Rupert Murdoch attacks UK government over 'easy' Google tax settlement
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has hit out at Google and the UK in a Twitter rant accusing the search giant of having "cleverly planted dozens of their people in White House, Downing St, other governments” in order to create sweatheart tax deals.
The head of News Corp attacked the government for its £130m tax deal with the search giant, accusing it of “paying token amounts for PR purposes”.
He tweeted on Wedneday 27 January.
Google has cleverly planted dozens of their people in White House, Downing St, other governments. Most brilliant new lobbying effort yet.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) January 27, 2016
Tech tax breaks facilitated by politicians easily awed by Valley ambassadors like Google chairman Schmidt eg, posh boys in Downing St.@
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) January 27, 2016
Global tech companies making enormous profits most places, funnelling $$ thru tax havens. Unless stopped will ruin local businesses who pay.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) January 27, 2016
Google et al broke no tax laws. Now paying token amounts for pr purposes. Won't work. Need strong new laws to pay like the rest of us.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) January 27, 2016
The comments were made amid widespread criticism that the £130m Google has forked out, covering tax dating to 2005, was lower than anticipated.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said during PMQs that the HMRC deal was equivalent to a three per cent tax rate.