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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Starbucks to move European HQ to UK | Starbucks to move European HQ to UK |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Starbucks is to move its European head office from Amsterdam to London by the end of the year, following a row over corporate tax avoidance. | Starbucks is to move its European head office from Amsterdam to London by the end of the year, following a row over corporate tax avoidance. |
| "This move will mean we pay more tax in the UK," the company said. | "This move will mean we pay more tax in the UK," the company said. |
| The relocation will concentrate a "modest number of senior executives" in its London operation. | The relocation will concentrate a "modest number of senior executives" in its London operation. |
| The US coffee giant said its leaders would "better oversee the UK market" from the capital, adding that the UK was its largest European market. | The US coffee giant said its leaders would "better oversee the UK market" from the capital, adding that the UK was its largest European market. |
| Last year, Starbucks paid £5m in corporation tax, its first such tax payment since 2009. | Last year, Starbucks paid £5m in corporation tax, its first such tax payment since 2009. |
| The move followed pressure from politicians and campaigners. | The move followed pressure from politicians and campaigners. |
| Part of the tax avoidance row centred on Starbucks transferring money to its Dutch sister company in royalty payments. | Part of the tax avoidance row centred on Starbucks transferring money to its Dutch sister company in royalty payments. |
| Starbucks' chief financial officer told a committee of MPs in 2012 that a tax deal struck with Dutch authorities had been "an attractive reason" for basing operations there. | Starbucks' chief financial officer told a committee of MPs in 2012 that a tax deal struck with Dutch authorities had been "an attractive reason" for basing operations there. |
| Targeting tax | |
| Heather Self, director of tax at legal firm Pinsent Masons, told the BBC that more tax paid in the UK would probably mean less tax paid by the company elsewhere. | |
| "They're not going to create a bigger tax bill for the group as a whole," she said. | |
| Collecting tax from global companies is a complex issue for governments. | |
| Ms Self said firms should not be taxed twice on the same income, but it is reasonable for governments to expect companies to pay tax somewhere. | |
| "The question is not necessarily what's moral and what's not, but is the tax following the real economic activities?" she added. |