Amazon savaged by union over European tax bill

The GMB union has slammed Amazon following the announcement that, in 2017, the online giant paid €55 million in European tax, just 0.02% of its €25 billion revenue.

It took aim at the company as Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby launched an attack on the taxation system that allows the likes of Amazon to “get away with paying almost nothing in tax" in a speech to the TUC’s 150th Congress.

“We already know from the awful working conditions in their warehouses that Amazon has precious little regard for their staff. But these accounts show they think they can ride roughshod over every taxpayer in Europe despite their eye-watering revenues,” says Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary.

“The Archbishop’s speech shows that the greed and selfishness of corporate giants who leach off the taxpayer, keep their staff permanently insecure and exercise no level of responsibility to the communities they operate in, is a matter for all of us. In calling out companies like Amazon, and the entire broken system that ruthlessly pursues profit while working people rely on benefits and food banks the Archbishop put himself squarely on the side of working people, and alongside the trade union movement - calling for equality, fairness, decency and to give people hope.”

Amazon did not respond to our request for comment.