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Comment by noir-york | Hacker News Reader

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noir-york·

No representation without taxation.

Why should Facebook send Zuckerberg when Facebook paid a grand total of £2.6 million taxes to the UK in 2017.

If the British parliament wants Zuckerberg to attend, make the UK relevant to Facebook. Tax it.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/04/facebook-...

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Did you read the linked article? Facebook deliberately structure their operations to try and avoid paying UK tax. So it seems odd to then cite that as a reason for him not attending.

Yes, of course I read the article. If there was political will, Facebook would pay taxes in the UK.

The article I linked to in my comment showed that FBK paid (slightly) more taxes in 2017 than in 2016 following a public outcry.

Political pressure and HMRC's best and brightest could surely find ways to make Facebook pay a just level of taxes.

But their current arrangements are partly a result of political lobbying. So if they’re politically engaged enough to lower their taxes why aren’t they politically engaged enough to answer to this?

If Facebook and Zuckerberg cross the invisible line here -- and they may be doing that with this decision -- then political will is going to turn sharply against them. It wouldn't be at all surprising if their tax situation became dramatically worse shortly afterwards. It's basically free money for the government and free political points too.

Is there a criminal charge pending for tax evasion? I'm not sure I understand your comment. Did Facebook fail to pay a legally required tax and we're waiting for HMRC to prosecute?

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