... ask MNers to boycott Starbucks?

[legoballoon]

Personally, I won't be spending any money there again.

When I read the 'we pay our fair share of tax' statement, I almost choked on my (home made) hot chocolate. It's one law for the rich, another for us now is it?!

I think we should support small, UK-based independent coffee shops. Let's support businesses that generate wealth that is shared by local people.

"So why are so many people hating Starbucks but ignoring Greene King?"

1. Because it's in the headlines, so it's "out there" and people don't need to search it out, or think about it, in order to have it as a target of vitriol
2. Starbucks is American, and the weird British anti-American sentiment is (I imagine) a part of this. Those nasty successful American companies operating in the UK! How bloody dare they! (meanwhile, if you go to NY it has Pret all over the place, you can't MOVE for Le Pain Quotidiens etc. etc.)
3. Starbucks has long been a symbol, along with McDonalds, of all that is wrong with the world in terms of Globalisation.
4. As demonstrated by this thread, the concept of what real tax evasion is, evades people

Good summary there Absy.

I'm in! Their Americano tastes like hot water with brown grit floating in it, so no great loss.

I've boycotted Tesco for years. My old company did a lot of work for them and was bloody gobsmacked at some of the things I saw, slecifically their corporate practices and synthetic tax avoidance schemes. One year, my extra special, super duper special Christmas bonus was £100 of Tesco vouchers. I got drunk at the Christmas party and gave them away to the homeless man who used to beg outside the Tesco Metro on East Cheap.

I am genuinely interested to know what do people hope this boycott will bring about.

Are Starbucks expected to lobby parliament and beg to be allowed to pay tax in the UK?

Or is it hoped that Starbucks will be forced out of business which they would apparently deserve as no-one liked them anyway?

Just say the article. And its legal. Tax camaigners have argued for years to tighten the rules.

It sickens me to read that.

On the other side the country is in huge debt, public services are being cut, the poor and the disabled suffer, while the fat cats are having a party.

And the government does nothing to sort it out, a bit like with the bankers. What are they scared of? If the big businesses are not contributing to the UK economy anyway wouldn't it just be beneficial for local businesses? There wouldn't be any harm done if they went, would there?

There would be enormous harm if all the international companies left the UK. There simply aren't enough local businesses to meet the demand. So the demand would go unmet and the recession would deepen catastrophically.

And even if there were enough local businesses willing to step up, they wouldn't be able to source their raw materials/products because those come overwhelmingly from international companies too.

Look at Greece. International companies are pulling out faster than you can say hot cakes, and economic collapse spirals downwards faster and faster.

And it's simply not true that international companies don't contribute to the UK economy. Even when they're not profitable and so not paying corporation tax, they employ thousands and thousands and thousands of people. Who would employ them? And what would happen to the country's benefits bill if millions were suddenly unemployed?

Yanbu.let's boycott McDonald's and KFC too.

And if we kicked out every US company, say, wouldn't the US be entitled to do the same to our companies operating over there?

"Yanbu.let's boycott McDonald's and KFC too."

Even though McDonalds paid £80m of UK tax last year?

The other point to make is that Starbucks pay salaries, whether you like it or not (and they won't if they go bust).

And people pay tax on those salaries, and pay VAT when they spend the rest of those salaries.

In these days of high unemployment, any company that employs especially low-earners is good for the economy. If these workers are laid off due to a boycott, not only will they pay no tax, and spend less, they will also be claiming benefits.

So it is a ridiculous time to boycott a company that employs something like 5,500 people in the UK.

x-posted - what Cinnabar said (again).

BTW, for the poster who said that in 2011 Starbucks were planning to open 200 more stores.

They closed my local Starbucks in November 2011. Couldn't make it profitable with the level of rent they had to pay for their high street premises.

The building is still empty.

I think we should boycott all American companies as a matter of principle

Cinnabar, how is your head this morning? I thought it might be a bit sore from all the head-desk-banging

I think this thread has been really informative.

I can understand a knee jerk reaction to something that seems unfair. But tbh I think it is quite encouraging to see that the issue is far more complicated than a quick headline would have you believe. However much we want to throw everything and everyone into good guys or nasty fuckers it is almost never accurate

And starbucks salted caramel bar thingys are lovely

Yes, let's all just keep our own companies in our own countries, and that way everyone will be happy.

Well, as a minion of satan I have two heads, so only need to reserve one for desk banging...

Having two heads would make doing your hair much easier.

but far more time consuming. You'd need to keep it quite short otherwise you'd be there for hours

Better two heads than two faces.

But I disagree with myself a lot. I'm often in two minds.

But at least you could do the back Funnys.

I change my mind a lot. I try to listen to people that know more than I do. It's ever so time consuming.

Doesn't the listening interfere with your frothing righteous indignation Pag? You really should stop doing it.

I have always boycotted it! We have several fabulous independent coffee shops in our town, we never needed Starbucks and they built it and I simply refuse to spend my money there.

YANBU.