Anti-tax avoidance protesters outside Starbucks Bold Street
Liverpool Socialists joined an anti-tax avoidance protest in Liverpool at the weekend, singing outside the Bold Street Starbucks in the city centre in an attempt to further “shame” the coffee chain.
Starbucks hit the headlines recently when it emerged they had not being paying any corporation tax in this country. Starbucks UK had paid just £8.6 million in 14 years of trading in Britain, with none at all in the last three years. However, the company has now agreed that they will pay £20 million in tax over the next two years.
Helen Marks, a member of the Liverpool Socialist Singers, told JMU Journalism: “We have come to support the demonstration. We hope again it shames Starbucks because they are giving the impression that they have reformed and actually they are giving with one hand but then penalising their own workers. They know what they have been doing.”
She claimed: “It is bigger than that, we want other firms now to be worried about what they are doing with their profits. While people are really suffering poverty and having their wages cut they are there putting their money in secret accounts. I also blame the government because they should be stopping the loopholes.”
The songs slated the way the government had dealt with the situation. A crowd formed around the group in a short amount of time as they chanted and held up signs. Police were present to oversee the demonstration.
Kris Engskov of Starbucks UK, told BBC News: “We are taking action to pay corporate tax here in the UK. We are going to do what’s beyond required by the law and we are going to do it whether we make a profit in the next two years.”
The anti-tax avoidance activists have staged protests at more than 50 Starbucks stores across the UK.
It was good fun, especially watching as the customers left by the back door and nobody else went in. I hear that UK Uncut got into Starbucks in L1 in the afternoon and made their point. We could do without international chains selling us coffee. More independent coffee shops!
I was at the L1 occupation. It was highly successful, until a police inspector arrived, told us – politely – we were committing aggravated trespass and that if we didn’t leave we’d be arrested.
I asked him what constituted AT in this instance. He said we’d intimidated the staff, which we hadn’t; that we were obstructing the customers, which we weren’t; and that we’d made a lot of noise, which is entirely untrue. In point of fact I’d never seen such a well behaved political demonstration in all my life. This despite the presence of an extremely noughty copper who seemed determined to provoke trouble just so that he could arrest someone. I took his number just in case, but it turned out not to be needed.
In any event, the consensus was that we’d made our point and that we’d have more impact on bypassers by demonstrating outside. Some stayed to protest on the pavement, while others went to join the demonstration against Poundland and workfare. I must confess, I was mindful of how long I’d left my dog on his own, so I went home.
All in all, a highly successful day, and one which probably did more to persuade Starbucks to pay its taxes legitimately than all the resolutions and condemnations which this condemn government is ever likely to come up with. But please don’t get me started on the obnoxious American who told me I was interfering with his right to drink Starbucks coffee, and opined that I’d be better employed getting a job!!! What! At my age?