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This Black Friday, Ethical Consumer is calling for a boycott on ‘Prolific tax avoider’ Amazon.
The online retailer is the big winner from Black Friday, and is largely credited for Black Friday’s rise in the UK over the past decade. It had a 26% share of the Black Friday market in 2018.
It’s a distant second place for eBay, which had less than 10% of total web sales.
This year, for the first time ever, Amazon launched Black Friday sales a whole month early, with new deals every day.
Amazon has reported a 37% increase in earnings during the pandemic.
In spite of this increased profit, Amazon announced at the beginning of September that its key UK business paid just a 3% increase in corporation tax in 2019.
In 2018, the company paid an overall figure of £220 million in direct UK taxes, despite UK revenues amounting to £10.9 billion.
Ethical Consumer has a boycott call against Amazon for its tax avoidance.
The company scores 0 in Ethical Consumer’s shopping guides.
‘As we approach the tenth anniversary of Black Friday, we are urging consumers to boycott this Amazon invented consumer frenzy and make a stand against their aggressive tax avoidance.
‘Taking stock of the last decade, it’s clear to see that Amazon’s tax avoidance will have had a huge impact on our local services, particularly in the year of a global pandemic.
‘Consumers withdrawing from this online marketing frenzy will send a clear message to a corporation responsible for aggressive tax avoidance.
‘Shopping online is no longer just convenient but essential to everyday life. Amazon knows this yet fails to commit to paying the right amount of tax in the right place, at the right time, to help fund our public services such as the NHS.
‘Choosing to spend your money elsewhere is a powerful act that will highlight the value of good business practices – and the real value it delivers.’
TIM HUNT
Co-editor at Ethical Consumer
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