A GLASGOW councillor is calling for tax-dodging firms to stop bagging
public cash through contracts.
Stephen Cullen, a Labour representative for Newlands and Auldburn is hosting an online meeting today of the Fair Tax Foundation.
The group wants the council to sign up, as Edinburgh has, to its three tenants of “responsible tax conduct”.
Signatories of the declaration commit to leading by example in their own tax affairs, calling on much greater transparency in public procurement and demanding far more powers to tackle tax avoidance from firms from which they buy goods or services.
Mr Curran said: “Research commissioned by the Fair Tax Foundation from DatLab has revealed that between 2014-19, 17.5 per cent of UK public procurement contracts – with a combined value of £37.5 billion – were won by businesses with connections to a tax haven.
“The UK Government has closed many tax avoidance loopholes in recent years, but an estimated £7 billion of corporation tax receipts are still going astray as a result of profit-shifting alone.”
Glasgow already demands its suppliers pay the Real Living Wage, Mr Cullen added.
A council spokeswoman said: “I’m sure that Councillor Curran will use the normal council processes to make his views known to all elected members.”
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