Starbucks Tax Bill Falls As Profits Rise

Starbucks paid less corporation tax in the UK this year - in a period when its profits rose to a record level. The US-owned coffee chain - whose tax affairs have proved controversial in the past - contributed £8.1m to the Exchequer for the year to 27 September, down from £11.4m the year before. Starbucks came under intense pressure after research in 2012 showed it had paid just £8.6m in tax on £3bn in sales over the first 14 years since it launched in the UK in 1998.