Warwick bookshop’s online petition success

BOOKSELLER Keith Smith is still in mild shock about the success of the online petition he and his wife Frances started in a bid to persuade companies like Amazon to pay taxes in the UK.

The pair have so far amassed nearly 35,000 names and have already caught the attention of the national press and various politicians who are being asked to sign an Early Day Motion on companies that have their headquarters elswhere and so can avoid paying corporation tax in Britain.

Both Mr Smith, who runs independent Warwick Books in Market Place, and Mrs Smith, who runs Kenilworth Books in Talisman Square, say they’ve enjoyed a “fantastic” Christmas in terms of sales and have nothing personal against the multinational giant Amazon.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But Mr Smith says: “We could also offer discounted books if we didn’t have to pay corporation tax. Our petition is to raise public awareness and perhaps persuade Amazon to pay some taxes here as Starbucks now do.”

Related topics: