all they are doing is complying with the law as we all should, its the politicians at fault for creating a system that allows corporations and high value individuals to legally pay a pittance.

I agree, but he'd have been better off actually saying that

I suspect that a lot of Chancellors put in provisions that will help their future careers as tax "consultants" to multinationals when they get booted out of office. There are far too many ways for companies to avoid taxes from transfer pricing to offshoring their revenues to start with.

Why is everybody going after companies like Google? How about starting with all those large British businesses that do the same thing? A lot of large companies set up an office in places like the Cayman Islands, where all the profits are made, they pay relatively little tax in the UK.

There was a very good documentary on this in Germany a couple of weeks ago. Most multi-million Euro businesses in Europe, including the UK, offshore as much of their earnings as possible.

Siemens and a couple of British chemical companies were the prime examples.

The problem isn't Google, it is the governments for allowing this to happen. They set the rules in place, then wring their hands and say it is immoral for companies to do this. It might be immoral, but it is legal, and for their investors, it is what they have to do.

Google are facing the same allegations in America, as is Apple, because 90% of their profit is made in offshore havens and doesn't go back to the USA.

Yes it is almost universal among multinationals. There are solutions. You can make corporate taxes unitary so that if they transfer profits offshore they still could in theory make a loss in that country but still have to pay tax on their apportioned profit. So if all their profits are notionally earned in a tax haven you could still hit them with a tax bill based on the percentage of sales made in this country. Then if companies decide to offshore you hit them where it really hurts. You strip directors of any peerages, or honours, then ban them for life from ever returning to the UK. They can relocate where they like but their families suffer as well.

err they did

I meant talking about the system the politicians allow to flourish. He could have brought up the whole shareholders bit too rather than implying 'You need us!'.

That is every type of mad.

If you don't want to pay taxes why should you be allowed to visit?