#PayIn30Days Campaigner Calls for a 30% 'Unethical' Corporation Tax Rate
News that the NHS needs £50 billion more by 2030* has prompted Tony Robinson OBE, the Micro Business Champion, to call for a selective Corporation Tax hike to fund the gap.
Robinson's solution is for one thousand, or so, of the UK's 5.7 million businesses to have their Corporation tax rate hiked from 19% to the 30%** rate. These larger companies, over 250 employees or £2 million turnovers, would be the ones Government contracts with, funds or licences that have, what Robinson calls ' unethical practices' with their suppliers and/or employees.
Robinson said "There are a small number of very large corporations that make a great deal of their money because of government contracts, funding or licences such as in arms, drugs, banking, financial services, utilities, telecommunications, public transport, tobacco, construction, supermarkets, education, and, particularly, outsourcing. Many of these companies exploit their suppliers by offering 'take it or leave it' payment terms of 45, 60, 75, 90 and 120 days. Carillion was 120 days. This kills enterprise and leads to debt, poverty and ill health.
The same large companies often exploit their lowest-paid workers by not paying the living wage and using zero hours contracts, unpaid interns, part-timers and 'freelancers'. This leads to their workers' reliance on the state, debt, poverty, food banks, homelessness and ill health.
I've been campaigning for over 20 years that Government should not contract, licence or fund any organisation which does not #PayIn30Days all its bills and the living wage to all its employees. Government's refusal to impose basic ethical practice on these exploitative corporations has led to millions of people in debt, poverty and reliant on the NHS. It's only right that they should pay more in Corporation tax to help fund the NHS. It also won't stop me campaigning for #PayIn30Days from all those that Government does contract with, licence, fund or bale out. It's a disgrace and every true entrepreneur in the UK who once was a startup and a vulnerable micro business owner backs me on this".
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* BBC News 26/04/2018
** 30% rate is currently for oil exploration companies