Uber and Facebook tax dodge scandal

Taxi firm Uber's smartphone app, photo by Pexel (Creative Commons)

Taxi firm Uber’s smartphone app, photo by Pexel (Creative Commons)   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

International taxi firm Uber is registered in a tax haven, a revelation so dazzlingly predictable it’s hardly even news.

The corporation shunts profits between various subsidiaries, ending up in Bermuda. Uber’s gang-master exploitation of casual ‘crowd work’ drivers has provoked several unionisation efforts. Black cab drivers in London have gridlocked streets to protest against Uber undercutting fares for skilled work.

Facebook could spend years not paying UK corporation tax, due to £21 million of deferred tax relief. According to the Independent, the social network is structured so it could be liable for as little as £4 million a year. Facebook’s quarterly global profits are £1 billion.