The head of online giant Amazon in the UK claims revealing full tax bill could be ‘taken out of context’ as questions remain over how much it pays
Amazon’s boss in the UK has defended the online giant’s refusal to reveal how much corporation tax it pays.
The company issued an update last week in which boasted about paying more than £1.3billion in “direct” taxes in the UK, up from more than £1billion in 2024.
However, the figure takes in a whole host of elements, from corporation tax and business rates to national insurance and the digital services tax.
Amazon, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, has repeatedly refused to break down how much some of its biggest UK businesses hand over in corporation tax, and the profit on which such a tax would be levied. That is in stark contrast to many of its UK listed rivals that are required to provide the details in their accounts.
The company’s decision to publish selective details about its finances comes after years in which it was slammed over its tax affairs. John Boumphrey, Amazon’s UK boss, insisted the tech giant had been “on a journey of transparency.”
Once again refusing to say how much it paid in UK corporation tax – or if any at all as a whole – he claimed the figure could be “taken out of context”.
He went on: “If you are in heavy investment mode, it can go up and down. What we have done is take the decision to tell the whole story.”
Mr Boumphrey didn’t rule out disclosing more details in future years, adding: “We are on a journey and the road is not fully travelled.” On a different topic, he said the political turmoil in the UK – with pressure piling on PM Sir Keir Starmer – was not impacting Amazon’s investment decisions in the UK. It comes after Amazon announced £40billion of UK investment last year, its latest commitment outside of North America.
In comments that will reassure Labour, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, he said: “My job is to advocate for the UK in Seattle (where Amazon’s global HQ is) and the fundamentals are really good.
“If you are a long-term investor, which we are, you need to look beyond short-term political turmoil, of which there is plenty right now.”
