Protestors succeeded in closing both York branches of Vodafone yesterday, following a Twitter and Facebook campaign.
Protesting against tax evasion of around £6bn, members of York Stop The Cuts set themselves up outside the stores on Coney Street and Parliament Street with placards and leaflets, aiming to inform members of the public of the situation. They were joined by hundreds of other protestors who targeted Vodafone stores throughout the country, forcing many to abandon trade for the whole day. The campaign was spearheaded by an organisation known as UK Uncut.
A York Stop The Cuts spokesperson told Vision: “We are being told that there is no alternative to cuts across the public sector, including funding for universities, yet Vodafone gets away with dodging £6bn in unpaid taxes.
“Nor are Vodafone alone – they are only one example of corporate tax avoidance. The total unpaid tax bill of all UK individuals and companies is £120bn – whereas the cuts amount to £80bn. There is an alternative: collect the taxes that are owed by the country biggest companies, richest individuals, and banks. Then we can continue to pay for the public services upon which people rely.”
York Stop The Cuts, made up of community groups, service user organisations, students (including Sophie Shaw from the University, pictured), workers, unions, and various political parties, had not aimed to force any stores to close. However, shortly after their arrival the shop door was quickly locked and a sign appeared informing potential customers that the store was closed.
As one of the busiest Saturdays of the month, the protestor presence attracted a lot of attention despite their small numbers, but it remains to be seen exactly how Vodafone will respond to the nationwide reaction that involved four Central London stores closing. Stores in Brighton, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hastings, Liverpool and Manchester were also forced to shut.
The closures have followed a week long campaign by UK Uncut against Vodafone, with London and Leeds targeted last Wednesday.
Despite the organisation’s claims, Vodafone and HM Revenue and Customs spokespeople have both commented in national media that the £6bn figure is false, with HMRC noting that the figure is closer to £1.25bn. Vodafone have recently been forced to pay tax bills back to Indian authorities.
Campaigners have set up an online petition demanding that the government call on Vodafone to pay back the money.