Amazon's tax avoidance 'will drive UK companies out of business'

The Government must address the "Amazon tax issue" or risk driving UK-based retailers out of business, the managing director of John Lewis has warned. 

The company has sparked outrage because despite having warehouses in the UK and employing 15,000 people, it drives all of its sales through Luxembourg. According to conservative MP Charlie Elphicke, last year Amazon’s UK sales amounted to £3.9bn but the company paid just £1.9m in tax – the equivalent of just 2.5pc of its estimated profits, based on its global operating margin.