The Great Tax Robbery

As we are assured that \''there are no alternatives\'' to severe cuts in public spending and that \''we are all in this together\'', Private Eye journalist and former tax-inspector Richard Brooks reveals the scandalous proliferation of tax avoidance among Britain\''s fatcats and how new measures from successive governments actually make it easier. From offshore companies in Luxembourg to deliberate exploitation of developing countries, Brooks shows how a host of High Street names – including Vodafone, Barclays, Topshop, and Boots – legally pay almost no tax despite multibillion pound profits. Unpicking the loopholes and bonuses that bankers and top sports stars like Wayne Rooney use to reduce their tax burden, this is a shocking exposé of how the richest deprive the state coffers of billions – leaving us to pick up the bill.