Starbucks, vilified for operating a legal accounting system that has reduced their tax bill to small change over the 14 years that it has operated in the UK, has reacted to public scorn.

Despite declaring a loss over this period of trading, Starbucks has volunteered to pay £10 million a year in corporation tax in 2013 and 2014. 

The Government is trying to close fancy but legal accounting methods, where large multinational corporations can choose to switch funds around to take advantage of the lowest tax environment in the areas they operate in.

Amazon and Google, who enjoy massive sales in the UK and have also been targeted as companies who legally pay very little tax on turnover running into billions in the UK over the years, have made no offer to HMRC to pay more than they already have. Legally correct, morally very wrong, at a time when the Government is making cuts across the board in the public sector

Clearly the rules need to change and the Government are hoping to close loopholes that allow companies to choose how much tax they pay into the UK coffers and how much they will divert elsewhere.

This action,though admirable, when the Financial Director is of course protecting his shareholder's interests, has not stopped activists occupying over 50 of Starbucks coffee houses in protest.