Dive Summary:

• Online retail giant Amazon could be facing a consumer boycott in the UK this holiday season over company policies which opponents claim are designed to aggressively dodge tax payments on profits.
• The campaign proposing the holiday boycott of Amazon was started by Ethical Consumer magazine, but has since gained support among UK government officials and parliament members, including Margaret Hodge.
• In 2012, Amazon reported £4.3 billion in online sales while paying roughly £2.4 million in corporate taxes in the UK. Additionally, the e-commerce company received £2.5 million in government grants to help fund expansion efforts.

Dive Insight:

Despite sales which reach into the billions on an annual basis, Amazon utilizes its sales revenue to fund its continued expansion of fulfillment centers. Although the company may be in embattled with some UK consumers and political figures over its lack of tax contributions, Amazon has yet to report any actually profits due to creative accounting, and has not broken any tax regulations.