UK PM Boris Johnson To Discuss Amazon Tax Issue With Jeff Bezos During His US Visit

<p><strong>New Delhi:</strong> UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is looking to challenge Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos on its tax record when the duo meets in person on Monday during a three-day trip to New York and Washington, according to Downing Street report.</p> <p>The UK Prime Minister will address the UN General Assembly and hold talks with the US president, Joe Biden, and his deputy, Kamala Harris, at the White House.</p> <p>Johnson, who has been firefighting against the Covid situation in England, conducted a ruthless reshuffle of his top team. It will be his first trip outside the UK since the outbreak of Covid-19. Concerns surrounding international corporate tax rates for tech giants will remain high on the agenda.&nbsp;</p> <p>Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos has been facing opposition on the fair share of tax payment by the e-commerce giant including the terms and conditions faced by its workforce.</p> <p>According to The Guardian, Amazon's revenues in the UK increased by more than 50 percent in 2020 to &pound;20.63 billion, but its key UK division paid just &pound;18.3m in direct taxes.</p> <p>Among other major initiatives this year, Bezos ventured into space in his rocket New Shepard as part of the ongoing &ldquo;billionaires&rsquo; space race", which witnessed another billionaire including Tesla&rsquo;s Elon Musk developing their own rival space vehicles.</p> <p>On raising queries about Amazon&rsquo;s tax record with Bezos, the prime minister&rsquo;s official spokesperson said: &ldquo;Yes, you can expect the prime minister to raise this important issue.&rdquo;</p> <p>&ldquo;As you know, we&rsquo;ve been a leading advocate for an international solution to the tax challenges posed by the digitalization of the economy,&rdquo; the spokesperson told The Guardian.</p> <p>He added, &ldquo;We secured an agreement at the G7 on digital tax, so we&rsquo;ll very much be looking to raise that.&rdquo;</p> <p>Johnson is also expected to take up the issue of the travel ban with the US President that prevents most passengers from the UK from visiting the US.</p> <p>The two countries established a working group three months ago to work on opening up travel, but no proposals have yet emerged from it.</p>