The chairman of a U.K. parliamentary committee investigating Google for tax evasion calls the firm "devious, calculating, and unethical," yet British officials court the firm's CEO as if he were royalty.
Prime Minister David Cameron urges tax havens to mend their ways and vows to crack down on tax cheats, yet argues that taxes must be low in the United Kingdom because "we've got to encourage investment, we've got to encourage jobs and I want Britain to be a winner in the global race."
The same disconnect is breaking out in the United States. A Senate report criticizes Apple for shifting billions of dollars in profits into Irish affiliates where its tax rate is less than 2 percent, yet a growing chorus of senators and congressmen call for lower corporate taxes to make the U.S. more competitive. The American public wants to close tax loopholes and shelters used by the wealthy to avoid paying taxes, yet the loopholes and shelters remain in place.