Sunday 31 January 2016

Taxing tax?

Global corporations that make profits in Britain, yet pay negligible tax typically argue that they are acting within the law.  No doubt that is true - well, often so. 

Think of personal cases, though.  Acting within the law does not let you off the hook when being greedy, disloyal or passing by on the other side.

And so it is that contrary to the corporation defenders, compliance with corporate tax law does not thereby let the corporations off the hook regarding their derisory tax payments.  

After all, if your friends contrive to avoid you, when owing you money, you'll not think much of them; and when these corporations, while reaping the benefits of a UK location, arrange their affairs to avoid tax, well, what does that tell us of the ethos of those companies?

True, one may argue that corporations are not persons and not liable to moral evaluation; but in fact corporations seek praise when they announce how they treat customers fairly or have given so much to charity or look after employees well - so, if those moral evaluations are acceptable, then also the condemnation regarding their tax avoidance ploys. 


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