France puts the first boot in to Amazons tax dealings
Asks for $252 million in back taxes
( Amadeus I care not for your thoughts on grammer, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 10:48, Reply)

I suppose they've got to find a replacement for all the people they wanted to tax 70% of their incomes leaving the country

( Jahled Kitab al-Azif, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 10:53, Reply)

I hate to be a pedant (no, really)
but it's 70% of their incomes over a certain level. I know that's still unacceptable to some people, but saying it's 70% of their income is misstating how graduated income tax works.

Also maybe worth noting that the top rate of federal income tax in the US was over 80% for 20 years after World War 2 when they experienced a massive boom in prosperity, and remained at 70% or over until the Reagan years without the nation collapsing into the sea.
( Mushroom, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:05, Reply)

b3ta seems to be a tax love fest this morning
hence my cynicism. I think I should leave the house and visit my fluffy animal friends
( Jahled Kitab al-Azif, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:11, Reply)

"Taxes are what we pay for civilized society"
Or, at least, so said the the late Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in the USA. Seems these days taxes are what the proles pay for a civilized society while certain large corporations are content to take all the benefits of various states' infrastructures while contributing as little as possible to them. I think people's concern is justified on those grounds alone.

But yay, fluffy animals. Bring back pictures, maybe? :)
( Mushroom, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:18, Reply)

Tax is the new paedo
It's not as worrying now all the kids have learnt to kick box.
( Amadeus I care not for your thoughts on grammer, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:44, Reply)

Well, it's either kick box or the sex trade.
You know how it is.
( Dawn Of The Bread $$$$$$$$ E-THUG 4 LIFE $$$$$$$$, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:47, Reply)

It worked out for Van Dam

( Amadeus I care not for your thoughts on grammer, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:49, Reply)

Yeah, the parallels between Belgium and Thailand are astounding.

( Dawn Of The Bread $$$$$$$$ E-THUG 4 LIFE $$$$$$$$, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:54, Reply)

Well they both have massive problems with child sex rings.

( Amadeus I care not for your thoughts on grammer, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:55, Reply)

Anyway, all this pales in comparison to Africa etc.

( Dawn Of The Bread $$$$$$$$ E-THUG 4 LIFE $$$$$$$$, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:57, Reply)

Why are you always picking on Africa?

( Amadeus I care not for your thoughts on grammer, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 12:09, Reply)

You're right, but what about North Korea? China?
And don't even get me started on Iraq and Afghanistan.
( Dawn Of The Bread $$$$$$$$ E-THUG 4 LIFE $$$$$$$$, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 12:14, Reply)

I hated the transformers movie

( Fadgebadger /links's pedantic bellend, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 12:16, Reply)

Anyone seen a spider round here?

( Amadeus I care not for your thoughts on grammer, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 12:19, Reply)

Spiders over here are nothing in comparison to the spiders in Australia.

( Dawn Of The Bread $$$$$$$$ E-THUG 4 LIFE $$$$$$$$, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 12:25, Reply)

Shall we agree to disagree on this one and both stop being tedious?

( Amadeus I care not for your thoughts on grammer, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 12:57, Reply)

*Piles on*

( Fadgebadger /links's pedantic bellend, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 13:33, Reply)

In a similar vein
Have an amusing video of an Amazon exec floundering in front of a Government committee.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20301381
( evil_andy : devilish rogue, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 10:58, Reply)

Yeah saw that yesterday, unbelievably rubbish.
Basically didn't take the committee seriously and sent an ill prepared underling.
( Amadeus I care not for your thoughts on grammer, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:02, Reply)

More like tried to do a Murdoch
but forgot the "plausible" part of plausible deniability
( Mushroom, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:08, Reply)

Worm

( An Egg is better than no eggs, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 21:22, Reply)

I hope they kept their receipt

(Badger Catapult Cabaret, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:00, Reply)

Oooofff, Now than, I am ALL for fair play and everyone paying their taxes
but: can't we wait till after Christmas before the collective taxmen of the world fire a broadside at Amazon that sinks it to the depths of the fiscal seas?
( The magic of chutney in a state of "not", Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:04, Reply)

Very
good point.
( somegreybloke, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:09, Reply)

I wouldn't worry
they're a massive company with very good accountants and lots of lawyers, they'll find some way of wriggling out of it.
( Mushroom, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:11, Reply)

Radio2 yesterday
(admittedly on their weaker than weak drivetime show)

had some tax bod from some tax specialist co (was it kpmg?) arguing that poor Starbucks' had consistently made a loss in the UK and therefore paying no tax was fair. The interviewer just wasn't equipped at all to argue how the flow of money might be engineered in such a way to make this look plausable, and completely missed the point that if they make 1% profit (as he admitted "some" of the shops do), 20% of whatever the real number/amount for that should still be payable.
(MrOli is ugly, but in the morning you will be sober, Tue 13 Nov 2012, 11:24, Reply)