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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> TriumphOfContent@yahoogroups.com [mailto:TriumphOfContent@yahoogroups.com] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Anjana Basu<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, November 13, 2012 10:36 PM<br><b>Subject:</b> [TriumphOfContent] Starbucks wakes up and smells the stench of tax avoidance controversy<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div id=ygrp-mlmsg><div id=ygrp-msg><div id=ygrp-text><div><div><div><div style='border:none #4A64D9 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in' id=ecxarticle-header><div id=ecxmain-article-info><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:19.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#333333'>Starbucks wakes up and smells the stench of tax avoidance controversy</span></b><span style='font-size:19.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=ecxstand-first-alone style='background:white' id=ecxstand-first><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#666666'>Cafe chain executive to face questions from MPs, while protesters plan to turn branches into creches and refuges<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><ul type=disc id=ecxcontent-actions><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#333333;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1;background:white'><span class=ecxfacebook-share><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=180444840287&link=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/nov/12/starbucks-tax-avoidance-controversy&display=popup&redirect_uri=http://static-serve.appspot.com/static/facebook-share/callback.html&show_error=false" target="_blank"><span class=ecxfacebook-share-label><span style='color:#3B5998;background:#EDEEF4'>Share</span></span></a></span></span><span class=ecxfacebook-share-count><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>43</span></span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#333333;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1;background:white'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#333333;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1;background:white'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#333333;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1;background:white'><span class=ecxin-widget><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>inShare</span></span><span class=ecxin-right><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>0</span></span><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#333333;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo1;background:white'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="mailto:?subject=From%20the%20Guardian:%20Starbucks%20wakes%20up%20and%20smells%20the%20stench%20of%20tax%20avoidance%20controversy&body=I%20thought%20you%20might%20be%20interested%20in%20this%20link%20from%20the%20Guardian:%20Starbucks%20wakes%20up%20and%20smells%20the%20stench%20of%20tax%20avoidance%20controversy%20-%20http://gu.com/p/3bmkn/em" title="Send to a friend"><span style='color:#333333;text-decoration:none'><img border=0 id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/static/fc767601364a8d5153b208ff2289c6ddaa7fad7a/common/images/icon-email.png"></span><span style='color:#333333'>Email</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></div><div id=ecxcontent><div><div style='mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid #4A64D9 1.0pt;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid #4A64D9 1.0pt;border-right:none;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;background:white;margin-left:.25in;margin-right:0in'><ul type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#333333;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;background:white;border:none;padding:0in'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/simon-neville" target="_blank"><span style='color:#005689'>Simon Neville</span></a></span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> and <b><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/malik-shiv" target="_blank"><span style='color:#005689'>Shiv Malik</span></a></b><o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></div></div><div style='mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid #4A64D9 1.0pt;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid #4A64D9 1.0pt;border-right:none;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;background:white;margin-left:.25in;margin-right:0in'><ul type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#333333;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;background:white;border:none;padding:0in'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian" target="_blank"><span style='color:#005689'>The Guardian</span></a>, Monday 12 November 2012<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul></div><div id=ecxarticle-wrapper><div id=ecxmain-content-picture><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><img border=0 width=460 height=276 id="_x0000_i1026" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/11/11/1352663855495/Starbucks-010.jpg" alt=Starbucks><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#666666'>Police protect a Starbucks branch during an anti-cuts march last month after the company's low tax bill was revealed. Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div id=ecxarticle-body-blocks><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>On an average day its outlets are a hive of social activity, hosting everything from business meetings to reading groups looking for that all-important appointment with a morning caffeine rush, approvingly overlooked by a branded community bulletin board. But <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/starbucks" target="_blank" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Starbucks"><span style='color:#005689'>Starbucks</span></a>should be careful what it wishes for.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The direct action group <a href="http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#005689'>UK Uncut</span></a> plans to turn dozens of the coffee empire's UK branches into creches, refuges and homeless shelters to highlight the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/oct/15/starbucks-tax-uk-sales" target="_blank"><span style='color:#005689'>chain's tax avoidance tactics</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The announcement of the action comes on the day a Starbucks executive faces questions from the House of Commons public accounts committee over why the company paid no corporation tax in the UK during the past three years, despite senior US management trumpeting the company's profitable operations in Britain.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>MPs will also question management representatives from Google and Amazon, both of which have faced criticism for basing their European operations in countries that have lower tax rates such as Ireland and Luxembourg.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>In his appearance before the committee, Starbucks' chief financial officer, Troy Alstead, will attempt to repair the company's reputation, which, according to research by YouGov, continues to suffer because of the controversy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>In a similar session last week, MPs accused HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officials of having cosy relationships with big businesses. Speaking about the arrangements with Starbucks, the Conservative MP Richard Bacon said: "It smells – and it doesn't smell of coffee. It smells bad."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/uk-uncut" target="_blank"><span style='color:#005689'>UK Uncut</span></a> has said it will start targeting Starbucks on the Saturday following the autumn statement by the chancellor, George Osborne, on 8 December. The campaign group is attempting to draw a link between government cuts, in particular those that affect women, and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/taxavoidance" target="_blank" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Tax avoidance"><span style='color:#005689'>tax avoidance</span></a> by multinational businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Sarah Greene, a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/uk-uncut" target="_blank" title="More from guardian.co.uk on UK Uncut"><span style='color:#005689'>UK Uncut</span></a> activist, said funding for refuges and rape crisis centres faced cuts unless companies paid their fair share of tax. HMRC estimates around £32bn was lost to tax avoidance last year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Greene said the government could easily bring in billions that could fund vital services by clamping down on tax avoidance, but was instead "making cuts that are forcing women to choose between motherhood and work, and trapping them in abusive relationships".<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The group, which <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2011/feb/10/uk-uncut-protest-movement" target="_blank"><span style='color:#005689'>rose to prominence </span></a>after staging a sit-in at Vodafone stores, Sir Philip Green's Topshop and Fortnum & Mason, turned its attentions to Starbucks last month after an investigation by Reuters discovered the company had paid only £8.6m in corporation tax since launching in the UK 14 years ago, despite cumulative sales of £3bn.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Longstanding Uncut campaigner Anna Walker said the group wanted to "galvanise the anger" that women were feeling: "We've chosen to really highlight the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/mar/30/women-paying-price-osborne-austerity" target="_blank"><span style='color:#005689'>impact of the cuts on women</span></a> this time. So there is going to be a real focus on transforming Starbucks into those services that are being cut by the government … [such as] refuges and creches," she said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Walker said the campaign group had been in touch with women's groups across the country in the lead-up to the direct action event and believed that, along with a pre-established network of activists, dozens of the company's coffee shops were likely to be targeted.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>"Starbucks is a really great target because it is on every high street across the country and that's what UK Uncut finds really important: people can take action in their local areas," she said. "We're really hoping that women who are impacted by the cuts, who are seeing their Sure Start centres where their kids go being reduced in services, and people who use refuges, [will] be involved."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Several international organisations have faced criticism over their UK accounts, with <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/04/amazon-british-operation-corporation-tax" target="_blank"><span style='color:#005689'>Amazon</span></a>, eBay, Facebook, Google and Ikea all paying little or no corporation tax despite large British operations.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>However, according to pollsters at YouGov's BrandIndex, Starbucks has suffered the deepest damage to its image.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The organisation, which records the strength of companies' brand identities, revealed Starbucks' cachet plummeted following the tax revelations and continues to languish at near-record lows.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Its "buzz" score, which measures the number of negative and positive comments customers have heard, hit -16.7. That is only slightly higher than the lowest levels it hit during the most heated point of the controversy last month, at -28.6. A year ago its rating was at +3.1.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>By comparison, Google and Amazon – both due at the select committee – have seen their ratings seemingly unaffected.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>UK BrandIndex director Sarah Murphy said: "A brand's buzz score typically recovers quite quickly following a spate of bad press, but we aren't seeing that with Starbucks, which is quite unusual. Its scores started to level out around the end of last month, but whatever modest recovery Starbucks has made could well be in jeopardy if this story flares up again in the media."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The coffee store chain<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/nov/01/starbucks-dismisses-tax-avoidance-claims" target="_blank"><span style='color:#005689'> insists it pays the correct level of taxes</span></a>. The group chief executive, Howard Schultz, has said in a statement: "Starbucks has always paid taxes in the UK despite recent suggestions to the contrary.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>"Over the last three years alone, our company has paid more than £160m in various taxes, including national insurance contributions, VAT and business rates."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>However, MPs will no doubt point out that VAT is paid by the customers at point of sale and collected by Starbucks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Margaret Hodge, who chairs the public accounts committee, told parliament last month that Apple, eBay, Facebook, Google and Starbucks had avoided nearly £900m of tax. The prime minister, David Cameron responded to the claim by saying: "I'm not happy with the current situation. I think [HMRC] needs to look at it very carefully. We do need to make sure we are encouraging these businesses to invest in our country as they are but they should be paying fair taxes as well."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>A spokeswoman for Starbucks said on Sunday: "While the subject of tax law can be extremely complex, Starbucks respects and complies with tax laws and accounting rules" in each of the 61 countries where we do business, including the UK – a market that we remain committed to for the long term. We've posted the facts about our tax practices in the UK on our website .<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>"Starbucks' economic impact in the UK spans far beyond our stores and partners (employees). We spend hundreds of millions of pounds with local suppliers on milk, cakes and sandwiches, and on store design and renovations. When you take into account the indirect employment created by Starbucks' investments in the UK, the company's extended economic impact to the UK economy exceeds £80m annually.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>"We hope that UK Uncut will respect the wellbeing of our partners and customers, and recognise the value that we add to the economy, creating jobs and apprenticeships, as well as paying our fair share of taxes in the UK."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/nov/12/starbucks-tax-avoidance-controversy">http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/nov/12/starbucks-tax-avoidance-controversy</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:white'>__._,_.___<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><table class=MsoNormalTable 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