Tax in the UK makes me very sad. For businesses big and small, and for individuals like me, it's a huge burden. A lot of business owners in my town have been f

Tax in the UK makes me very sad. For businesses big and small, and for individuals like me, it's a huge burden. A lot of business owners in my town have been forced out of business by local taxes. They lose business to charity shops, which sell donated, or sometimes new items, and pay profits to charity. They do not pay local tax, and often do not pay rent [1]. In some cases, after paying much of the money to the owner, that charity profit can be slim[4]. It is hard to compete with those who do not pay tax. It is not a level playing field. I'm sure that those trying to compete with Google, Amazon, and similar large companies that pay very little tax feel the same way. The times article says "Although Google’s London sales staff would negotiate and sign contracts with British customers, and cash was paid into a UK bank account, deals were technically booked through its Dublin office to minimise its liabilities here. Jones, a devout Christian and father of four, is ready to hand over a cache of more than 100,000 emails and documents to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), detailing the “concocted scheme”. "[2] At the same time, Google's CEO made a thinly veiled threat to withdraw work from the UK if the government here plays hard ball on tax. BP would claim that fines made against it in the US were politically motivated[3], and with some credibility. I think that whether Google is fined in this case will be very much a political decision. Which perhaps supports your point. [1]http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d8bee184-112c-11e1-a95c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2TmyzKMVH http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d8bee184-112c-11e1-a95c-00144feabd... [2]http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article1261720.ece http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/ar... [3]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22549710 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22549710 [4]http://www.independent.co.uk/money/money-charity-shops-and-the-cash-that-wont-reach-the-needy-1276435.html http://www.independent.co.uk/money/money-charity-shops-and-t...