Rishi raid on digital giants
Heston’s chat-up as Paul is dressed as Lily Savage
‘Amazon Tax’ plan for firms’ big profits
RISHI Sunak plans a huge “Amazon Tax” for digital giants who have made vast profits in the pandemic.
The Chancellor, who hopes to strike an international deal by June when the UK hosts the G7 summit, will outline his proposals as he announces 30 changes during Tax Day on March 23.
Long-term tax consultations will emerge in part two of his Budget, which was split for the first time.
Mr Sunak is already talking to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and fellow G7 finance ministers about how to extract more tax money from huge digital firms based offshore.
He said: “One of my priorities is to get international agreement on a new way to tax these companies. I spend a lot of time talking to finance minister colleagues around the world about it.”
Amazon UK paid £14.4million corporation tax, in theory 19% of profits, after revenue of £13.7billion in 2019.
Facebook’s business tax – on income topping £1billion – was £28.5million.
Google, worth £63billion worldwide, paid £44million on £225million of UK profits. There is no suggestion the three firms are acting illegally or not paying the taxes required of them by law.
Until now Mr Sunak’s hands have been tied, as tax on multinational profits is governed by treaties agreed between the 37 member countries of world trade group the OECD.
Many of the deals were thrashed out 60 years ago, long before the digital age.
All the Chancellor has been able to impose so far is a two per cent digital sales tax on turnover of social media and online sellers – doing more than £25million of trade in Britain.
Labour analysis of the Budget shows that he is slashing £64.5billion from public spending in the next five years.
But Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, says Mr Sunak will find himself forced to increase spending on the NHS, education, courts, transport and social care.
He added: “His medium-term spending plans look implausibly low.”
PAUL O’Grady says he was chatted up by Ben Hur movie legend Charlton Heston while dressed as Lily Savage.
The Hollywood icon mistook Paul’s loudmouthed, blondehaired alter-ego Lily for a real woman at an Oscars party, he says.
TV presenter and DJ Paul, 65, says he was at the Oscars in 1996 when confused Heston began flirting with him at a finger buffet.
Paul was clutching a sausage roll when he was buttonholed by the actor, who won an Oscar for his title role in 1959 gladiator epic Ben Hur. Paul, then 40, was dressed as Lily for a skit on 1990s Channel 4 show The Big Breakfast, then hosted by Gaby Roslin.
Paul recalled of the odd encounter: “I met Charlton Heston at the Oscars. I was at the buffet helping myself and he came over and started chatting away.
“I’m chatting back and blah blah blah and he was very, very friendly. When
Charlton Heston walked off,
Robin Williams came over and said ‘He’s got a shine on you… he thinks you’re a woman’. Every time Charlton saw me, I got a wink and a nod, and I gave him a wink and a nod back and I thought ‘I’m on here, I hope he’s got his chariot outside’.”
Paul recalled the encounter on his
Radio 2 show. His producer Malcolm Prince chipped in: “Good lord, you got picked up by Charlton Heston.”
Paul replied: “Yes, picked up at a buffet by Chuck Heston and I had a sausage roll in my hand at the time!” Heston died at the age of 84 in 2008 after a career spanning almost 100 movies – also including Planet of the Apes, Earthquake and Soylent Green.
He also appeared in TV series Dynasty and spin-off The Colbys.
Heston was wed to actress Lydia Clarke for 64 years. She died in 2018.