Protest against tax avoidance

Boycott of Facebook in protest at tax avoidance

Several Friends joined a twenty-four-hour boycott of Facebook last Saturday in protest at the low level of corporation tax paid by the company.

The action was called by Church Action on Poverty (CAP), who want faith groups to take a stronger stand against corporate tax avoidance.

In 2011, Facebook paid £196,000 corporation tax on estimated UK sales of £175m. The process is legal but has been condemned as immoral. CAP asked supporters not simply to avoid Facebook for the day but also to leave messages about tax dodging on their Facebook pages, so friends would hear about it.

Penny Markell, of Westminster Meeting, who joined the boycott, said: ‘On Facebook, you can tell the organisation you’re boycotting and all your friends why you’re doing it – using their own systems.’ CAP’s Niall Cooper said: ‘Every pound of tax dodged is a pound less to spend on essential public services’.

---

Comments

Please login to add a comment