tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143412130453638688.post7352700272195177006..comments2023-06-19T01:06:02.910-07:00Comments on 'A Just Church': Why we should boycott Starbucks despite their 'kind offer' to pay some taxes.Chris Howsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10935747910702456764noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143412130453638688.post-19301345992211843222012-12-07T04:18:38.856-08:002012-12-07T04:18:38.856-08:00It beggars belief that a big corporation can '...It beggars belief that a big corporation can 'offer' to pay tax, like it is some sort of option. Fortunately there are no coffee chains at all in our small town, and lots of great local businesses. It makes it very easy for me to boycott!Antonia Chittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11410480938588783485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2143412130453638688.post-31233513963415944242012-12-07T03:00:54.211-08:002012-12-07T03:00:54.211-08:00If you were to voluntarily and legally reduce your...If you were to voluntarily and legally reduce your tax bill, you would not go to prison, and everyone would want the name of your accountant. If Starbucks had broken the law it would be facing prosecution. It didn't and it isn't. Paying as little tax as possible is what any company is going to do. Paying more tax than necessary is professional incompetence.<br /><br />If UK tax law doesn't tax American corporations enough, that's a UK tax law problem, or maybe an EU tax law problem. Beating up the companies who make best use of the laws of Britain is just perverse. However self-righteous it makes us feel.<br /><br />Offhand I forget which verse in Micah exorts us to have unions in every business. Yes, the Bible talks a lot about social justice and, yes, the Church has often neglected this aspect of the Gospel. But It doesn't tell us *how* social justice should be implemented. It is quite possible for a large company to treat its employees right without union intervention. And, incidentally, many unions are massively rich and their leaders get paid huge salaries, so maybe there's a social justice issue within unions too?<br /><br />"Let's all protest and boycott Starbucks!" I'm sure that will help us to all feel like proper pharisees. Even if, in reality, the local, no-brand coffee shop we go to instead has an unpaid 14 year-old who is falling behind with her school work in order to wash the cups. Because this isn't about changing anything at all, really, is it? It's just about being smug.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12659820028638405417noreply@blogger.com