“Pay your tax” – protestor’s chalk message outside new Starbucks (From Bournemouth Echo)
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“Pay your tax” – protestor’s chalk message outside new Starbucks at The Triangle in Bournemouth
4:08pm Tuesday 5th March 2013 in News By Arron Hendy
"Pay your tax" - protestor makes feelings known over new Starbucks
THE upcoming opening of the new Starbucks café in Bournemouth is drawing mixed reactions.
The new coffee house is due to open at The Triangle on Monday but the sign above the front door is already visible and this graffiti artist decided to make their feelings known.
The popular Westbourne Starbucks was the site of a protest by residents and activists about tax avoidance last December.
Comments(37)
speedy231278
says...
4:27pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Izeze
says...
4:34pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Baywolf
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4:36pm Tue 5 Mar 13
John T
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4:53pm Tue 5 Mar 13
muscliffman
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5:15pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Only a very few years this 'artists' work here would have been wiped out by the many buses and their passengers.
Now, it appears just more sterile fairly empty town centre pavement..........
tricky1007
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6:02pm Tue 5 Mar 13
The American firm made the announcement amid increased public pressure on multinational corporations to pay a fairer share of tax.' This was taken from the Mail online back in December so it looks like they are paying their taxes!!! maybe the protesters should spend a bit more time reading in the library next door!!
ShuttleX
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6:23pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Bluestew
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6:24pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Starbucks made declarations that the company would pay a fixed sum, which was of their own fixed amount which goes no way in covering the amount in retrospect.
People really should take more responsibility and stop using the corporate strongholds and opt for independents, and see beyond the conditioned allegiance for corporations that really do not show concern or care for the people of this land, only in profit margins regardless of morals or sustainability.
goatty
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6:33pm Tue 5 Mar 13
I am sure that if there was a way any of us could avoid paying tax and keep more of what we earn then we would. So if the do gooders had companies that they could avoid paying tax legally I would bet they would!
Tripod
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6:41pm Tue 5 Mar 13
ragj195
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6:45pm Tue 5 Mar 13
ShuttleX wrote:Exactly. They could change the tax laws but we also need to keep the UK attractive to overseas investment. How many people to Starbucks give jobs to in the UK? Lots!
I don't understand what these people are actually protesting about. Starbucks, and the other companies mentioned in the press, paid all taxes that they had to. Why should any company, or individual pay more tax then they need to? It's the system that is wrong, not the companies. We would all pay as little tax as we possible could get away with legally, if we can. My accountand and broker move my savings around all the time, the aim being to reduce my tax bill to as little as possible. It's all legal, and no different then what Starbucks do, except in scale. Maybe these protestors time would be better served outside Parliament. Oh hang on a minute, that's now illegal without permission isn't it? So your MP doesn't mind you protesting outside Starbuks, but doesn't want you protesting outside his/her place of work?
LordLilliput
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7:55pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Defending one and blaming another is missing the point. Corporations and politicians are simply helping themselves whilst relying upon the tens of millions of us honest tax payees who frankly have no choice about 'paying up' as most people's taxation is deducted at source by the employer.
Of course what Starbucks and many other multinationals are doing is not illegal but it is immoral. Frankly it's nothing other than greed and exploitation, and that is what sits very uncomfortably with many.
The 'system' is corrupt in many ways, and Starbucks is a good example of a company that benefits enormously from this. Quite why some choose to support them is genuinely beyond me.
The banks and bankers have done exactly the same with this country for years paying themselves enormous bonuses whilst raping the country and it's people for their own gain. Again, totally legal - but somehow I doubt the same people will be speaking up from them.
timwel
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8:19pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Corporation tax? Well you all pay for that as well. So what is you point? How much tax is enough for you?
Victor_Meldrew_Lives!
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8:21pm Tue 5 Mar 13
boscombewizard
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8:36pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Bethyboo
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9:12pm Tue 5 Mar 13
MikeGB
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10:19pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Tictock
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10:23pm Tue 5 Mar 13
MikeGB wrote:Could not agree more, bitter burnt expensive liquid passing as coffee. Best way to protest is not to go there.
Starbucks is the last place I'd go for a coffee, except perhaps Columbia. Nothing to do with taxes, it just tastes horrible and it upsets my bank balance.
l'anglais
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11:01pm Tue 5 Mar 13
timwel wrote:The issue is tax collection is what it takes to fund the running of the country.
Oh dear you have ALL missed the point again. Take away coffee is standard rated for VAT = 20% tax which you pay.
Corporation tax? Well you all pay for that as well. So what is you point? How much tax is enough for you?
Whether it be VAT, Council, Corporation, Income etc... all that people require is that it is done in such a way that those who earn more (individuals or corporations) pay more.
However in a profit ridden, socially unjust society, the wealthy prefer to employ lawyers and accountants to accrue even more wealth.
In turn the government sees it has a shortfall in its budget and due to it's economic incompetence increased the nations debt, and instead of clamping down on the rich 5% exploiters of Society, it prefers to hit the 95% exploited.
To make it even worse they then introduce a bedroom tax and make it harder to claim disability allowance's.
It is so easy to knock someone when they are down.
dinkie123
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11:56pm Tue 5 Mar 13
Baywolf wrote:There is a brilliant cafe under the library...it's called 'Flirt'. I never go anywhere else when I'm in Bournemouth. The cafe is amazing, the staff are brilliant and the menu is awesome (I love there chorizo and cheese panini)....and their milkshakes...seeing as it's owned by the same people who started Shakeaway. And my parents always say they have the best cup of coffee there...Beats the expensive Costa and the American trash 'starBUCKS' anyday!
There used to be a great coffee art house under the library before such a shame it went under to make room for a multi million pound chain that reluctantly pays it's business tax after public outcry..personally I go to Costas out of protest, coffee anyone?
s-pb2
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1:13am Wed 6 Mar 13
Dr Strangelove
says...
8:06am Wed 6 Mar 13
ctrewyou
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8:38am Wed 6 Mar 13
ShuttleX wrote:The question is absolutely one of scale. If big companies paid the tax they should, then there would simply be no budget crisis, it is at that sort of scale, billions of punds. Yet the governents agenda is to demonise disabled people and those on any benefits as scroungers when the net gain to the treasury is tiny compared to the massive companies tax avoidance. But in a global system, they can register their base as being in Luxembourg and pay no corporation tax in the UK, while taking advantages of all the infrastructure and services that we British taxpayers pay for.
I don't understand what these people are actually protesting about. Starbucks, and the other companies mentioned in the press, paid all taxes that they had to. Why should any company, or individual pay more tax then they need to? It's the system that is wrong, not the companies. We would all pay as little tax as we possible could get away with legally, if we can. My accountand and broker move my savings around all the time, the aim being to reduce my tax bill to as little as possible. It's all legal, and no different then what Starbucks do, except in scale. Maybe these protestors time would be better served outside Parliament. Oh hang on a minute, that's now illegal without permission isn't it? So your MP doesn't mind you protesting outside Starbuks, but doesn't want you protesting outside his/her place of work?
Cmdr Kryll
says...
8:45am Wed 6 Mar 13
uvox44
says...
10:12am Wed 6 Mar 13
4:26pm Tue 5 Mar 13
ours will go up now to pay to get this off lol
yes i expect removing a bit of chalk is going to add thousands to your council tax bill , unlike the cuts the Govt is making partly because they let multinationals get away with so much tax - you do live in a strangely out of proportion world!
sollie
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11:28am Wed 6 Mar 13
Keep the pressure up guys and name and shame other large companies into paying their rightful share of UK tax made on UK profits.
HRH of Boscombe
says...
11:42am Wed 6 Mar 13
tricky1007 wrote:You take you evidence from 'The Mail'???
'Starbucks last week said it would make changes to its tax arrangements that will see the firm pay above what is required by law. The American firm made the announcement amid increased public pressure on multinational corporations to pay a fairer share of tax.' This was taken from the Mail online back in December so it looks like they are paying their taxes!!! maybe the protesters should spend a bit more time reading in the library next door!!
.
They're paying what is 'required by law'. Jimmy Carr's off-shore avoidance was within the law too.
.
I really don't think you understand the subject or story but that's not surprising if you learn from that red top.
portia6
says...
11:52am Wed 6 Mar 13
you than coffee, especially if you make
it with goat's milk or soya milk?
Ovaltine is good too!
Dont drop litter
says...
4:06pm Wed 6 Mar 13
It all counts as tax avoidance and it's all illegal. Starbucks have not acted illegally although some will call it immoral - the difference is only one of scale and if you could add up all the cash jobs that people do you come to a pretty big figure.
Letcommonsenseprevail
says...
5:56pm Wed 6 Mar 13
awsokend
says...
10:05am Thu 7 Mar 13
Bluestew
says...
10:20am Thu 7 Mar 13
It was the tealeaves in my cup this morning, Miss Babs - something's wrong!
Why?
It was a cup of Horlicks.
Letcommonsenseprevail
says...
6:26pm Thu 7 Mar 13
l'anglais wrote:Not you again! You'll be saying the price of coffee should be earnings related next.
timwel wrote:The issue is tax collection is what it takes to fund the running of the country.
Oh dear you have ALL missed the point again. Take away coffee is standard rated for VAT = 20% tax which you pay.
Corporation tax? Well you all pay for that as well. So what is you point? How much tax is enough for you?
Whether it be VAT, Council, Corporation, Income etc... all that people require is that it is done in such a way that those who earn more (individuals or corporations) pay more.
However in a profit ridden, socially unjust society, the wealthy prefer to employ lawyers and accountants to accrue even more wealth.
In turn the government sees it has a shortfall in its budget and due to it's economic incompetence increased the nations debt, and instead of clamping down on the rich 5% exploiters of Society, it prefers to hit the 95% exploited.
To make it even worse they then introduce a bedroom tax and make it harder to claim disability allowance's.
It is so easy to knock someone when they are down.
BIGTONE
says...
8:42pm Thu 7 Mar 13
billd766
says...
1:26am Fri 8 Mar 13
Benniestewart
says...
11:44am Fri 8 Mar 13
Pedestal, Bench just a piece of wasteland too tempting not to write on
Tjones:) says...
4:26pm Tue 5 Mar 13