Corporate tax avoidance “morally wrong” says British public

More than four in five (85%) British adults say tax avoidance by large companies is morally wrong even if it’s legal, according to a new ComRes poll for Christian Aid and ActionAid.

The poll is published ahead of the government’s Autumn Statement, which is expected to include new measures against tax avoidance. The poll found that four in five Britons (80 per cent) agree that large companies in the UK can avoid tax too easily.

People are also worried about tax avoidance in the world’s poorer countries. Four out of five British adults (78%) say it’s important to them that large companies pay their fair share of tax in developing countries and three-quarters (73%) say the next UK government should legislate to discourage UK companies from avoiding tax in these countries.

Toby Quantrill, Principal Economic Justice Adviser at Christian Aid, said: “This poll clearly shows mass public opposition to tax avoidance by large companies, both in the UK and in developing countries. It doesn’t matter which political party people support – they all are saying the same thing: that politicians of all parties are still not doing enough to stop tax dodging.”