Over Here and Undertaxed: Multinationals, Tax Avoidance and You

Fresh from advertising someone else's book, we now have the pleasure of publicising a forthcoming book by our very own "campaigner with Duracell batteries", Richard Murphy. This will undoubtedly be a tremendous contribution to the literature on the subject.

A book by Richard Murphy

Vintage / 11^th February 2013 / ebook

How and why are multinational companies in the UK able to avoid corporation tax while debt rises and public services are cut? And what can we do about it? Renowned tax expert and economic commentator, Richard Murphy, examines the evidence and offers solutions to the crisis.

Tax is one of life’s necessities. Isn’t it? So how come it appears to be optional for multinational companies such as Starbucks, Amazon and Google? As government spending cuts deepen and our economic recovery seems evermore distant, the public are increasingly outraged to hear of large companies somehow avoiding their responsibilities. Tax has never been higher up the news agenda with politicians and media alike scrutinizing the status of celebrities and companies to ensure that everyone is paying their ‘fair share’.

When Google, Amazon and Starbucks were pulled up in front of the Public Accounts Committee, many were stunned at how little corporation tax they paid (if at all) and there is a growing realization that we are not ‘all in this together’.

In this 30,000 word ebook, Richard Murphy, one of the most highly respected economic commentators in the UK, examines how this situation came about, who the villains of the piece are and why. He goes on to look at potential solutions and offers ways in which the story must change in the face of growing public awareness, which politicians and companies will ignore at their peril as taxpayers vote with their feet.

Richard Murphy is a UK chartered accountant. He was a senior partner of a practising firm and director of a number of entrepreneurial companies before becoming one of the founders of the Tax Justice Network in 2002. He now directs Tax Research UK and writes, broadcasts and blogs extensively, www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/. He created the country-by-country reporting concept and has been credited with creating much of the debate on tax gaps in the UK and Europe. Richard has been a visiting or research fellow at a number of UK universities and is joint author of Tax Havens, The True Story of Globalisation’ and the sole author of The Courageous State. He is currently working on a new book entitled The Joy of Tax.

‘Tireless and forensic, driven by an admirable moral fervour… a campaigner with Duracell batteries.’ Kevin Maguire, Sunday Mirror

 ‘He writes with electric clarity about what went wrong and what could be done to put things right. He is a new economic thinker, and guided by a sharp and practical accountant’s eye he knows where the money is hidden, who has it and how to release it. Polly Toynbee, The Guardian

Richard Murphy is available for interview and to write articles. For further information please contact Laura Sherlock, laura@laurasherlockpr.co.uk or 07919 324 882.