax credits from the exchequer are not paying their fair share".
"Times are tough and getting tougher," the Smiths write in their petition. "We face unrelenting pressure from huge online retailers undercutting prices, in particular Amazon, and it's pushing businesses like ours to the brink. But what's even worse is that Amazon, despite making sales of £3.3 BILLION in the UK last year, does not pay any UK corporation tax on the profits from those sales. In my book, that is not a level playing field and leaves independent retailers like us struggling to compete just because we do the right thing."
Back in December, "we would have been glad with a few thousand signatures", said Frances Smith, "so to get almost 160,000 is just amazing. It just shows you how much people care."
Together with Hodge and the Smiths' local MP Chris White, the couple, who run the Kenilworth and Warwick bookshops, handed their petition in to Downing Street at 11am on 24 April. "I hope it will have an effect," said Frances Smith. "At least it's showing them how strongly people feel about it – that they have to act. [And] it's making people aware of the fact that if they don't use their high street, it will be a sad day when there's nothing left."
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