Welsh town declares itself offshore for tax purposes

[DaveB]

Have we done this one?

Crickhowell: Welsh town moves 'offshore' to avoid tax on local business | UK | News | The Independent

Now local businesses in Crickhowell are turning the tables on the likes of Google and Starbucks by employing the same accountancy practices used by the world’s biggest companies, to move their entire town “offshore”.

[d000hg]

Interesting protest... force the government to do something about it if other towns do similar?

It looks like a pretty little town.

[Chuck]

Have we done this one?

Crickhowell: Welsh town moves 'offshore' to avoid tax on local business | UK | News | The Independent

In what way is that "turning the tables on the likes of Google and Starbucks"? Why would they GAS?

Lovely place, Crickhowell BTW.

[MrMarkyMark]

It looks like a pretty little town.

Its lovely there, they do a nice single malt and decent grub in The Bear.
The old boy behind the bar, even gave me a nice nip, prior to purchase g

Plenty of places to walk around too, friendly natives etc.

[NibblyPig]

Sign me up

[mdhd]

Can we register company at an address there and do the same?

[d000hg]

Can we register company at an address there and do the same?

Maybe we all can and it will become a massive tax haven worth. Stranger things have happened!

[MrMarkyMark]

I can see this could be a big problem for Georgie.

This could be a far bigger worry, for him, than contractor, tax evading, scum.

[BlasterBates]

I'm afraid these people are going to get clobbered.

Google, Starbucks and Facebook are US companies owned by US citizens that's why it works

When you have Sweet shop in North Wales and you run it through an offshore company, it's a company owned by the UK tax payer.

i.e. Google UK doesn't own Google Bahamas.

I'm afraid this is a very significant point.

They're just going to get taken to the cleaners using UK law and it won't make a ha'porth of difference because HMRC can't take Google US to court..

To get Google to pay tax they need a change to the UK/US and probably other countries tax treaties.

[d000hg]

To get Google to pay tax they need a change to the UK/US and probably other countries tax treaties.

I'm not sure this part is true. It is surely not impossible to find a way to word "profit" appropriately, and/or make certain types of expenditure non-deductible, under "the business you do in the UK is subject to UK law" rules?