A PROTEST against tax dodging has been called to take place outside Starbucks in Poole High Street.

Cllr Philip Eades, Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Poole, is organising the protest tomorrow after he was contacted by more than 100 residents calling for his support for a crackdown on avoidance in the next parliament.

Coffee shop giant Starbucks faced customer boycotts after its tax affairs were publicised two years ago. It had reportedly paid minimal corporation tax in the UK – and none at all for four years in a row.

The company recently announced pre-tax profits of £1m in the year to September 28 2014 said it paid £11.4m tax last year. It was the first time the company’s books were in the black after 17 years in the UK.

The Poole Starbucks has been chosen as the location for a wider protest by Cllr Eades, who is teaming up with War on Want and CAFOD to organise the gathering tomorrow at 10am.

He told the Echo he has sent an email to more than 100 Poole residents who had written to him with concerns over tax avoidance and evasion to invite them to attend the protest.

He said: “I would urge all residents of the local area who care about the issue of corporate tax dodging to come and join us on Saturday morning.

“It is only by making our voices heard against the antics of multi-national corporations like Star-bucks that we can change the actions of government,” he added.

“The whole issue of austerity would not hit ordinary families so hard if corporates paid their fair share of tax.”

The tax dodging protest will then move on to Falkland Square in order to support the 38 Degrees ‘Save the NHS’ demon-stration at 11am.