HIGH STREET TAX MANIACS

UK Uncut’s Big Society Revenue and Customs took on tax-dodgers in around 30 towns and cities around the country in a national day of action on Sunday (30th).

While yer working man/woman was sweating over their tax-returns, activists reminded the public of the £25 billion of tax that wealthy individuals and companies weasel their way out of every year by targeting Boots, Topshop and Vodafone with direct action and pickets.

In London, activists came under attack from a spray-happy copper, who doused 10 people with CS gas. Three needed hospital treatment. The attack came after police arrested a woman for criminal damage after she pushed a leaflet through the shop’s closed door, slightly dislodging the rubber seal. As protesters surrounded the police shouting ‘Shame on you’ and ‘Let her go’ they were hosed down with the CS.

Before the attack, demonstrators had succeeded in getting Boots shut down with a group inside singing tax-themed ditties. Afterwards they moved on to shut down Vodafone, BHS and Topshop before heading back to Boots, where the trouble kicked off.

Around 50 people assembled for the Bristol tax-dodger tour. Protesters managed to shut down Vodafone several times, running back for another quick pop between visiting other targets. Topshop, Boots and BHS were also forced into shutting up shop, while HMV closed one of two doors.

In Brighton over 100 coppers were mobilised to tackle plucky activists who were manhandled out of a Boots store before establishing a singing picket outside the store.

Other protests had mixed results. At some, only a handful of activists showed up to brave the cold and distribute information to passing shoppers.

Boots were the main targets for the day’s action following their recent ‘move’ from their historic home of Nottingham to their chilly new base of Switzerland, home to not a single Boots store.

Coming off the back of a private equity buy out, the move will see Boots’ tax bill drop from 33% of their profits to a mere 3%.

Topshop was also top of the list of tax-dodgers as part of Acardia, the Philip Green money spinning empire. Officially Acardia, which includes brands such as Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Burton, Miss Selfridge and BHS, is actually owned by Phil’s wife. Lady of leisure Mrs Green resides in Monaco where she pays not a penny of income tax.

Also on UK Uncut’s corporate hit list are supermarket behemoths Tesco and, of course, Vodafone, who kicked the whole thing off by worming their way out of a massive £6 billion tax bill (see SchNEWS 745).

UK Uncut’s Dannie Wright said, “The government insists that drastic public spending cuts and a hike in VAT are essential, but they will hit the poor and vulnerable the hardest, while the richest dodge tax with virtual impunity.”

*www.ukuncut.org.uk