Public Accounts: Taxation of Multinational Corporations.
Witnesses: Matt Brittin, Google Vice President for Sales and Operations, Northern and Central Europe, Troy Alstead, Starbucks Global Chief Financial Officer and Andrew Cecil, Director, Public Policy, Amazon
Viscount Younger of Leckie: ...effectively than could be done by regulation-a point made by my noble friend Lord Lucas. For example, in the space of a year, the four main fixed-line internet service providers, notwithstanding Starbucks, which was mentioned-BT, TalkTalk, Sky and Virgin Media, representing 96% of the market-have delivered on their commitment to prompt users to activate parental controls on start-up. This...
Stephen Williams: The Minister will be well aware of the anger of many of our constituents about the activities of companies such as Starbucks and Amazon to minimise their tax rates through aggressive tax avoidance. Is not part of the answer more international co-operation, perhaps among OECD countries, to restrict the ability of those multinationals to siphon off profitable activities into low tax havens?
Charlie Elphicke: ...on employer owners, but I hope that the Committee will explore the growth side in terms of open and competitive playing fields and level markets. For example, why should Costa Coffee pay tax while Starbucks, which has declared UK earnings for the financial year of £397 million and made a pre-tax profit, estimated on the basis of its global operating margin, of £59.6 million, paid no tax...
Lord Walker of Aldringham: ...disincentive from the rationalisation-in other words, the significant reduction-of the TA estate. I would compare the impact of that on recruiting to what would happen if coffee drinkers found that Starbucks reduced its number of coffee outlets. If a Starbucks is to hand, people will go and buy their coffee there. If they have to travel some 10 miles to get to the nearest Starbucks, they...
Roger Gale: ...Margate are both major employers in one of the areas of highest social deprivation in the south-east. They are both under threat, paying huge amounts of their revenue in tax while companies such as Starbucks pay virtually nothing at all. Putting the beer duty escalator to one side, I remember going to see John Cope—now Lord Cope—when he was a Treasury Minister about 20 years ago, and...
Alison Johnstone: Recently, we learned that Starbucks, which according to its shareholders reports is a patently profitable enterprise, has paid a mere £8.6 million in corporation tax in the United Kingdom in the past 14 years and nothing in the past three. Clearly, the establishment of revenue Scotland and the prospect of further devolution represent a unique chance for us to take our time to build a fairer...
Margaret Hodge: Jimmy Carr avoided £3.3 million of tax last year, and the Prime Minister said that was morally wrong. Apple, Google, Facebook, eBay and Starbucks have between them avoided nearly £900 million of tax. Will the Prime Minister now take this opportunity to condemn their behaviour as morally wrong?
Lord Campbell-Savours: What are the Government going to do about Starbucks and its transfer pricing arrangements?
Baroness Jenkin of Kennington: ...for the next five years and save the life of a child under five every two minutes, all from diseases that none of our children dies from. Around 10 children vaccinated for the cost of a couple of Starbucks coffees really has to be value for money The Secretary of State has said that it is tragic to think of the wasted potential of children who might have become the next Steve Jobs, had...
Gareth Thomas: ...a point of order, are avid readers of the newspapers and will have seen that the issue of tax evasion or tax avoidance surfaced dramatically once again before the House this week: the case of Starbucks and the low amount of tax that it pays in the United Kingdom.
John Martin McDonnell: .... That is why there should be no cap, and yet the Government are keen on caps—they have introduced a £5,000 cap on fines against employers. What is £5,000 to companies such as Virgin or Starbucks, which we heard about yesterday? They are billion-pound companies. What is a £5,000 fine to them? It is meaningless.
Lord Campbell-Savours: ...so undermined the institution of Parliament. IPSA has so demeaned the role of MPs that they are reduced to scurrying around the Commons Tea Room gathering their receipts for food while they collect Starbucks-type points for refreshments. These are the people we elect to run the country and they are being humiliated. Weak politicians-no match for the great statesmen of the past-have...
Anne Milton: ...) Ltd Pret A Manger Rodda's Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust Sainsbury's Supermarket Ltd (Seven) 7 Day Catering Ltd SkinniMalinx Ltd Sodexo Southern Co-operative (The) Starbucks Coffee Company Subway International B.V. Tesco plc The Real Greek Food Company Unilever UK Ltd United Biscuits (UK) Ltd Waitrose Warburtons Ltd Wimpy Restaurants Group Ltd YO! Sushi
Mary Macleod: ...reason is the highly skilled work force. International SOS has started up in Chiswick, helping organisations manage health and security risks. Otis, QVC and Swarovski are all moving to Chiswick. Starbucks headquarters in Chiswick has announced a major apprenticeship scheme to help young people get into work and develop skills for the future. BSkyB, based in Osterley, has major expansion...
Kerry McCarthy: ...to the willingness of donors to donate food, as we heard yesterday at this Bill’s parliamentary launch from Jim Larson of Food Donation Connection. He works in the US with companies such as Starbucks, KFC and Pizza Hut, arranging for their unsold food to be frozen and passed on to hostels, shelters and other charities. He said that the lack of liability protection was a “recurring...
Lord Hunt of Chesterton: ...an extraordinary situation. It is a bit like Russia in the 1970s, when we used to have conversations with the taps running, or Washington, where I can talk to government scientists only by going to Starbucks. I hope that we have not reached that stage, but it is looking like it. The UK has a history of bold and innovative environmentally oriented policies, even when these required people...
Lord Davies of Stamford: ..., you compare the quality and price of the cars on the market and come to a balance between quality and cost. Every time you go for a coffee and you choose between Costa and-what is the other one?-Starbucks, you are striking a balance between quality and cost. That is clearly incoherent and the result of very sloppy thinking. Let us assume that that is just bad exposition or bad thinking...
Huw Irranca-Davies: ...good eggs, reflecting earlier campaigns on the issue, are to be complimented on the steps that they have taken and will take. The British Retail Consortium, whose members include McDonald’s, Starbucks, the four major supermarkets and many other brand names, will ensure that they do not buy conventional caged eggs or use them in their products. Furthermore, he outlined that the Government...
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: ...will not be buying conventional caged eggs. Retailers that have made this guarantee are Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Asda, J Sainsbury, Co-operative Group, Tesco, Waitrose, Iceland Foods, Greggs, Starbucks and McDonald's. Many food manufacturers and food service companies have also given a similar guarantee for eggs or egg products. They include: Premier Foods plc, Marlow Foods Ltd, United...