AIBU to avoid Amazon

[Mayisout]

I am an amazon addict but since reading this
www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/04/amazon-british-operation-corporation-tax
have been buying books at my local shop, surprisingly they stocked what I was after and had only to pop in to pick them up (phoned first to make sure they had them, they'll get things in if you ask).
Another online place to buy books is
www.abebooks.co.uk/?cm_ven=Google&cm_cat=UBT&cm_pla=abebooks.&cm_ite=abebooks.
So I now search on Amazon but buy elsewhere if I can, most products can be found on other sites if you look.
Amazon pays no UK corporation tax on the £3bn it takes out of the economy -Why should Luxembourg profit from my purchases?

Amazon don't just sell books though. We buy all kinds of stuff through them and we know they're reliable.

Boycott The Guardian while you're at it

In 2008 The Guardian made £302 million in profits and paid no corporation taxes. The CEO, Carolyn McCall, was paid an £827,000 package.

Yes, will happily boycott the Guardian too.
The other easy link I found was to the Daily Mail and thought that MNers would just bollox me for that.

Apparently amazon has a stated aim of world domination. I wish I was better at shopping elsewhere - I'm trying!

Try the book depository too, seems good.

With Corp Tax at 20% Amazon could have paid 600 million in tax if they were registered here (if i've calculated correctly), that's a few teachers!

YANBU to avoid Amazon, but for other reasons. Their tax issues appear perfectly legal - they have good accountants and advisors.

Their general monopoly and damage caused to high street and indie bookshops however...

I would boycott them on principle but I have a kindle and love it very much, and also they deliver other stuff and paper books free to Luxembourg, which is very convenient.

The Book Depository is very good, but now, I believe, belongs to Amazon...

Mayisout Perfectly reasonable for you to boycott amazon, but the 3billion is the SALES that amazon makes to the UK, not the profit, and you only pay corp tax on the profit.

No it is 7bn sales.

Yes, Abebooks is a subsidiary of Amazon, am not up-to-date.

So avoid them too

Also, I don't dispute that their tax affairs are legal and above board but we are gaily spending our economy down the drain without thinking about it.

Scenario is - All the little booksellers and online companies around the uk selling widgets and spare parts from garages and spare bedrooms will slowly disappear. Those people will lose income and jobs, the economy will lose tax, therefore the government will cut jobs, there will be a much smaller income for amazon from the UK. They will bump up charges, remember by now there are no little widgets companies to compete, Amazon will be offering cheap, efficient trading to India and China, much better market there. UK will be a third world country apart for a few high flying bankers and richard bransons.

So they have a good account but so do most businesses. No different than self employed people taking full advantage like childminders etc.

They pay tax, employ a lot of people who also pay tax ... plus best choice online.

They aren't a British company so I don't care. They are cheap and I like books. They are extremely reliable.

Well don't rant about lack of teachers/ police didn't turn up for hours/ poor care in NHS / tax on petrol if you are happy for your money to go abroad rather than to uk taxman.

YABU.

The only book shop we've ever had round here is WH smith - and even that's 13 miles away.

THe library only stocks Catherine Cookson and Katie Price (I shit you not).

I need books; Amazon gets them to me. Cheap.

So I can't complain about a misdiagnosis or poor care in the NHS because I shop at amazon?

Lol

Because that's where money from business tax would go

I believe you want The Hive Supports independent booksellers.

If you register and enter your favourite local bookseller then you can have books delivered there for free. Well, you have to pay for the books, but you know what I mean!

Wait, where'd my full stop go?

.

Don't Abebooks and The Book Depository both sell on Amazon though? I'm sure I've bought from both of those via Amazon sellers. If so, they aren't so squeaky clean either...

Cheap, reliable and convenient, I'm happy with that tbh. If there was a vival company that offered the same service and equally cheap, reliable and convenient AND paid taxes i would use them in a shot, until then Amazon will have to do for me I'm afraid.

Thing is people make those loopholes, then get pissed off when Amazon use them, cause its wrong if they do.

Check out News International - just the same!

Amazon do not make 3bn pounds in profits in the UK, they made 170million dollars in their 4th quarter worldwide... And they certainly don't make 3bn pounds in profits on 7bn pounds of sales!

Buy your books from Amazon, toys from Toys r Us, food from Asda, let every High Street die. Who cares that their money is increasing the massive profits of multi-nationals who treat their suppliers and workers like shit? It's ok because shopping that way is easy and let's have a Tesco on every corner.

The government should shut the loophole IMO

It's not amazons fault really that they are business savvy.

I don't boycott anything.