LONDON – Online giant Amazon has revealed it paid £781 million (RM4.48 bil) in direct taxes in Britain last year, a jump of more than £130 million from the year before, as it continues its rapid expansion across the nation, reported German news agency (dpa).
The global marketplace and technology firm said it invested more and generated higher revenues in 2022.
With a workforce of 75,000 in the UK and more than 100 warehouses and offices, Amazon’s tax bill has amounted to billions over the years.
It benefited from a surge in demand for online deliveries during the pandemic, ramping up its operations and going on a recruitment drive to cope with more customer orders.
The direct taxes the firm must pay include business rates, corporation tax and employer national insurance.
The tax bill rose to £781 million from £648 million in 2021.
Including indirect taxes like value-added tax, Amazon said it paid more than £3.6 billion in total contributions last year, a huge jump from the £2.7 billion paid the prior year.
It ranks in the top 15 largest UK taxpayers for overall total tax contributions, according to data from British accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
It came as Amazon saw its revenues surge to a new record high of £24 billion, an increase of £1 billion year-on-year.
The business has invested more in infrastructure as it continued its growth in the UK.
More than £1.6 billion was spent on investment, including fitting warehouses with the latest robotics technology and opening a new development centre in Swansea, Wales.
The tech giant said it was “proud of the significant economic contribution we are making to the UK economy.” – Bernama, June 1, 2023
