SSE’s approach to tax: pay a fair share


The tax that businesses pay has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. The Institute of Business Ethics’ 2015 survey found corporate tax avoidance was the biggest issue of concern to the British public in regards to business ethics1.


In 2015, SSE and ICAS commissioned YouGov to carry out a survey on public attitudes in Great Britain towards companies paying tax2. Some of the main findings included:


34%


Only one third of individuals believe that most big businesses in the UK generally pay their fair share of tax.


34% 57%


Over half of people state that the way a company pays their taxes affects how much they trust that company.


34% 6%


Fewer than 1 in 10 people would trust a company to provide accurate information on whether they were paying the right amount of tax.


43%


Nearly half of people would trust an independent accreditation such as the Fair Tax Mark to provide accurate information on whether a company was paying the right amout of tax.


The survey shows a widespread unease among the public about the way some companies manage their tax affairs. With rising interest in companies’ tax affairs from investors as well, it is clear that businesses must address this public mistrust and act responsibly when it comes to tax.


1 Institute of Business Ethics (2015). Attitudes of the British Public to Business Ethics 2015. https://www.ibe.org.uk/userassets/briefings/ibe_%20attitudes_survey_2015.pdf


2 Full survey results can be found at https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/m9v0szb2g3/SSEResults_150409_tax_W.pdf


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