Margaret Hodge MP

Margaret Hodge said she wanted David Cameron to tell Google to pay more tax on their UK profits. "Yes, I do [want the PM to tell Google to pay more]. And I talk about the moral dimension to this. I think all of us have duty as part of so... Continue to article

Margaret Hodge said the Office of Fair Trading had been "feeble and wimpish" on the issue of regulating payday loan companies. “We think [the OFT] is feeble and wimpish. For example, they don’t really understand the market, they don’t un... Continue to article

Margaret Hodge said the Public Accounts Committee intended to pursue those accountable for the BBC’s failed IT programme. “One of the principles that we on the Public Accounts Committee] always pursue is that the person responsible shoul... Continue to article

Margaret Hodge urged David Cameron to use Google chairman Eric Schmidt’s position as an economic adviser to the Government to put pressure on his company to pay more tax. “In the end, that’s an issue [whether Mr Schmidt remains an advise... Continue to article

Margaret Hodge disputed that Google’s tax arrangements were sanctioned by the law, and called on HMRC to challenge the search engine giant. “It’s not clear to me that they are acting within the law – this is an issue of judgement and rea... Continue to article

Margaret Hodge accused HMRC of not being tough enough on Google over tax avoidance. "No, I think it’s quite clear from the evidence that we heard this morning, particularly the evidence that these very principled whistle-blowers gave us,... Continue to article

Margaret Hodge said HMRC should be more aggressive in pursuing companies who avoiding tax. "I think there is a judgement to be made, I just wish HMRC were slightly more aggressive on behalf of us the UK taxpayers to ensure that we all pa... Continue to article

Margaret Hodge said that the objective of private accountants advising government on tax policy was to “exploit tax relief”. “The only objective of Parliament and government is to encourage firms to transfer intelligence and innovation i... Continue to article

Margaret Hodge MP said that multinational corporations should not be exempted from UK tax obligations. “These global companies should pay a fair rate of tax related to the economic turnover in this country and the profits they derive fro... Continue to article

Margaret Hodge said the £2.2bn Lottery investment in the Olympics still needed to be paid back. "£2.2billion of lottery money went in to fund the Olympics, so a lot of money that should have been used for good causes, that money has got ... Continue to article

Margaret Hodge said the Treasury’s annual account statement was “pretty impenetrable”, and said there were elements of the public sector which had not filed their accounts in time. “It is pretty impenetrable, and I think the Treasury sho... Continue to article

Margaret Hodge called on the Government to reduce funding for “vanity projects” such as free schools and academies to pay for more primary school places. “[We are] 250,000 short; it means children being taught in classes of over 30 – tha... Continue to article