LETTER: Retailers suffer as firms avoid tax

While many retailers suffer from relentless Business Rate increases (p2 of Daily Telegraph Business 25-12) some, such as Starbucks, can avoid other UK taxes, by having an office (say) in Dublin.

By The Newsroom

Published 9th Dec 2013, 16:18 BST

The Sunday Times estimated the taxes so avoided to be in the region of £120 billion per annum.

However, page B5 indicates that we could improve UK tax take, from 60 of the largest companies, by a total of £1 billion pa, by reducing corporation tax.

At present many billions of pounds of Business Rates are being lost, as high street retailers lose out to large international companies that avoid being taxed in the UK.

So can we have some joined up thinking please? At least tell us who you think will pick up the big shortfall.

ROGER ARTHUR

Horsham district councillor for Chanctonbury ward and Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Horsham, for UKIP