back to article UK treasury minister sticks up for HMRC in Google tax row

Treasury minister David Gauke assured MPs that HMRC was doing a good job of collecting all the corporation tax that multinational firms like Amazon and Google owe in the UK during a debate in the Commons yesterday. MPs including the leader of the Public Accounts Committee Labour minister Margaret Hodge and Conservative MP for …

COMMENTS

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Customer Relationship Managers?

    They are supposed to be getting the taxes that are due, not running some golf club.

    1. dogged

      Re: Customer Relationship Managers?

      Isn't that the scheme where they agree that Vodafone doesn't have to pay any tax in exchange for three big dinners and a Thai ladyboy prostitute?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      'They are supposed to be getting the taxes that are due, not running some golf club.'

      Brilliant! Quite a cosy over afternoon tea sounding arrangement isn't it?

    3. smudge
      Devil

      Re: Customer Relationship Managers?

      So next time they come after us, we should all demand to have a cosy chat with our CRMs.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    oooh utilities - now that's much more interesting as they are rather less mobile ...

  3. g e

    Of course they're doing a good job

    HMRC are following statute, something set by the idiot politicians.

    Though I'd rather they suspended/seized a company's assets rather than give them a 85% reduction in tax bill by negotiation on £6BN or whatever

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    HMRC chase companies for the tax they owe under the law

    unlike parliamentary committees, where PMs can come up with any fanciful statements and accusations.

  5. Anomalous Cowshed

    Why get all in a tizzy?

    Ladies, Gentlemen!

    This business of taxing or not taxing Google, Starbucks and Amazon: it is more about PR than anything else. There are rules, the rules are designed to accommodate these big companies. Part of the reason being that they and their mates write the rules. That's it, really.

    Government is part power, part services. The services include things like NHS, unemployment insurance, state education, state pensions. The things that make it worthwhile for you and me to cooperate. The other side is the power side, where powerful people and organisations use the system (and us) to further their interests, i.e. to shaft the common man. C'est la vie!

  6. All names Taken
    Paris Hilton

    Titter ye not?

    It's true.

    In Pay As You Earn (PAYE) HMRC offloads the work on to employers then adds another layer of management or three to make sure the unpaid (that is not paid by HMRC) employee is doing justice to the workload.

    Maybe all HMRC employees should be treated similarly?

    Besides, there is a convention of sorts that if someone prepays a bill then they get some preferential service apart from in HMRC.

    People prepaying by PAYE (PAYE mugs?) can far worse treatment than the self assessed no?

  7. Bluenose

    Blase answer yet again

    So we should be happy that HMRC is collecting £8 billion from companies on average for the last three years so says the MP appearing from the committee. However in response I would have expected to hear the following questions:

    What proportion of the £8 billion came from companies with profits over say £200 million and in particular the group of companies that have been in the public eye?

    What is HMRC's estimate of the tax loss caused by the manipulation of profits resulting in movement of profits internally within companies?

    What is the £8 billion as a percentage of the total estimated loss?

    Unless you know the size of the problem the value of the recovered monies is irrelevant.

  8. Rikkeh
    Trollface

    If only

    If only there was some kind of forum in which the select committee could make their opinions felt. You know, some kind of chamber, in which the members wrote laws, debated them and then, having voted on them, brought those laws into force.

    Hearing an MP bleat about bad tax laws without suggesting amendments to those laws is like hearing someone who's just torched your sofa complain that it's hot in here.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    'We don't know about these low 'tax laws'. We just obey them! '

    ...Yes Mr Page but you also help write them with your easy access to No 10!

  10. LPF

    Time to amend the Taxpayer confidentiality. It cannot give a running commentary to this House on the action that it takes,"

    Absolute gibberish! there is no law barring them from disclosing such information to parliment, they have made it a HMRC policy. Ask him a question and if he refuses , JSA for him.

    1. Colin Millar

      Even easier

      Abolish taxpayer confidentiality - there is no good reason for it anyway.

  11. Crisp
    FAIL

    David Gauke assured MPs that HMRC was doing a good job

    Forgive me if I wont take the word of a man that thinks paying tradesmen cash in hand for work is morally wrong while he thought it was perfectly fine to fiddle his expenses.

  12. Rol

    Coming to a shop near you.

    "Hello" said the assistant, "I see you are admiring our magnificent range of shiny shiny"

    "Well, yes, I was looking for one in British racing green" I replied.

    "Just the thing sir" as his hand flitted behind a box and pulled out a gorgeous bit of shiny shiny, tastefully finished in the colour of my choice.

    "I see your prices are very reasonable"

    "Come this way sir" and I was ushered to the counter.

    The sales assistant reached for the phone and a few moments later was in conversation.

    "Hello, this is Dave 11256AQ3"

    "Yes it's 1257789 and £78.99"

    "OK"

    He proffered the phone "If you would like to speak to our sales team in Ireland, they will complete your purchase"

    -------------------------------------

    Maybe a call centre in Eire, could act as seller for any number of companies that would like to compete with the international boys, for sheer cheek.

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