On Monday (2 December 2019) GMB, TUC and members of the shadow cabinet are descending on Amazon’s swanky London HQ in anger at the internet giant’s ‘£90 million missing tax’.
Speakers at the protest outside Amazon’s Shoreditch office, included GMB General Secretary Tim Roache, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady, Lord John Hendy QC, Owen Espley War on Want and Shadow Minister for Employment Laura Pidcock.
In the time it takes to watch this video @JeffBezos will have made another $17,423 dollars ????@AmazonUK Pay your taxes ‼️#AS19 #AmazonPayYourTaxes pic.twitter.com/OQKRas5eVa
— Mick Rix ???? Join A Union www.gmb.org.uk/join???????? (@RixyieOrganiser) December 2, 2019
GMB union estimates Amazon should have paid £103million corporation tax last year - which would rise to £142 million under Labour’s plans to raise corporation tax to 26%.
Amazon refused to disclose how much UK corporation tax it pays - but Amazon’s biggest UK arm which discloses its accounts paid just £14 million on £2.3 billion worth of sales.
This means missing £89 million could pay for 5,800 teaching assistants, 4,400 carers, 2,300 nurses, or 1,700 paramedics for a whole year
Listen to this Amazon worker ????️
— GMB Union (@GMB_union) December 2, 2019
"It makes me feel brassed off. Bezos should be paying properly so we can get a better health service, give the nurses a proper wage because they struggle.” #CyberMonday #AmazonWeAreNotRobotshttps://t.co/FgtdSpZ5Gm
Mick Rix, GMB National Officer, said:
“Amazon’s tax loopholes and massive subsidies means our public services get a rough deal.
Cash that could be used for thousands of carers, nurses or teaching assistants is being poured into Jeff Bezos’s coffers.
“This is a trillion-dollar company, and the Government should be ensuring our underfunded public services are not being short changed by a global wealth giant
“We’re telling Amazon that it’s time to get round the table with GMB, discuss ways to make their workplaces safer and to be a good neighbour and pay their taxes.
“My phone is on. They can call anytime.”
