"Open letter to Vince Cable on tax avoidance" Might as well have sent an open letter to the man in the moon for all the good it will do. Vince Cable is currently a useful idiot for those who deign to rule. I take the view that all taxation is theft as none of it is voluntary so take ever possible step to avoid paying it. If those steps mean doing deals in cash then so be it. We've had years of increasing tax levels and the results are plain to see. Our cities are boarded up wastelands -- it is only the giant chains that survive. More leeches for the bleeding-to-death patient. If you are referring to Starbucks et al...... you should perhpas mention that this is EU policy, as part of the single market. Companies can choose to be taxed in whichever part of the EU they choose (as N. Farage says, 'we are all one country.....Europe, now') So this is not a 'loophole' that can be closed by HMRC. This is EU diktat.... and there aint nothing we can do about it. You should ask Dr North -- he knows about these things. I am amazed that those who have shown themselves to be the worst fidlers on the planet, who have rules to enable them to avoid tax in ways the ordinary citizen is denied, castigate organisations and private individuals for using perfectly lawful means of avoiding excessive taxes. The key factor in the Starbucks episode