Francis Elliott, Deputy Political Editor, and Christine Buckley, Industrial Editor
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Alistair Darling will signal another tax U-turn this week to prevent a threatened exodus from Britain of multinational companies.
In a speech to the CBI tomorrow, the Chancellor will sound the retreat over moves to tax intellectual property held offshore. The proposal was contained in a Treasury discussion paper on reforms to the way in which earnings from foreign subsidiaries are taxed. It led to a storm of protests from companies fearing that patents and brands held offshore were about to be brought within the reach of the British taxman.
Mr Darling is expected to offer an explicit assurance that the new regime will be revenue-neutral and will pose no specific threat to companies rich in intellectual property. A Treasury spokesman said that the final reform package would be unveiled late next month or in early July.
The backdown comes as Richard Lambert, the Director-General of the CBI, said that the issue of leaving the UK for more favourable tax regimes was on the agenda across business.
In an interview with The Times, he said: “It has become respectable to ask the question. When it was the odd insurance underwriter here or there, it was all a bit remote — but when it gets to the FTSE 100, then you get to a point where boards are saying, ‘shouldn’t we be discussing this?’. We are close to that point, if we are not there already.”
Amid industry concern over tax after several recent controversial moves, Mr Lambert said that tax had reached a “worrying stage”. Britain was more vulnerable than some other countries because it is such an open economy, allowing businesses to move in and out, he said.
Mr Lambert added that while business realised that immediate large cuts in tax were not possible, it had been rocked by the inconsistency of tax legislation and amendments over the past year or so: “For businesses, the rate is important, but so is consistency, clarity and a sense of strategic direction. And that is why the tax changes over the last 15 months have been so damaging. They have made people think: ‘What are the rules around here?’ ”
Mr Lambert’s comments come in the wake of swift changes and then reversals on a number of tax plans such as capital gains, non-domicile taxation and last week’s concessions over the abolition of the 10p rate of income tax.
In a further move to calm corporate nerves, Mr Darling is expected tomorrow to unveil the full membership of a new multinational forum on tax.
The Treasury confirmed yesterday that one member would be Julian Heslop, the chief financial officer of GlaxoSmithKline. The pharmaceuticals industry has been particularly concerned about the implications of moves to change the taxation of intellectual property.
Last month Jean-Pierre Garnier, the outgoing chief executive of GSK, who is a member of the Prime Minister’s International Business Advisory Council, issued a veiled warning to the Government over proposed changes to its tax regime.
Shire, Britain’s third-biggest pharmaceutical company, will incorporate its new holding company in Jersey and hold all board meetings in Dublin to limit its tax bills.
Mr Lambert also gave warning that the Government’s tax take would come under strong pressure because of the troubles in the financial sector. “If you look at where their main sources of tax revenue are, they certainly include the financial services sector . . . The City’s share of the corporate tax base is significant and City bonuses are really important,” he said.
Business confidence fell steeply in the last quarter, according to the latest Business Confidence Monitor from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales — the fourth consecutive quarterly fall in confidence.
The heat will be turned up on the Treasury over its series of retreats and climbdowns on key areas of tax policy today when a group of its senior officials appear before the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee.
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people don't realize that tax in the UK (aside from VAT) is actually lower than it is in the states. my mother pays close to 5000 pounds a year in "council" tax and my dad works in NYC and pays well over 40% in income tax (federal+state+city).
Alex, London, England
Its a shame its so easy for companies to move headquarters abroad, unfotunately its not so easy for poor workers to do the same, otherwise half the country would be moving out to avoid this tax & waste brown administration....
Adrian, Belfast, Northern Ireland
The whingeing and whining at the Chancellors decisions wont change the basic fact,that Allistar Darling is a highly capable wise Chancellor...............................Soup kitchens in the streets would not be out of the question if Osborne ever attained such a position
Eric, Southwick, England
Can Labour make another u-turn, lower all taxes to pre 1997 levels and can I have full reinstatement of my personnel pension contributions. Labour are so Greedy and wasteful.
steve tea, manchester, cheshire
What is the problem? This is NuLab, they need all the monies from the rich to make the rich richer and poor poorer, that means taking monies from any source, including innovations. People have to be controlled and managed, that is why UK voted for and will continue to vote for NuLab. Just pay up!
YT, London, UK
People who complain about UK policies may not know that in USA companies pay far more tax. They pay tax even if they re-locate their HQs. Every US citizen and resident has to keep filing and paying taxes for life even if they move abroad and have not lived there for 50 yrs! They call it Freedom!
Don W., London,
The trouble with socialists is they never know when to stop turning the tax screw. Time and again their own stupidity is their demise.
David Thijm, Stourbridge, UK
Plainly, Labour wish to destroy the economy before handing it back to the tories. They are leaving a number of incendiary devices with long dated fuses.
Will, Lincoln, UK
... and what exactly, is Mr Almostmonobrow Darling's qualifications as far as economics and finance are concerned?
We need a mass overhaul of the political system.
Pete, Cov,
I read with interest the CBI comments on tax but it is not only the CBI that are concerned it is also all who currently live on these shores. Mr Brown says our current situation is due to world issues. It is not the world that has decide on high taxation e.g fuel. The CBI conclusion emigrate
Bambury, Rotherham, UK
We need somebody in power with a grasp of tax policy. Darling and Brown have none. Neither has George Osborne, unfortunately.
Frank Upton, Solihull,
The reason corporations pay tax is that they are granted the same rights as individuals in a court of law. They have individual rights, therefore they have the same responsibilities as an individual- including paying tax . If they don't want to pay tax- then why should they retain those rights?
Miss Dee, Tayside, UK
My US Holding Co. holds my US patents. I am in the US simply because "the City don't do investment". You get prosperity from investment, but the City does not do investment. Particularly into the small high tech start up who wishes NOT to be traded in M&A. Sadly the Treasury still does not "Get It".
Chris Coles, Medstead, Alton, United Kingdom
Big Corpn are no fools. They can see for themselves how Brown is blood sucking us. Add it the "thought that counts" factor - as in - announced intentions toward Big Corp. Trust gone. Broke as broke can be Government exposed in all it's
rancid glory.
General Public exodus..... bled dry!.
Beverley, Bilston, England
We seem to be getting monthly tax changes to the tax structure and tax rates from this Government now. Anyone else getting confused? Perhaps we should extend the smoking ban to the Treasury - then they wouldn't have any 'fag' packets to jot their latest 'policies' on.
Donna Walker, Effingham, England
Yet another government policy that lacks research, testing, and analysis- instead it is simply rolled out. When will the government learn that it has to justify its decisions to not only the populace, but also influential business. This government is yet again damaging Britain's image and status.
Kieran, Somerset, England
Why does anyone in the UK believe that governments care what we, the voters, think about them or their policies. They don't, because we have no choice as to whether to pay them or not. Multinationals are different: they do have a choice. Oh, and they provide lucrative jobs to ex-politicians.
Steve, London, UK
Sara Scherrer - in order to compete with Germany and France or indeed any other country in industrial production requires investment.
The UK and particularly the City don't do investment. We do consumption.
DickW, Aberdeenshire,
And now Governments at last become aware of the extensive powers to corporations of Globalisation. Choose where to pay your staff in the World .. Choose where you pay your tax. This climb down won't stop the exodus it is too cost effective to move, same as with offshoring of jobs.
Joe Postin, Geelong, Australia
So long as Europe and the US refuse to harmonise tax and take control of tax havens the developed world risks falling into decline through corporate greed and blackmail. Confucius he say use the Che method. Impose a 10% rate, reduce expenditure and let the people raise their standard of living
peter fieldman, paris, france
Another embarrassing climbdown. So predictable: Labour knee-jerk response to a headline. Pause for thought. Ramifications considered. U-turn. What a dreadful government.
Roddy Campbell, Christchurch, New Zealand
The whole premise of corporate tax is deeply flawed. Corps. don't pay tax, consumers do. It becomes a cost of production like all other costs. So go ahead and scream for them to pay their fair share (more!). An overall rise in their tax rates will be passed on to you. Be careful what you wish for.
Jim McLaughlin, Calgary, Canada
Alex, London. You for got the working class, the vast majority aslo hate them.
peter reddington, leeds, UK
Eric,
i am going to assume you are being sarcastic. for your sake i really hope you are though there is a sucker born every day.
Alex, London, England
An incredible ATTEMPT at deceit is taking place........the fundemental reality is that the Labour government have the fairest attitude to taxation.................floods of lemming type letters from tory followers simply wont change that reality.................they ALWAYS omit tory policies.
Eric, Southwick , Eric
Its interesting to note the Chair of the panel is Jane Kennedy; a glance of her CV will help to reveal the importance this Government attaches to this discussion process. A career politician with no previous business experience....
Mervyn Ashton, Harrogate,
Gordon Brown is the most miserable incompetent minister of State ever. 11 yrs.constant taxation by stealth and deferment ("the tax increase will come into effect next April"....etc) then squandered by incompetent lazy public officials such as Gorbels Mick, eventually brings workers to exhaustion.
don Lynch, Bristol,
The poor will continue to pay higher taxes so that the rich can continue to leech off them. A sad fact of history, alas.
Brian, Liverpool, UK
Another U turn coming which damages further the idiot Chancellor's reputation. The cupboard is bare and the 10% tax fiasco, the non doms fiasco, now the extention of taxation to offshore co assets shows how desperate to find more revenue the Government is. Short termism causing long term damage.
William A Shuttleworth, Zadar, Croatia
No one has mentioned the INCREASE in the rate of tax for small companies.
Not only did Gordon Brown try to snatch more tax from the poorest 10p taxpayers, at the same time he also put up small companies rate from 19p to 22p.
So we now know Labour attacks the poorest and the hardest working.
MarkS, Leeds,
There is no way you can stop any person or company leaving the UK and shifting their tax residences to another country. A system like the American one is the best you can hope for, which I believe is a one off windfall. After which the golden egg of the annual tax take is gone with the goose
Nick, London, UK
Gordon, like all politicians (?) is critisism-blind. Believe me, he shall continue until ousted. He is highwayman.
alex hewetson, Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Martin,
business's have every right to do that as we are living in a time where business and finance have no borders. every gov needs to ensure a secure environment for business otherwise they will leave and unfortunately Labour is desperate and taking this country down with it.
Alex, London, England
Britain must compete with Germany and France on Industrial Production, not on Tax Gimmicks.Britain will join the Euro Zone. The only question is ; At what price, and when ?The British Public should be spared the misery of this present Government.
Sara Scherrer, Zurich, Switzerland
Hold a second before the baying mob start attacking the government. Why not ask whether large British firms should be allowed to deliberately move HQs abroad to not pay any tax. By doing so we all end up paying more income tax. If the super rich paid tax we could all get a 10% rate cut!!!
Martin Caldwell, London, United Kingdom
Gordron, We the country, business & people, have no more to give. In the good years you took the credit and taxed us to death, your answer to a problem was to throw money at it without a care on its success. Your high risk gamble has failed. Please please leave.
David, Washington, ENGLAND
It is unbeleivable why and how did they manage to destroy super system that for decades was building a top business environment that everybody was benefiting from??? And they choosed very good time when there was recession comming!We will be suffering for times to come.
Slobodan, London, UK
What an extraordinary stupid people Brown and Darling are to think that because they tell us the Revenue service is not there to raise taxes and widen the tax net we are just going to believe them. Of course I believe them totally now and understand I was living under the illusion that the Tax man was there to raise taxes for the government of the day. Well of course being so stupid as to think this I have only one question, If the tax man is not there to raise taxes, widen the tax net or come up with really stupid and crass ways to get peoples money and send big business to tax friendly jurisdictions- What the hell is it there for at all and can we expect it to be scrapped totally in the very near future? Brown thought he could fill Tony Blairs shoes NO CHANCE
Lloyd, London-on route to Dublin, UK
So Marx was right all along. National governments powerless in the face of huge multi-national corporations, forced to shape policy around the interests of big capital at the expense of the mass of people who have to work for a living. Clearly real power lies in the boardrooms not in parliament.
Tony, Liverpool, UK
the reason new labour can claim to have managed the economy well since they came to power is simply that they inherited the machine from Thatcher and just kept it running .. as soon as they start tinkering with the machinery themselves it starts falling to bits !
andy , Lyon, France
labour, it is time for you to go. thank you for making an enormous portion of this country dependent on the welfare state which is now financed through an absurdly high level of taxation. business (now) hates you, the middle class hates you, non-doms hate you...just leave and give us our money back
Alex, London, England
If these measures are 'revenue neutral' and will not raise additional tax.... ermm, then why do it? What's in it for the Government?
I can confidentally predict that someone somewhere will be paying more. Most likely small businesses that aren't part of the select members club.
John Pickworth, Blackpool, UK
Non-doms, 10p tax band, corporate tax - all fiascoes because the policy was made on the hoof to catch a sound bite. The Big Clunking Fist claims expertise in this area, God help us if this were true!
As Alan Sugar might, and the country should, say: 'Gordon, you're fired!'
Chas, Hong Kong,
Laffer curve anyone?
J Smith, Bristol,
This is just another variation on the 10p Tax Band row, isn't it? I doubt they can even remember the original purpose of this latest disgraceful gaffe.
No time is too soon for them to go.
Andrew Waldron, Bournemouth, UK