During the height of the pandemic Amazon scooped almost £150 million in taxpayer cash
Amazon, one of the world’s most valuable companies, was handed more than £430 million in public cash since 2017.
Shockingly, almost £200 million of this was handed over without even a tendering process, a new study published by GMB reveals.
According to the report, Amazon has earned £438m from since 2017.
Earnings from the UK public sector peaked in 2020 with £148m in spend.
Nine out of the 10 largest contracts won by Amazon in 2021/22 were awarded via the G-Cloud framework, surpassing the need for a full open tender process – including an HMRC contract worth £94 million.
The findings are based on open procurement data compiled by Tussell, a data provider on UK public sector contracts and expenditure.
MB investigations have revealed hundreds of ambulance call outs to Amazon warehouses, treating workers who have broken bones, been knocked unconscious and even suffered convulsions.
Mick Rix, GMB National Officer, said:
“Amazon are trousering a fortune in public cash while not paying their fair share of tax.
“During the height of the pandemic, when they were already making a mint due to lockdown, Amazon still scooped almost £150 million in taxpayers’ cash – much of it without tender.
“And their biggest customer was HMRC – you couldn’t make it up.
“Meanwhile the same company allows dangerous conditions to flourish in its warehouses and won’t the recognise workers’ union, GMB. It’s utterly repellent.”
