Dear Waterstones,
I am writing to thank you for paying your fair share of taxes in the UK. As a primary school teacher this is very important to me, as I see the valuable contribution responsible companies such as yourselves make to our society first hand. Not only are your taxes essential for paying for our education system, but also for healthcare, our transport system and the peace and security we all enjoy in this country. As a company working in the UK you will also feel the benefits of these.
I have in the past made good use of your highstreet stores and will continue to do so in the future - there's something magic about browsing for books in person and being able to ask for advice from knowledgeable assistants in store. This weekend I needed to source some relatively hard to find text books and ordering on the internet seemed like the easiest option. I'm sure I could have phoned ahead to check if they were in stock but with the snowy weather a trip into Manchester did not appeal. In the past, I would have used amazon.co.uk. However, I have over the last 6 months been made aware that they do not share the same enlightened approach to tax as yourselves. A 30 second search on the internet showed that you do meet your tax responsibilities and I am very happy to say I will now be making my online orders with yourselves as well.
Please pass my thanks on to your shareholders for their responsible approach to this, it has won them a lot of custom from consumers such as myself who care about the society we live in. Keep up the good work in paying your tax!
Yours sincerely,
Peter
Peter's references are here and here.
PRAYER
Father, give us today our daily bread. Thank you for those who work in health care, social services, in schools and in communities to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Thank you for those companies who act responsibly by paying their taxes. Please change hearts and minds in those companies that choose to dodge tax, whether in the UK or elsewhere. Help us, whether in the workplace, in places of study, in our communities and at a national level to stand up for your values.
Your Kingdom come, your will be done.
Peter also wrote an email to Amazon at the same time, encouraging them to change their tax practices. He works in a primary school on a council estate near Manchester.