5 September 2019
A Green Party led motion was supported by Councillors to join a national movement of Councils standing up for responsible tax conduct
Councillors across the UK work hard to serve their local communities and help direct the delivery of essential public services. By signing up to the Councils for Fair Tax Declaration, Cannock Chase Council has demonstrated their alignment of values by committing to take the lead in the promotion of exemplary tax conduct through leading by example on their own tax conduct, demanding greater transparency from suppliers and calling for more meaningful powers to tackle tax avoidance amongst suppliers when buying goods and services.
Research commissioned by the Fair Tax Mark from DatLab has revealed that between 2014-19, a huge 17.5% of UK public procurement contracts – with a combined value of £37.5bn – were won by businesses with connections to a tax haven. The UK Government has closed many tax avoidance loopholes in recent years, but an estimated £7bn of corporation tax receipts are still going astray as a result of profit-shifting alone.
Significantly, polling has found that two-thirds of the public agree that the government and local councils should consider a company’s ethics and how they pay their taxes as well as value for money and quality of service, when undertaking procurement.
Councillor Paul Woodhead, leader of the Green Group on Cannock Chase Council who brought the proposition for consideration by Council said
“I am delighted colleague councillors support this declaration. We should absolutely support those businesses who pay the right amount of tax at the right time and make a positive decision to not procure services or support in any way businesses who rob our community of their fair share of taxes by using tax havens or other tax avoidance measures.”
Website for the https://fairtaxmark.net/
The motion at council was passed 22 for the motion (Green and Labour) 17 abstain (Conservative, Lib Dem, Independent) two councillors were absent (Green and LibDem)
This is the text of the motion
Full Council notes that:
1. The pressure on organisations to pay the right amount of tax in the right place at the right time has never been stronger.
2. Polling from the Institute for Business Ethics finds that “corporate tax avoidance” has, since 2013, been the clear number one concern of the British public when it comes to business conduct.
3. Almost two-thirds (63%) of the public agree that the Government and local councils should consider a company’s ethics and how they pay their tax as well as value for money and quality of service provided, when undertaking procurement.
4. Around 17.5% of public contracts in the UK have been won by companies with links to tax havens.
5. It has been conservatively estimated that losses from multinational profitshifting (just one form of tax avoidance) could be costing the UK some £7bn per annum in lost corporation tax revenues.
6. The Fair Tax Mark offers a means for business to demonstrate good tax conduct, and has been secured by organisations with a combined annual income of £50bn and more than 6,500 outlets and premises, including many social enterprises and co-operatives.
Full Council believes that:
1. Paying tax is often presented as a burden, but it shouldn’t be.
2. Tax enables us to provide services from education, health and social care, to flood defence, roads, policing and defence. It also helps to counter financial inequalities and rebalance distorted economies.
3. As recipients of significant public funding, local authorities should take the lead in the promotion of exemplary tax conduct; be that by ensuring contractors are paying their proper share of tax, or by refusing to go along with offshore tax dodging when buying land and property.
4. Where substantive stakes are held in private enterprises, then influence should be wielded to ensure that such businesses are exemplars of tax transparency and tax avoidance is shunned – e.g. no use of marketed schemes requiring disclosure under DOTAS regulations (Disclosure of Tax
Avoidance Schemes) or arrangements that might fall foul of the General Anti-Abuse Rule.
5. More action is needed, however current law significantly restricts councils’ ability to either penalise poor tax conduct or reward good tax conduct, when buying goods or services.
6. UK cities, counties and towns can and should stand up for responsible tax conduct – doing what they can within existing frameworks and pledging to do more given the opportunity, as active supporters of international tax justice.
Full Council resolves to:
1. Approve the Councils for Fair Tax Declaration.
2. Support Fair Tax Week events in the area, and celebrate the tax contribution made by responsible businesses who say what they pay with pride.
3. Support calls for urgent reform of EU and UK law to enable local authorities to better penalise poor tax conduct and reward good tax conduct through their procurement policies.
4. Not use offshore vehicles for the purchase of land or property, especially where this leads to reduced payments of stamp duty.
5. Receive a further report on how the Council can develop an efficient and effective framework to lead by example and demonstrate good practice in our tax conduct to:
(a) Ensure contractors implement IR35 robustly and pay a fair share of employment taxes.
(b) Undertake due diligence to ensure that not-for-profit structures are not being used inappropriately as an artificial device to reduce the payment of tax and business rates.
(c) Demand clarity on the ultimate beneficial ownership of suppliers and their consolidated profit & loss position.
(d) Promote Fair Tax Mark certification for any business in which we have a significant stake and where corporation tax is due.
Sign up for updates
Find out more
