Big UK tax avoiders will easily get around new government policy

An article by TJN Adviser Prem Sikka in The Guardian, responding to an announcement by the government of a new policy, apparently, to blackball tax avoiding companies from government contracts. We already blogged this, but Sikka adds:

The proposed policy only applies to bidders for central government contracts. Thus tax avoiders can continue to make profits from local government, government agencies and other government-funded organisations – including universities, hospitals, schools and public bodies. Banks, railway companies, gas, electricity, water, steel, biotechnology, motor vehicle and arms companies receive taxpayer-funded loans, guarantees and subsidies, but their addiction to tax avoidance will not be touched by the proposed policy.

And there's much more in there, well worth reading.

In case you missed it, you can still see the recent grilling of the partners of the Big Four accountancy firms for crafting tax avoidance schemes. The 2.5 hour public grilling is by the UK House of Common Public Accounts Committee. The recording is available here.

Also read "The Pin Stripe Mafia: How Accountancy Firms Destroy Societies"

Please consider attending and submitting papers for the following conferences

2013 TJN/AABA conference to be held in London on 4-5 July 2013
http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Documents/AABATJN2013.pdf

Critical Accounting stream at the Critical Management Studies to be held at Manchester (UK) on 10-12 July 2013
https://www.meeting.co.uk/confercare/cms2013/proposals.html#article25