Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
Justin King: 'tax is moral issue' for British companies
Justin King, Sainsbury's chief executive, says 'tax is a moral issue' for British companies as he calls for greater transparency
Justin King: 'tax is moral issue' for British companies
Justin King was speaking on a panel about business trust at the CBI annual conference in London Photo: Rex Features
Louise Armitstead By Louise Armitstead4:54PM GMT 04 Nov 2013 Comments82 Comments
Justin King, chief executive of J Sainsbury, has challenged business leaders to "stand up" and reveal their tax practices, arguing that "tax is a moral issue" for British companies.
The supermarket boss argued that "consumers have every right to ask" how much a company is putting back into the country where they operate and make their profits.
Speaking on a panel about Business Trust at the CBI annual conference he said that he "strongly disagreed" with those - including the CBI - who have said that company tax bills should be based on the letter of the law, not social responsibility.
He told the CBI conference: "How we do business, how we put back into the community of which we are a part, put back into the society from which we draw our revenues is a moral issue and it's one that our consumers have every right to ask us."
He added: "The vast majority of individuals in this country don't get to elect where they pay their tax but some corporations do. I have a very simple view on it - a corporation should be prepared to stand up and say what tax it pays and why it chooses where to pay it - because if we're doing nothing wrong, which is usually the thing I hear asserted, then we should have no problem at all laying it bare to public scrutiny."
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He revealed that Sainsbury pays a 59pc effective rate of tax and is the 14th biggest corporate taxpayer in Britain despite being just the 46th largest company.
Mr King, who argued that there was a wider "crisis of trust" in British businesses, was backed by four UK bosses. When put on the spot, Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, Sir Dick Olver, chairman of BAE Systems and Lord Hall, director general of the BBC agreed that tax was a "moral issue."
Sir Philip Hampton, chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland, argued that the crisis of trust was "not universal" and companies like Apple commanded a high degree of respect by consumers. But he also agreed that consumers had "decided that tax was a moral issue."
The CBI's president, Sir Mike Rake, had opened the conference declaring: "Business is undoubtedly suffering a crisis in public confidence - as we have seen in banking and now in the current debate around energy."
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
The CBI open a can of worms here
if they open accounts to public scrutiny
and really its looking at all the legal and illegal ways these companies dont pay
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Guest 1103- Registered: 3 Nov 2013
- Posts: 759
all I will say on this subject is: I call it super capitalism and it will not get any better with that.
Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud. Maya Angelou ☺🌈🌄🌌🌏🌍🌎
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
Thats true Heike
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Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
Senior Conservative MP uses political contacts to further business empire
A senior Conservative MP offered to use his political contacts to set up business deals with foreign officials and ministers in return for being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds, The Telegraph can disclose.
Mark Pritchard, the Conservative MP for The Wrekin and former secretary of the influential 1922 Committee, told an undercover reporter that he could use his "network" to set up meetings with politicians in countries where he had parliamentary connections.
Mr Pritchard sits on official parliamentary groups for many of those countries where, in return for payment, he was offering to broker investments and to arrange meetings with senior government figures.
Parliamentary rules ban MPs from seeking to profit from their positions and warns politicians to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
Mr Pritchard also stands accused of using a Nato parliamentary assembly to discuss business opportunities with contacts.
The MP suggested that the undercover reporter, posing as a foreign businessman, should invest £10 million in a group of boutique hotels in Albania. Mr Pritchard was formerly the chairman of the all party parliamentary group (APPG) for the country and is still a member of the committee.
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He asked to be paid £3,000 a month for his consultancy services, as well as 3 per cent of any deal — meaning he could have received more than £300,000 to secure the investment in Albania.
Speaking about his contacts in the country, he said: "To be completely brutal, I know the mayor, I know the prime minister, I know the speaker.
"I don't lobby. I don't, whatever. But my network I will use."
He added: "So it would be the figure that I've mentioned, but also it would be 3 per cent, and this is in, I'll email you my contract, 3 per cent of the gross amount — for the introduction — on the signing of the contract."
Full story Telegraph.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
he tried denying it
yet was filmed
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Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
Brian Binley MP: 'We have to be careful, politicians scrounge all the time'
MPs enjoy lavish hospitality at the expense of the British taxpayer and a Maltese bank
On a taxpayer-funded trip to Malta, as he enjoyed the hospitality of a bank and prepared to attend a complimentary open-air concert that evening, Brian Binley MP was alerted to the presence of a local politician wandering nearby.
"You see, we are totally corrupt," he said to one of his hosts.
Earlier, when speaking to a businessman who had sponsored a private party on the Mediterranean island, he noted that parliamentarians "scrounge you all the time" and were "political hangers on".
Mr Binley attended a drinks party hosted by the Bank of Valletta before being treated to an open air concert in the Maltese capital featuring Rebecca Ferguson, a runner-up on The X Factor, and Joseph Calleja, a Maltese tenor.
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Mr Binley had accompanied Mark Pritchard, the Conservative MP for Wrekin, on an official visit to the island.
Both are members of the all-party parliamentary group for Malta.
Mr Binley said the visit was funded by the taxpayer.
During the VIP party, the MPs met the Maltese prime minister, Joseph Muscat, government ministers and MEPs, as well as senior members of the bank.
It is understood that the Bank of Valletta gave the MPs two free tickets for the event, but that Mr Pritchard also obtained two tickets for the concert from a friend.
Mr Binley told the local businessmen that he would speak positively about the event's sponsor when he returned home.
"We will talk about the bank of Malta won't we? ... Bank of Valletta, sorry. And we will say what a wonderful organisation it is," he said.
He also offered to "repay" his hosts' hospitality if they came to London.
The disclosures will add to concerns that some MPs are too close to businesses that want to promote their interests in Britain.
On Wednesday The Telegraph disclosed that Mr Pritchard offered to use his political contacts to set up business deals with foreign officials and ministers in return for payments totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Full story Telegraph.
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
These influences are not good for democracy
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Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Political parties and professional politicians are also not good for democracy.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
what are the options though peter,who or what would replace professional politicians?
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
Peter will try to tell you hes independent
just as mike webb did in his early days under the formation of the independent party in Dover
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Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
# 3471........your right the `closets` keep floating from being Ukippers to the nasty party...not surprising they
won`t ``come out``
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
Iv already been open on my beliefs
cant see point in being otherwise
suppose everyone to make a world though
watching others though is amusing just a few as you recall,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
N Collor critical labour forumites told to stop posting(totally untrue) then as soon as he took control of council his party stopped him posting!!!!!!!
David Hannant ,,,,,,, im an independent, nothing to do with the 2 big parties,,,,,, what happened??? yep you guessed it he just used he indies to become a tory!!!
the list goes on,,,,,,,,
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Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
David Little swore blind he was an Independent.........funny old world ain`t it.....takes all sorts.....
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
how could I forget our david lol
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Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,885
Playing Devil's Advocate, how many KCC, DDC or DTC Labour Councillors post on the Forum, I can only think of two who post very very occasionally.
I wish more Councillors would post on a regular basis to keep us well informed rather than leaving us to rely on the gossip machines and with respect to Sue I do not mean the I will attend or have attended posts.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
Its fair to say as iv seen over the years when cllrs do post you will see people like mr little would abuse them
and your feelings elsewhere jan are there not up to much
so why would they want to post??
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Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
3472- Reg/Keith, I have nothing to 'come out' about.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
as predicted
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Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Keith Sansum1 wrote:as predicted
What does that mean?
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson