The Report - 30/12/2010

Linda Pressly reports on the protests against tax avoidance which caused disruption at stores across Britain in the run-up to Christmas. She finds out how the group behind the protests, UK Uncut, was formed and how it has used social media to connect protestors and to organise more than 50 demonstrations all over the UK. She also investigates UK Uncut's claims that the Government could avoid making deep public spending cuts by targeting rich individuals and big businesses that legally avoid paying billions of pounds a year in tax. Who are the people behind UK Uncut? What is the basis for their claims? And do they really have the answer to the UK's fiscal woes? The programme includes interviews with the founding members of UK Uncut, with Richard Murphy of the Tax Justice Network, John Whiting from the Office of Tax Simplification and Treasury Minister David Gauke.