Richard Branson

[Clive Evans]

Surprised that this geezer is still generally viewed positively. He is safely holed up on his Island stronghold ( strange how these multi-millionaires like this lifestyle- See Barclay Bros ). Has complex tax avoidance schemes. has even done porridge for tax avoidance. Likes self-promotion. I saw at one of the daily press briefings, some criticism of him over asking for Government bail-outs for Virgin Airlines.
What made me take notice of him, was a fawning series of programmes about his Necker resort. He said he turns a blind eye to his barmaids, chamber maids & female staff having sexual encounters with his customers. Course he does, it's all part of the service innit?

[tuffers#1]

Thats capitalism for you .

His House in Holland park is fecking enormous as well.

[EliotNes]

Self imposed exile for tax evasion purposes. I loath the guy and his airline is c**p IMO

[NuneatonO's]

Richard Branson.......surely a Love Child of Margaret Thatcher.

A man who once took legal action agaist the N.H.S. - yet now wants a tax-payer handout for his airline (a question that Matt Hancock appears to not want to answer with a direct 'yes or no' despite being asked repeatedly by reporters).

From The Daily Mirror:

Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin healthcare group has not paid a penny in corporation tax while being handed £2billion worth of NHS and local authority deals.

Health campaigner Dr John Lister branded the billionaire’s firm “parasitic” over its ­involvement in UK health.

Dr Lister, secretary and health policy academic at the group Keep Our NHS Public, said: “Virgin continues to play a parasitic role in the NHS, fragmenting services and poaching NHS-trained staff and undermining nearby NHS trusts.

“This is made worse by the fact that the company pays no corporation tax and therefore only takes resources from the public sector while contributing nothing of value.

Virgin Care has around 400 health and social care contracts across England. The business employs more than 7,000 staff, including doctors and nurses. It is ultimately controlled by a firm registered in the British Virgin Islands tax haven, where Sir Richard mostly lives.

Its turnover was £248.8million last year but it apparently only made a profit of £503,000!

However, a potential corporation tax bill of just under £96,000 was wiped out by losses made in other group companies.

The High Pay Centre think tank director Luke Hildyard said: “It is surprising it’s been nearly a decade and they haven’t made a substantial profit.”

Virgin Group said: “Richard has had a home in the British Virgin Islands for more than 40 years and has lived there full time for the last 14. The ultimate holding company of the Virgin Group is ­registered there to reflect that this is where Richard, its sole ­shareholder, is resident.

Virgin Care, which successfully sued the NHS for £2million after losing out on a health contract in 2016, said the £2billion of contracts was the potential maximum over the life of the awards.

Nick Fox, Chief Communications Officer, Virgin Group, stated that Virgin Care (Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin healthcare group) had still not paid a penny in corporation tax; despite being handed this £2billion worth of NHS and local authority deals.

Shadow Health ­Secretary Jon Ashworth added: “Under the Tories, bucketloads of taxpayers’ cash has flowed to this outfit.”


I imagine that the Tories on here adore Richard Branson; they'll always buddy up with a tax-dodging entrepreneur!

[LittleMate]

I'm no Branson fan, but if he gets government contracts then its Virgin using the system, to the best of their abilities. Its there for all to use or abuse, because procurement on a small basis (which is what this actually is) is conducted in a very regulated manner and is not influenced politically. Healthcare contracts are and have always been awarded by healthcare authority. To suggest otherwise means that labour politicians must be equally culpable to other groups - because politicians are all the same at heart.

As for tax evasion, you can bet Branson plays the system. These large corporates need bringing down a peg or two when it comes to tax systems, but in doing so we should remember that the easiest thing for them to do is to move somewhere else more tax efficient. I'm not talking about Necker Island - plain old Ireland is good for many.

[Fanny]

I do wonder if the behaviour and practices of a number of b*stards (Branson, Ashley, Martin et al) is remembered long after this crisis was passed.

Whilst key workers are putting their health (and potentially their lives) at risk to keep the country going, these t*ssers are doing everything they can to preserve their vast wealth at the expense of others, even endangering the health of those they tried to force to continue working even when we knew the risks. Their true colours have been exposed during this crisis. Surely their reputations will plummet, even amongst those who would usually defend them.

I’m not one for boycotts usually but I certainly won’t be stepping foot in a Wetherspoons when they are able to open their grotty doors again.

[Max B Gold]

I once had a few jars with one of the founders of Weatherspoons. He was actually a decent guy. So he was.

[Oforever]

Did Brandon do time for tax fiddling? I don't think so. That said he is an odious fellow who avoids tax and tells the rest of us what to do and now asking for a handout takes the biscuit.

[Clive Evans]

This from Wikipedia & it's been on there ages; claims to be sourced from the Guardian.............."In 1971, Branson was convicted and briefly jailed for tax evasion, having fraudulently obtained export documents for records to be sold on the domestic market to avoid paying Purchase Tax.[146][147] Customs officials caught onto the scheme and executed a sting operation, marking records bought for the international market with invisible ink and subsequently buying them on the domestic market. Branson was advised of the sting by an anonymous tip-off and attempted to dispose of the evidence, but this was unsuccessful." >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I suspected remanded in Jail. He was given a hefty fine & his parents helped him pay.

[Thor]

He is also known as a pest, I will let you work out what type.

[StillSpike]

Can't we just string him up now and worry about the actual charges later?

[Long slender neck]

Gets a lot of goodwill for his pickle.