TESCO BACKS TAX

Tesco boss Dave Lewis has backed calls for an online sales tax to help Britain’s battered high streets.

Lewis, right, said a 2% levy on goods bought on the internet – dubbed an “Amazon tax” by supporters – would make £1.25billion a year for the Treasury. He claimed the money raised could fund a 20% cut in business rates for retailers to level the playing field for firms with physical stores.

His intervention is a boost for the Daily Mirror’s High Street Fightback campaign which is demanding a new tax on online sales, with money raised going to help the wider sector.

Lewis said: “If I were the Chancellor I’d be saying how do I keep this industry going so I could keep this (tax) take for longer. Because if I’m not careful, I’m going to kill it.”