According to various sources, another online gaming operation is leaving the UK’s shores. Cue much handwringing about how much tax HM Treasury is ‘losing’ (The Guardian in particular as you might expect toes the line about evil tax-dodging, without saying as much).
Here’s the thing – if you’re a business you’re looking to make the most money you can so you can expand your operations and maintain your living against the encroachments of competitors. So if your competition finds that they can run their business cheaper from somewhere else, logic dictates that however purely you’d like to live your life, the only thing you can do is follow suit.
The only thing the government is apparently unable to countenance is to reduce its levies so that this business can either stay in the UK and remain competitive or even move to the UK to take advantage of the technical expertise we have here. So thanks to the fuckups who run the country, instead of getting an increased tax base from tech companies, we’re driving them from our shores and losing far more than we gain from the high margins of tax we get from those who have no choice but to stay. Plus ca change, eh?