English comedian Mark Thomas organized a flash mob in London in order to shame Apple and their tax-avoiding tactics they’ve been using through their Cork office in Ireland.
By funneling global profits through their Irish office, the Apple Corporation has only had to pay a 1.9 percent Irish tax, and has thus been avoiding the US taxman.
Chortle reports that Thomas brought together about 50 people who held Irish flags and signs reading ‘Take a Tax Holiday in Ireland’ and ‘You are now entering Irish territory.’ Mob members were also performing Irish music and singing along to the traditional tune The Irish Rover.
Members of the flashmob also went around the store opening windows on Mac computers which read, “Apple iDodge tax. You can buy the same products at the same prices at John Lewis around the corner and their MD slams tax avoidance."
When approached by an Apple employee in the store, Thomas explained that they it was “only a bit of fun.”
After the gathering at the Apple store on Regent Street in London, Thomas told the participants: "It's great you made a little impact. We're not prepared to let companies pay no tax. It's austerity and multinationals who turn over billions of pounds in profit have got to make sure they pay their bit.
“If they are tax dodgers, we will make a scream, we will make a scene and shout as much as we can until we can get these people to pay tax and put into the system rather than take out."
Watch the video of the London flashmob here:
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