It’s been a wild weekend across the globe. The demonstrations in Egypt and Syria may have dominated the headlines but they weren’t the only protests happening in the world.
In London, tax protesters made news when they collided with police. The protesters had gathered in front of stores on one of the toniest areas in England’s capital city to call attention to what they perceive as corporate tax avoidance. Many of the companies which were targeted have relocated their headquarters or other corporate finances to countries like Switzerland and Monaco in order not to pay tax (or to pay lesser amounts of tax) in the UK. The protest was an effort to call nationwide (and perhaps global) attention to the perceived tax avoidance.
Those who attended the event described it as initially peaceful and contained. Police apparently felt differently, using pepper spray to break up the demonstrations in London after the protestors managed to close down a Boots Chemist (think of it as an upscale CVS). After the police intervention, three people were reportedly hospitalized for related injuries (according to reports, Boots staff offered the protestors free treatment inside the store after the incident). The reaction by police has been criticized as “heavy headed.”
The London demonstration was one of more than 30 protests across the UK on a “Day of Action” called by UnCutUK. UnCutUK started as an informal movement in response to cuts in national services at a time when the public perceives that corporations are getting a tax break. The first corporate target was Vodafone and more recent targets include retail giants Boots and Tesco. You can find out more about their activities by following UnCutUK on twitter or following the #unukcut hashtag on twitter.
Interestingly, the Brits are speaking out about the same kind of corporate tax avoidance that many US taxpayers have been criticizing. You don’t, however, see the same type of response. Why is that? Are we, as taxpayers, really apathetic? Or are the Brits too quick to protest? What do you think?
Quick to protest?
Brits are very, very slow to protest. They generally roll over and take whatever pain the government hands out.
But the instances of (generally legal) tax avoidance and abuse are so egregious thats it has spurred normally placid people into action.
Its all in the context of a government that is radically cutting the equivalents of social security and medicare and putting the economy into a tailspin while no effort is made to ask the more well-off to contribute more.