Response to Robert Peston

Does the BBC’s business editor need a crash course in tax?

By George Monbiot, posted on monbiot.com, 3rd March 2011

Yesterday, the BBC’s business editor Robert Peston wrote a strong critique of my article about the government’s changes to the corporation tax rules. I’m on the road with my Left Hook tour at the moment, and fiendishly busy, so I haven’t had a chance to respond. But Richard Murphy of Tax Research has written a powerful rebuttal of Robert’s article. It concludes as follows:

The result is Peston is wrong, and maybe very wrong. He clearly needs a crash course in tax. Because on this story he’s bought a line that is utterly misleading, and it’s not the job of the BBC to repeat such things in such unquestioning fashion.

I’m sure this one will run and run, and I’ll weigh in when I have a chance.