UK Parliament / Open data

Water Industry

Proceeding contribution from Charlie Elphicke (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 5 November 2013. It occurred during Backbench debate on Water Industry.

My hon. Friend makes an important point, but I will leave it to my hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon, who has been studying those issues with considerable care and concern.

Secondly, there is the question of how we tackle tax avoidance. The unacceptable, even antisocial, tax avoidance culture in the water industry has meant that many companies have not paid tax for years. It is wrong that that situation has arisen. Everyone should pay their fair share. We need sustainable debt, not 100% mortgages. Under the previous settlement, these water companies have been allowed to become casinos. We have an opportunity to look carefully at that to see whether the position is safe, secure and sustainable for the future.

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
570 c181 
Session
2013-14
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
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