They aren't "foreign companies"; they're multi-national entities doing business in the UK. If, in the course of doing business here, they generate costs for the nation, they should be expected to help out. There's no reason the UK taxpayer should foot the bill for negative externalities generated by the business practices of multi-national entities. They can either invest in whatever it takes to solve the problem themselves, or they can be taxed so that state can take care of it for them.