What Cameron is not revealing

This is the latest from Avaaz, an organisation that in my view is well worth supporting.

Here it reveals the concerns of eminent MPs from both sides of The House.

Margaret Hodge is very critical.

It seems that the Tax office doesn't have the resources to deal with big businesses who employ top lawyers to extract every concession possible.

What appears to be happening is that the tax office do a deal in order to get some money immediately  rather than fight lengthy court battles.

Let's hope this action puts pressure on Cameron to do something.

*    *    *    *    *    *

Our tax chief had secret lunches with Vodafone and Goldman Sachs and then handed them billions in tax breaks – while keeping Parliament in the dark!

MPs are outraged, claiming we are owed over 25 billion pounds in back taxes from these and similar dodgy deals. But the tax agency has blocked an inquiry into the scandal and refuses to release any documents to shed light on why these tax breaks were ordered in the first place.

By acting together now we can ensure full transparency on the Goldman Sachs and Vodafone deals, and get them to pay the tax they owe. Let’s turn up the heat -- sign the tax justice petition to David Cameron -- we’ll deliver it with a splash next week:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/goldman_sachs_pay_your_tax/?vl

The cosy relationship between the public tax authority and major private companies is shocking: the tax agency boss had more than a hundred lunches with big business tax lawyers and advisers, leading to the companies being let off millions in taxes. The agency tried to obstruct a recent Parliamentary inquiry using flimsy confidentiality arguments, and threatened the whistleblower who helped expose the scandal.

The coalition is weak and on the defensive over the economy and several Conservative and Lib Dem MPs are fuming over these tax revelations. But the government has yet to demand full payment. Only public pressure can change Cameron's position and ensure that big businesses pay what they owe rather than manoeuvre and lobby to minimise their tax bills.

We should be able to trust our public tax body to be free of corporate capture and able to recover taxes owed without fear or favour. Join the call for tax justice -- click below to sign the petition:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/goldman_sachs_pay_your_tax/?vl

From Occupy to the G20, citizens across the world are coming together to push back corporate interests, fight against dodgy deals corrupting our governments and bring back transparency -- and the pressure is working. Let's come together now and win tax justice for us all.

With hope,

Alex, Antonia, Emma, RIcken, Mary, Rewan, Diego and the entire Avaaz team

More information:

MPs attack HMRC’s ‘cosy’ deals with big business (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16253205

MPs say taxman "too cosy" with companies (Reuters)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/12/20/uk-britain-taxes-idUKTRE7BJ03S20111220

The end of all take and no give (New Statesman)
http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/12/tax-returns-public-firms

HMRC hid 'sweetheart' tax deals for big business, MPs say (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/dec/20/inland-revenue-sweetheart-tax-deals

Taxman targets small firms after sweetheart deals with big business (Daily Mail)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2081461/HMRC-plans-checks-3-000-fines-missing-paperwork.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Goldman Sachs’s Tax Rate Drops to 1% (Bloomberg)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a6bQVsZS2_18