@RandomLondoner -companies are already generally taxed in the uk if they carry on substantial activities here. There’s a whole slew of tax law too to prevent profit shifting to lower tax jurisdictions and there has been for years. It’s easy to say “tax Amazon” because you have come to some sort of misconception that Amazon is not taxed for some strange reason, but of course it is.
First, I am on the opposite side of the argument than you think I am. I was writing because I too am irritated by the people who say "tax Amazon", as they seem clueless to me. (In my ideal tax system Corporations wouldn't be taxed at all, we'd only tax income when it lands in the hands of individuals. But that's a whole other thread.)
Second, I recognise the truth of what you say about how tax works, but your overall knowledge appears to be less than mine, because although what you said is true as far as it goes, you don't seem to be aware of the additional information I was providing. Profit-shifting is still happening despite all the counter-measures, and reform to international agreements on how companies are taxed is being progressed to address this at a fundamental level.
(The trigger for this reform was Europe threatening a transaction tax on the turnover of internet companies. This would have been a bad approach, but the threat of it appears to have been enough to bring other countries to table to discuss reforms that do make sense.)
I'm not sure about Amazon's history of tax avoidance, but I know that at one stage Apple accumulated vast amounts of cash in Caribbean tax havens. Think some of that may have now been repatriated to the USA under a deal with the US government. Not an issue I've followed closely.
My point to you is, you are wrong if you don't think there's a problem that needs solving. My point to everyone else is that solving it will make far less difference than they think.