Media magnate Rupert Murdoch is the latest voice to weigh in on the tax row enveloping the UK, stating that he condemns Google for paying ‘token taxes’.
The News Corp. Chairman let loose on Twitter, accusing Google of using legal loopholes to avoid taxes and lobbying the UK government to avoid paying its fair share.
The comments came as UK PM David Cameron defended the recent 130 million pound tax deal struck with Google over back taxes. Cameron joins chancellor George Osborne in praising the deal, as critics line up to accuse them of being too lenient.
Murdoch tweeted “Google et al broke no tax laws. Now paying token amounts for PR purposes. Won’t work. Need strong new laws to pay like the rest of us.”
Murdoch critics quickly fired back, highlighting that the media mogul paid zero taxes in the UK between 1987-1999, despite raking in over a billion pounds in profits.
The comments reflect the growing attitude of hostility toward tech giants who manage to avoid paying taxes in countries they aren’t based in, and the ongoing debate taking place in the UK about what to do about it.