The problem with Wikipedia is they have about 12 different pages of wage comparisons and all give vastly different results......
Wakey, you and I can debate about wages in either country until the end of time. For every source you can give, I can counter one for my argument. None of that however will change anything to do with the fact it holds no basis for this situation.
If the wages were in favour of the UK as you suggest, which explains why Prime is cheaper in Germany than in the UK, then why was Lovefilm DE (€6.99) priced almost identically to Lovefilm UK (£5.99)?
Why is Watchever, the closest equivalent to Netflix in Germany, more expensive in Germany than Netflix in the UK?
Again, the prices of most media in Germany are also higher than the UK. Classic example here is the boxset of Lord of the Rings in Germany, this costs €59 from Amazon.de or £48,60. The same boxset in Amazon.co.uk costs only £27. In fact, even Amazon.de know how rediculously they price the local product, that on the same page they even offer UK imports cheaper than the local version! That's including UK delivery TO Germany.
Surely, if your argument was based on lower delivery costs and wages in Germany, being the reason that Prime was offered much cheaper, then Watchever and Lovefilm should also be much cheaper than UK equivalents, let alone all these other products and services.
It has nothing to do with wages, whether you use my sources or your sources, end of story.
Is there any way of being able to watch the US version of this in the UK? Like changing DNS Settings as u would with the Netflix Service?
Thanks
Baz
Yes, but you will need a Smart DNS and VPN service into the US and also subscribe to the US version separately from the UK one. This will give you the American library, the Kindle lending library, but of course no use for the prime delivery for US$79 per year.
As far as I know, there are no Smart DNS services that allow the library to be switched like with Netflix.
Wakey, you and I can debate about wages in either country until the end of time. For every source you can give, I can counter one for my argument. None of that however will change anything to do with the fact it holds no basis for this situation.
If the wages were in favour of the UK as you suggest, which explains why Prime is cheaper in Germany than in the UK, then why was Lovefilm DE (€6.99) priced almost identically to Lovefilm UK (£5.99)?
Why is Watchever, the closest equivalent to Netflix in Germany, more expensive in Germany than Netflix in the UK?
Again, the prices of most media in Germany are also higher than the UK. Classic example here is the boxset of Lord of the Rings in Germany, this costs €59 from Amazon.de or £48,60. The same boxset in Amazon.co.uk costs only £27. In fact, even Amazon.de know how rediculously they price the local product, that on the same page they even offer UK imports cheaper than the local version! That's including UK delivery TO Germany.
Surely, if your argument was based on lower delivery costs and wages in Germany, being the reason that Prime was offered much cheaper, then Watchever and Lovefilm should also be much cheaper than UK equivalents, let alone all these other products and services.
It has nothing to do with wages, whether you use my sources or your sources, end of story.
You are acting though as if prime is just streaming media service though. Streaming services don't have massive running costs outside licence fees which are fairly standard. They have limited staff and their other main costs is bandwidth but the content can be hosted anywhere so they can hunt around for the best option to keep costs low.
If anything I wouldn't be surprised if Licencing fees for digital media are actually a rare case where its higher in Germany and all down to piracy. The UK is second behind US for accounting for most piracy. Germany aren't even in the top20 which for a country their size and with the population they have is unusual
This probably also accounts for the media costs because retailers in the UK are having to really discount movies from their RRP. Its hard to tell with Amazon as they don't like listing RRP's unless its for sales purposes but even in the last 12 months DVD & BD prices over here have fallen through the floor. We also have a glut of online media retailers which is driving prices down. I'm not sure if Germany is as strong in this area
It doesn't however carry over on all items. Most items that Amazon carry are significantly cheaper in Germany and its this which the bulk of the prime goes to not the streaming. Again In Amazons financial results for the US arm they mentioned that prime may need increased not because of the streaming but because people were ordering more items using prime delivery than they expected
Your LOVEFiLM By Post and Amazon Prime Instant Video memberships should be accessed at Amazon.co.uk from February 26, 2014
We have worked hard behind the scenes to ensure this change is seamless:
• Your monthly LOVEFiLM bill will be reduced by £5.99 as the cost of the streaming service will be included in your Amazon Prime Membership.
• You will continue to enjoy the same selection of great movies and TV shows on DVD and Blu-ray with your LOVEFiLM By Post subscription.
• Your Rental List, Watchlist and account settings will all be available on Amazon.co.uk
Not sure if everyone's getting the 2 disc package for 5.99 or if its just those who were grandfathered into the £9.99 price
Not sure if everyone's getting the 2 disc package for 5.99 or if its just those who were grandfathered into the £9.99 price
Having just reread the email it says BY £5.99 rather than to so that's actually a brilliant deal as that's £4 a month for me. Even when I have to pay £79 for prime in December the total will only just be higher than I was paying for Lovefilm alone
Mind you I have to wonder how profitable that will actually be for them so I do worry about a degrading service and the physical rental service being wound up within the next year
The info off the Amazon splash page says it's included. I'm paid up for the next 10 months, so I should be getting it next week. I've been really tempted to dump Prime - I still buy a lot of stuff for me and everyone I know off Amazon but the next day delivery has been pretty spotty. This would tempt me to keep it at £49 per year, for 80 quid a year including streaming, I dunno. hopefully they keep the price the same and don't put it up. Don't see anything on Amazon to say they will.
Edit: I checked my Prime management page and it says I'll be charged £79 when I renew towards the end of the year. Well that's a bummer. I liked the next day delivery but the streaming is of no interest to me. Jeeze.
Me neither, and I'll be cancelling my Prime membership, too, when it is up for renewal in October.
I rang to ask whether Prime members had a choice of carrying on without the video streaming at the current price. I was told we haven't: we've got to like it or lump it - either pay almost double or cancel your membership.
Given the crap way Amazon treats its staff - zero hours contracts and all that - I'm not surprised at its arrogant and high-handed attitude.
Me neither, and I'll be cancelling my Prime membership, too, when it is up for renewal in October.
I rang to ask whether Prime members had a choice of carrying on without the video streaming at the current price. I was told we haven't: we've got to like it or lump it - either pay almost double or cancel your membership.
Given the crap way Amazon treats its staff - zero hours contracts and all that - I'm not surprised at its arrogant and high-handed attitude.
They won't give you the option of having it without streaming because Streaming is a free extra. In their yearly financial report they stated that Prime Delivery had proven more popular than expected and that they were likely to rise the price by $20-40. So when the price rise kicks in over in the US they aren't getting anything to sweeten the deal where as atleast we are getting something.
And complaining about Amazons employment policies which are designed to keep costs and prices low and then complaining about having to pay more is ridiculous because if costs rise they have two choices, charge the customer more or make more savings most likely at the expense of the staff.
They won't give you the option of having it without streaming because Streaming is a free extra. In their yearly financial report they stated that Prime Delivery had proven more popular than expected and that they were likely to rise the price by $20-40. So when the price rise kicks in over in the US they aren't getting anything to sweeten the deal where as atleast we are getting something.
And complaining about Amazons employment policies which are designed to keep costs and prices low and then complaining about having to pay more is ridiculous because if costs rise they have two choices, charge the customer more or make more savings most likely at the expense of the staff.
It's not a 'free extra' if you are paying £40 plus for it. I don't doubt that bloody Amazon have been going through the fine print with forensic accountants to make sure their arses are covered. Fine, sounds dandy that 'the price of Amazon Prime is going up and, by the way, we are throwing in video streaming for free' but it is 24-carat bullshit. No, they aren't. I could live with Prime going up by a pound or two 'because of inflation', but this is just another ruse to screw more money out of the punters, especially as subscription is 'automatically renewed' and they know most punters won't notice.
It's not a 'free extra' if you are paying £40 plus for it. I don't doubt that bloody Amazon have been going through the fine print with forensic accountants to make sure their arses are covered. Fine, sounds dandy that 'the price of Amazon Prime is going up and, by the way, we are throwing in video streaming for free' but it is 24-carat bullshit. No, they aren't. I could live with Prime going up by a pound or two 'because of inflation', but this is just another ruse to screw more money out of the punters, especially as subscription is 'automatically renewed' and they know most punters won't notice.
Its £30 extra and its free if the price was going to go up anyway rather than being charged extra to get access to the streaming video.
Yes,, that's what Amazon's accountants would claim, but it's bollocks. A rise of £30 from £45? Close on double? Just because it is doing well? Pull the other one. Amazon knows damn well, that some will object and end their Prime membership, but the vast majority will get forget about it and 'automatic renewal' will bump up profits substantially. And forgive me for saying so but it's forgiving punters like you who let them get away with it.
And complaining about Amazons employment policies which are designed to keep costs and prices low and then complaining about having to pay more is ridiculous because if costs rise they have two choices, charge the customer more or make more savings most likely at the expense of the staff.
You sure you don't work for Amazon or are part of their PR team? Sounds a lot like it. There's no excuse of a zero hours contract whoever you are. And I would be a little more impressed with Amazon if they started paying their fair whack of taxes here in the UK. But I'm sure you can explain why they don't have to, too.
Yes,, that's what Amazon's accountants would claim, but it's bollocks. A rise of £30 from £45? Close on double? Just because it is doing well? Pull the other one. Amazon knows damn well, that some will object and end their Prime membership, but the vast majority will get forget about it and 'automatic renewal' will bump up profits substantially. And forgive me for saying so but it's forgiving punters like you who let them get away with it.
What is it with you and your making up figures to try and make things look worse. Its a rise of £30 from £49.
And its not bollocks because Amazon stated this last month so before this price rise and they were talking about the US service where they can't add the streaming service as its already part of it. When customers with prime are ordering more and more items from Amazon using prime a few quid really wouldn't cut it for the price rises in delivery costs. It would cover maybe a couple of deliveries in your year and thats it
You sure you don't work for Amazon or are part of their PR team? Sounds a lot like it. There's no excuse of a zero hours contract whoever you are. And I would be a little more impressed with Amazon if they started paying their fair whack of taxes here in the UK. But I'm sure you can explain why they don't have to, too.
Zero Hour contarcts are legal in the UK so why shouldn't companies that need a flexible work force use them? If people aren't happy with them its for the government to change it (although its almost certainly going to limit the effectiveness of many companies and also cause prices to rise)
And their tax payments are perfectly fine. They pay VAT on sales to UK customers and pay the tax for the part of their business that takes place on UK shores. Why should they be paying tax on parts of their business that operate abroad when they would also be expected to pay tax in that country too
I do alot of work for clients outside the UK but the works done in the UK so are you proposing I should be paying tax in both the UK and country my clients are in? It wouldn't be worth me working
You sure you don't work for Amazon or are part of their PR team? Sounds a lot like it. There's no excuse of a zero hours contract whoever you are. And I would be a little more impressed with Amazon if they started paying their fair whack of taxes here in the UK. But I'm sure you can explain why they don't have to, too.
Given your strong feelings it is surprising that you have used Amazon in the past never mind being a prime member.
What is it with you and your making up figures to try and make things look worse. Its a rise of £30 from £49.
And its not bollocks because Amazon stated this last month so before this price rise and they were talking about the US service where they can't add the streaming service as its already part of it. When customers with prime are ordering more and more items from Amazon using prime a few quid really wouldn't cut it for the price rises in delivery costs. It would cover maybe a couple of deliveries in your year and thats it
Zero Hour contracts are legal in the UK so why shouldn't companies that need a flexible work force use them? If people aren't happy with them its for the government to change it (although its almost certainly going to limit the effectiveness of many companies and also cause prices to rise)
And their tax payments are perfectly fine. They pay VAT on sales to UK customers and pay the tax for the part of their business that takes place on UK shores. Why should they be paying tax on parts of their business that operate abroad when they would also be expected to pay tax in that country too
I do alot of work for clients outside the UK but the works done in the UK so are you proposing I should be paying tax in both the UK and country my clients are in? It wouldn't be worth me working
I'm getting even greater vibes that you're some kind of apologist for Amazon: a great many things might be 'legal' but they are also scum practices used to squeeze those at the bottom of the pile who have very little clout (and I'm by no means left-wing - I just choose to call a spade a spade).
As for Amazon's tax arrangements they, too, are strictly 'legal' but there's been a great deal of media coverage (of which you are surely aware) about they are getting away with paying the bare minumum (along with Starbucks, eBay and PayPal). I do find our comments very, very odd. Tell us all straight: what's your job and are you in any way connected to Amazon?
Yes,, that's what Amazon's accountants would claim, but it's bollocks. A rise of £30 from £45? Close on double? Just because it is doing well? Pull the other one. Amazon knows damn well, that some will object and end their Prime membership, but the vast majority will get forget about it and 'automatic renewal' will bump up profits substantially. And forgive me for saying so but it's forgiving punters like you who let them get away with it.
WOW glad your not my accountant its not double no where near it in fact, it's 60% or so. For it to be double it would need to be £100.
And as for Tax they're not "getting away from anything" as that would suggest that what they are doing is illegal. They like many other companies, some as you have suggested use what tax loopholes there are to avoid paying more tax than needed. As a business owner I too try to avoid paying more tax than needed. This then allows me to keep my staff employed through a recession and even increase their wages when a lot of companies are cutting staff, and freezing wages.
Perhaps if our Public Sector was more careful with the money thats given them, they would be in a better state.
I'm getting even greater vibes that you're some kind of apologist for Amazon: a great many things might be 'legal' but they are also scum practices used to squeeze those at the bottom of the pile who have very little clout (and I'm by no means left-wing - I just choose to call a spade a spade).
As for Amazon's tax arrangements they, too, are strictly 'legal' but there's been a great deal of media coverage (of which you are surely aware) about they are getting away with paying the bare minumum (along with Starbucks, eBay and PayPal). I do find our comments very, very odd. Tell us all straight: what's your job and are you in any way connected to Amazon?
So because I live in the real world and not some unworkable fan fantasy where prices are cheap, workers are paid highly (and treated like more than employees) and where companies pay more tax than they need to just to meet some fantasy moral standard then I must work for Amazon (Which I have never BTW)
Most of the companies you mentioned are online business (Starbucks are different as they have physical outlets for their services and they were using actual loopholes which is why they buckled and paid the tax) and as such they have no need to be physically located in a country they operate in. They are perfectly free to situated most of their business where it makes the most financial sense. Their operations in the UK are pretty much isolated to the warehouses as thats all that needs to be situated over here and as such they are only due to pay tax on the profits from the distribution side of the business as well as NI contributions for staff and the VAT on sales
Expecting them to pay tax twice is just ridiculous. Perhaps if our tax system was more competitive (And not just corporation tax but also NI and income tax which pushes wages in the UK up) the likes of Amazon would choose to base more of their business in the UK but while they require very little physical presence then they are free to choose where they base themselves without being asked to pay tax twice. Just as I'm free to base myself in the UK but sell my services to clients in Australia, Germany, France, Israel, Canada and the US and only pay tax once in the UK rather than in each of those countries.
And again Zero Hour Contracts may not be great for those on them but they are legal and have provided many companies not just Amazon to provide a better, more flexible and cheaper service. Here you are complaining about a price rise then also complaining about legal business practices that allow them to drive prices down. The other option would be to have to be able to predict how many people they would need at anytime which would either mean always having more staff than needed on duty to account for any rush which would increase costs due to excess staffing or would find themselves unable to deal with unexpected increases in orders so the service would drop
WOW glad your not my accountant its not double no where near it in fact, it's 60% or so. For it to be double it would need to be £100.
And as for Tax they're not "getting away from anything" as that would suggest that what they are doing is illegal. They like many other companies, some as you have suggested use what tax loopholes there are to avoid paying more tax than needed. As a business owner I too try to avoid paying more tax than needed. This then allows me to keep my staff employed through a recession and even increase their wages when a lot of companies are cutting staff, and freezing wages.
Perhaps if our Public Sector was more careful with the money thats given them, they would be in a better state.
Its not even a loophole in most of the companies cases. Starbucks seems like they used Loopholes as their business to UK customers is almost exclusively done on British soil but cyber companies that require very little of their business to be based locally are free to choose.
I can log into Amazon/Love film with the App on my iPhone and at http://www.lovefilm.com with my Amazon details as Im using an Amazon prime trail at the moment.
On my PS3 I can't log into Amazon/Lovefilm using my Amazon details, says I either need to link my Amazon/Lovefilm account or sign in via Lovefilm.
Why can't I log in via Amazon using my Amazon details when I can do just that on the iPhone App and online using my iMac??
I can log into Amazon/Love film with the App on my iPhone and at http://www.lovefilm.com with my Amazon details as Im using an Amazon prime trail at the moment.
On my PS3 I can't log into Amazon/Lovefilm using my Amazon details, says I either need to link my Amazon/Lovefilm account or sign in via Lovefilm.
Why can't I log in via Amazon using my Amazon details when I can do just that on the iPhone App and online using my iMac??
Thanks
Baz
The change doesn't happen to midnight so I'm not sure why even the iPhone app worked
I can log into Amazon/Love film with the App on my iPhone and at http://www.lovefilm.com with my Amazon details as Im using an Amazon prime trail at the moment.
On my PS3 I can't log into Amazon/Lovefilm using my Amazon details, says I either need to link my Amazon/Lovefilm account or sign in via Lovefilm.
Why can't I log in via Amazon using my Amazon details when I can do just that on the iPhone App and online using my iMac??
Thanks
Baz
I can also log into the iPad app with my Amazon details. I've signed up to prime but I migrated my love film account to my Amazon log in details so I think that's why. Anyhow tomorrow we will see exactly what's happening.
Comments
Wakey, you and I can debate about wages in either country until the end of time. For every source you can give, I can counter one for my argument. None of that however will change anything to do with the fact it holds no basis for this situation.
If the wages were in favour of the UK as you suggest, which explains why Prime is cheaper in Germany than in the UK, then why was Lovefilm DE (€6.99) priced almost identically to Lovefilm UK (£5.99)?
Why is Watchever, the closest equivalent to Netflix in Germany, more expensive in Germany than Netflix in the UK?
Again, the prices of most media in Germany are also higher than the UK. Classic example here is the boxset of Lord of the Rings in Germany, this costs €59 from Amazon.de or £48,60. The same boxset in Amazon.co.uk costs only £27. In fact, even Amazon.de know how rediculously they price the local product, that on the same page they even offer UK imports cheaper than the local version! That's including UK delivery TO Germany.
Surely, if your argument was based on lower delivery costs and wages in Germany, being the reason that Prime was offered much cheaper, then Watchever and Lovefilm should also be much cheaper than UK equivalents, let alone all these other products and services.
It has nothing to do with wages, whether you use my sources or your sources, end of story.
Is there any way of being able to watch the US version of this in the UK? Like changing DNS Settings as u would with the Netflix Service?
Thanks
Baz
Yes, but you will need a Smart DNS and VPN service into the US and also subscribe to the US version separately from the UK one. This will give you the American library, the Kindle lending library, but of course no use for the prime delivery for US$79 per year.
As far as I know, there are no Smart DNS services that allow the library to be switched like with Netflix.
You are acting though as if prime is just streaming media service though. Streaming services don't have massive running costs outside licence fees which are fairly standard. They have limited staff and their other main costs is bandwidth but the content can be hosted anywhere so they can hunt around for the best option to keep costs low.
If anything I wouldn't be surprised if Licencing fees for digital media are actually a rare case where its higher in Germany and all down to piracy. The UK is second behind US for accounting for most piracy. Germany aren't even in the top20 which for a country their size and with the population they have is unusual
This probably also accounts for the media costs because retailers in the UK are having to really discount movies from their RRP. Its hard to tell with Amazon as they don't like listing RRP's unless its for sales purposes but even in the last 12 months DVD & BD prices over here have fallen through the floor. We also have a glut of online media retailers which is driving prices down. I'm not sure if Germany is as strong in this area
It doesn't however carry over on all items. Most items that Amazon carry are significantly cheaper in Germany and its this which the bulk of the prime goes to not the streaming. Again In Amazons financial results for the US arm they mentioned that prime may need increased not because of the streaming but because people were ordering more items using prime delivery than they expected
Not sure if everyone's getting the 2 disc package for 5.99 or if its just those who were grandfathered into the £9.99 price
Having just reread the email it says BY £5.99 rather than to so that's actually a brilliant deal as that's £4 a month for me. Even when I have to pay £79 for prime in December the total will only just be higher than I was paying for Lovefilm alone
Mind you I have to wonder how profitable that will actually be for them so I do worry about a degrading service and the physical rental service being wound up within the next year
How many devices will be able to stream Video On Demand at anyone time?
Thanks
Baz
Me neither, and I'll be cancelling my Prime membership, too, when it is up for renewal in October.
I rang to ask whether Prime members had a choice of carrying on without the video streaming at the current price. I was told we haven't: we've got to like it or lump it - either pay almost double or cancel your membership.
Given the crap way Amazon treats its staff - zero hours contracts and all that - I'm not surprised at its arrogant and high-handed attitude.
They won't give you the option of having it without streaming because Streaming is a free extra. In their yearly financial report they stated that Prime Delivery had proven more popular than expected and that they were likely to rise the price by $20-40. So when the price rise kicks in over in the US they aren't getting anything to sweeten the deal where as atleast we are getting something.
And complaining about Amazons employment policies which are designed to keep costs and prices low and then complaining about having to pay more is ridiculous because if costs rise they have two choices, charge the customer more or make more savings most likely at the expense of the staff.
It's not a 'free extra' if you are paying £40 plus for it. I don't doubt that bloody Amazon have been going through the fine print with forensic accountants to make sure their arses are covered. Fine, sounds dandy that 'the price of Amazon Prime is going up and, by the way, we are throwing in video streaming for free' but it is 24-carat bullshit. No, they aren't. I could live with Prime going up by a pound or two 'because of inflation', but this is just another ruse to screw more money out of the punters, especially as subscription is 'automatically renewed' and they know most punters won't notice.
Its £30 extra and its free if the price was going to go up anyway rather than being charged extra to get access to the streaming video.
Its not like the price rise is a surprise as they have been talking about it in the States (http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/30/5362620/amazon-considering-20-to-40-price-hike-to-prime-service-in-us)
Yes,, that's what Amazon's accountants would claim, but it's bollocks. A rise of £30 from £45? Close on double? Just because it is doing well? Pull the other one. Amazon knows damn well, that some will object and end their Prime membership, but the vast majority will get forget about it and 'automatic renewal' will bump up profits substantially. And forgive me for saying so but it's forgiving punters like you who let them get away with it.
You sure you don't work for Amazon or are part of their PR team? Sounds a lot like it. There's no excuse of a zero hours contract whoever you are. And I would be a little more impressed with Amazon if they started paying their fair whack of taxes here in the UK. But I'm sure you can explain why they don't have to, too.
3 I think.
What is it with you and your making up figures to try and make things look worse. Its a rise of £30 from £49.
And its not bollocks because Amazon stated this last month so before this price rise and they were talking about the US service where they can't add the streaming service as its already part of it. When customers with prime are ordering more and more items from Amazon using prime a few quid really wouldn't cut it for the price rises in delivery costs. It would cover maybe a couple of deliveries in your year and thats it
Zero Hour contarcts are legal in the UK so why shouldn't companies that need a flexible work force use them? If people aren't happy with them its for the government to change it (although its almost certainly going to limit the effectiveness of many companies and also cause prices to rise)
And their tax payments are perfectly fine. They pay VAT on sales to UK customers and pay the tax for the part of their business that takes place on UK shores. Why should they be paying tax on parts of their business that operate abroad when they would also be expected to pay tax in that country too
I do alot of work for clients outside the UK but the works done in the UK so are you proposing I should be paying tax in both the UK and country my clients are in? It wouldn't be worth me working
Given your strong feelings it is surprising that you have used Amazon in the past never mind being a prime member.
I'm getting even greater vibes that you're some kind of apologist for Amazon: a great many things might be 'legal' but they are also scum practices used to squeeze those at the bottom of the pile who have very little clout (and I'm by no means left-wing - I just choose to call a spade a spade).
As for Amazon's tax arrangements they, too, are strictly 'legal' but there's been a great deal of media coverage (of which you are surely aware) about they are getting away with paying the bare minumum (along with Starbucks, eBay and PayPal). I do find our comments very, very odd. Tell us all straight: what's your job and are you in any way connected to Amazon?
WOW glad your not my accountant its not double no where near it in fact, it's 60% or so. For it to be double it would need to be £100.
And as for Tax they're not "getting away from anything" as that would suggest that what they are doing is illegal. They like many other companies, some as you have suggested use what tax loopholes there are to avoid paying more tax than needed. As a business owner I too try to avoid paying more tax than needed. This then allows me to keep my staff employed through a recession and even increase their wages when a lot of companies are cutting staff, and freezing wages.
Perhaps if our Public Sector was more careful with the money thats given them, they would be in a better state.
As a matter of curiousity, what do u get for the Video on Demand Service? Streaming only, one disc, two disc at a time?
Thanks
Baz
So because I live in the real world and not some unworkable fan fantasy where prices are cheap, workers are paid highly (and treated like more than employees) and where companies pay more tax than they need to just to meet some fantasy moral standard then I must work for Amazon (Which I have never BTW)
Most of the companies you mentioned are online business (Starbucks are different as they have physical outlets for their services and they were using actual loopholes which is why they buckled and paid the tax) and as such they have no need to be physically located in a country they operate in. They are perfectly free to situated most of their business where it makes the most financial sense. Their operations in the UK are pretty much isolated to the warehouses as thats all that needs to be situated over here and as such they are only due to pay tax on the profits from the distribution side of the business as well as NI contributions for staff and the VAT on sales
Expecting them to pay tax twice is just ridiculous. Perhaps if our tax system was more competitive (And not just corporation tax but also NI and income tax which pushes wages in the UK up) the likes of Amazon would choose to base more of their business in the UK but while they require very little physical presence then they are free to choose where they base themselves without being asked to pay tax twice. Just as I'm free to base myself in the UK but sell my services to clients in Australia, Germany, France, Israel, Canada and the US and only pay tax once in the UK rather than in each of those countries.
And again Zero Hour Contracts may not be great for those on them but they are legal and have provided many companies not just Amazon to provide a better, more flexible and cheaper service. Here you are complaining about a price rise then also complaining about legal business practices that allow them to drive prices down. The other option would be to have to be able to predict how many people they would need at anytime which would either mean always having more staff than needed on duty to account for any rush which would increase costs due to excess staffing or would find themselves unable to deal with unexpected increases in orders so the service would drop
Its not even a loophole in most of the companies cases. Starbucks seems like they used Loopholes as their business to UK customers is almost exclusively done on British soil but cyber companies that require very little of their business to be based locally are free to choose.
I can log into Amazon/Love film with the App on my iPhone and at http://www.lovefilm.com with my Amazon details as Im using an Amazon prime trail at the moment.
On my PS3 I can't log into Amazon/Lovefilm using my Amazon details, says I either need to link my Amazon/Lovefilm account or sign in via Lovefilm.
Why can't I log in via Amazon using my Amazon details when I can do just that on the iPhone App and online using my iMac??
Thanks
Baz
The change doesn't happen to midnight so I'm not sure why even the iPhone app worked
I can also log into the iPad app with my Amazon details. I've signed up to prime but I migrated my love film account to my Amazon log in details so I think that's why. Anyhow tomorrow we will see exactly what's happening.