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by SpikeGronim 4484 days ago
Prime is considered a marketing expense. Amazon absorbs hundreds of millions or even a billion dollars in shipping charges through prime. It's a huge reason they have a thin profit margin.
1 comments

They shouldn't even have a profit margin, they pay no tax inside the UK.
That's populist propaganda. Businesses are taxed on profit, not revenue. Even if they were 100% based in the UK, they'd still probably pay very low corporate taxes (if any) due to the thin margin. They actually do pay an enormous amount of tax in the UK in the form of payroll taxes, VAT collections, etc.

It's sad to see people propagate this crap. It's really about veiled protectionism. A big, efficient player comes in and is willing to forego profit indefinitely. Can't tax them legally, so shame them. Tax on 0 is 0. That's how it works for UK companies too. Try reading between the lines...

I mean they don't pay corporation tax, they're based in Luxembourg for that reason. Why should I have to pay a ridiculous amount of money, when they don't pay anything.
They pay corp tax on the profit they earn in their UK's operations. Just like every other company with operations in the UK.

What percentage of your revenue do you pay in corporate taxes? None! You only pay a percentage of profit. (extremely thin for Amazon) They base in Luxembourg to benefit from UK laws and EU regulation. The UK media and government quoting billions in revenue is meaningless. They're trying to stir you up. They would relatively nothing in corp tax relative to their other tax footprint (payroll, vat, etc) and would absolutely spend it all to avoid doing so.

Then why is Luxembourg such a magnet? It's not just Amazon, companies that exclusively cater for the UK market moved their base there.
Luxembourg is a magnet because the UK government is stupid and creates taxes that are easily avoidable.
Exactly my point, if Amazon are making little now through tax loopholes what happens when they are fixed.
How is it a "loophole"?
A business shouldn't make money? Surely that isn't what you meant...