The following is the text of a press release issued by Uttlesford’s Liberal Democrat Group.

“It’s time to start questioning companies who take local council tax for their services and then salt their profits away is shady Bermudan bank accounts to avoid paying UK tax on their profits”, says Uttlesford’s Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr Alan Dean.

At present Uttlesford District Council buys many of its IT systems from Microsoft. The council is investigating upgrading its email system to one provided by Google.

Google has come under intense pressure after Chancellor George Osborne claimed HMRC had achieved what he claimed was a “major success” with the powerful, global company; persuading them to hand over tax on past UK profits amounting to less than 3%. The chancellor has been ridiculed as being soft on big business. Google has been identified in the national press as having “an extraordinarily close relationship with Downing Street”, say the Lib Dems.

“Uttlesford should not be signing any deals with Google, Microsoft and other global companies without first asking for an assurance about where our money will end up”, added Alan Dean. “Local taxpayers don’t want their council tax being salted away through shady arrangements that avoid a fair share of profits being taxed to pay for the NHS and education in Britain. After all, well paid Google employees in the UK, like the rest of us, need these services to be properly funded. The council has a duty to asked questions.”

Cllr Dean raised these points at a meeting of council group leaders (Con, Lib Dem, Residents for Uttlesford) and senior officers on Friday (January 29^th) and called for the council to challenge the ethics of its global suppliers like Google.

The council’s Liberal Democrats have issued an invitation for local residents to let them know what they think about this issue. They can be contacted by email at uttlesfordlibdems@btinternet.com.

ENDS