Google, Amazon, Starbucks Etc. And Tax
Google’s Eric Schmidt says he is perplexed in this article about the debate on his company’s tax status.
I’m not, as what these companies do is fraud.
Not necessarily on Corporation Tax, but with respect to VAT.
If say I go into John Lewis and buy say a television, I will pay VAT on the purchase. If I buy it from Amazon, I’ll probably pay some fiddled VAT rate, which will make it cheaper.
My belief is that by doing transfers like this, companies like Amazon are hurting genuine UK businesses. Andy Street of John Lewis is saying just that here.
So it should be that if you buy a television and it’s delivered in the UK, then the VAT rate should be 20%.
But Eric Schmidt is against this and is quoted in the BBC article.
The Google chairman has previously argued that corporate taxes should be paid on a company’s profits, not revenues, and should be levied in the country where it conducts economic activity and takes risks, rather than where products are consumed.
The trouble with Google, is there is no alternative, to some of the things they do.
On the other hand, I don’t use Amazon, Apple, Starbucks and quite a few other companies.
A A Gill On Harrods
When the boys were young, C and I used to occasionally take them for lunch on Saturdays in Harrods. It was enjoyable and we used to like to browse and sometimes we’d even buy something. For example, the Gieves and Hawkes jacket I’m wearing in this post, was bought nearly twenty years ago in the store. It’s still perfect, and has perhaps only been cleaned once, if that.
A A Gill in the Sunday Times describes the shop in some amazing words, of which the pick is probably this.
The shop is now as sophisticated as a Malibu enema.
He reserves his greatest prose for the reason for his visit; the Disney Cafe, giving it one star out of five for atmosphere and no stars for the food.
The article was well worth the price I paid for the newspaper.
What Is Royal Stag?
The New Zealand cricket team, seems to be sponsored by Royal Stag.
It appears it’s an Indian made whisky!
Enough said!
So This Is Summer!
I took this picture this afternoon.
So This Is Summer!
It was one hell of a hailstorm.
Dishwasher-Safe Coasters
I was at the Clerkenwell Design Week today, when I saw some glass coasters that gave me an idea. Why can’t we have dishwasher-safe coasters? I have a messy office because, I tend to drink masses of tea all day. My late wife, always complained about the state, with tea stains everywhere.
My Current Dirty Coaster
The picture shows the one, I’m using at the moment. Pristine it isn’t!
So I went to John Lewis, arguing, if anybody would have them, they would. I found these by ashortwalk, which although, the main material will stand up to a dishwasher, the cork pads won’t.
Coasters From ashortwalk
I should say that the research I did at CDW, indicated that many would like dishwasher-safe coasters. The office market could be bigger than domestic.
Spam From H & M With An Italian Unsubscribe
H & M just crossed themselves of my list of shops to use! Not that I actually have done!
I just got spam from them and when I unsubscribed it was all in Italian.
Hopefully, it’s the last I’ll hear from them!
The BBC Plugs A Dinosaur
The BBC is doing an outside broadcast from the newly-rebuilt Whiteley Village shopping centre near Fareham.
It may be what market research says what is needed in the area and what the major chains of shops, I don’t use, want, but it is rather a dinosaur, in that after my visits to One New Change and Trinity in Leeds, I believe that something more in tune with the modern world is emerging. The trouble with these two new in-city shopping centres, is they are difficult places to park the 4×4!
But then your life improves substantially, when you ditch your vehicle!
Where’s Laura?
Buses over London are showing my name.
Coke Advert On A London Bus
I’ve actually just had a Coke too! But where is Laura?
Where’s Laura?
She is on lots of other buses.
The French Get Touchy About Language
The French can get very touchy, when English encroaches on territory, they think is reserved for French.
But this row, reported here on the BBC is totally of their own making, Here’s the introduction.
The French parliament is debating a new road map for French universities, which includes the proposal of allowing courses to be taught in English. For some, this amounts to a betrayal of the national language and, more specifically, of a particular way at looking at the world – for others it’s just accepting the inevitable.
The English-speaking world has nothing to do with it.
My French is such, that I can get by as a tourist. I also successfully used the language, when I was at ICI, as it was quicker to read scientific reports from the Belgian company, Solvay, in French, rather than wait for a translation.
On the other hand, when I was in Montreal, a few years ago, I was totally baffled, as Canadian French, is more different to French, than American is to English.
When we developed Artemis, we sold in quite a few European countries, but didn’t bother with French, as we thought they would be touchy, wanting everything in their own language.
In the late 1970s, Metier had installed an Artemis system, at Chrysler in Coventry. For various reasons, it hadn’t been upgraded, as much as it should. Soon after Peugeot-Citroen took over Chrysler in 1979, someone in Peugeot-Citroen decided to do a company wide survey of the various project management systems in use in the group. on one visit they went to Coventry and because they were impressed with what they saw, they came straight down the M1 to see us in our offices in Hayes.
Peugeot-Citroen then decided to buy a system for Paris. We told them it was only in English, but they said not to matter, as all their engineers knew the language. They did ask us to get some proper sales flyers in French.
The rest as they say is history, in that Peugeot-Citroen introduced Artemis to a lot of their friends.
Another story I remember, which illustrates the French and their language, happened a few years later. In the 1980s, I owned a company that made hand-tools. One tool, was exported to France and the United States. Our American agent asked if we could produce an English/French version for Canada. But a straight combination of what we already had was unacceptable and we had to get a special French Canadian translation at great expense. Eventually, the Canadians excepted it.
A couple of years afterwards, we had an urgent order from France, but unfortunately we were out of French leaflets. So we faxed over the French Canadian one to ask if that would be acceptable. The response was, that it will do, but that the French would have a bit of a laugh about the language.
Make of that, what you will!
I should say, that I once travelled to the States with a secretary from the New Zealand embassy in Ottawa. She told me, that some Canadians got very upset, if she sent them a letter with some American English spelling.
Polycell Launch Underpants For Builders
This was reported in The Sunday Times.
Builders have long used Polycell to cover up unsightly cracks, so it was only a matter of time before the company launched its own underwear range. PolyPants have a high waistband to avoid revealing “builder’s bottom”.
A cartoonist friend, will have to redraw one of his best cartoons.
The Anonymous Widower 