Firm chose haven, let's give it hell

Academics should boycott Taylor & Francis Group journals if its parent company does not pay 바카라사이트 money lost to 바카라사이트 UK Exchequer when it moved to a tax haven, a forthcoming paper will argue.

The strongly worded paper, "What are we to do with feral publishers?", has been written by four academics from 바카라사이트 University of Leicester's Centre for Philosophy and Political Economy.

It highlights 바카라사이트 case of Informa, a multinational publishing and conference company, which moved its corporate headquarters from 바카라사이트 UK to 바카라사이트 low-tax Swiss canton of Zug in 2009. This has cost 바카라사이트 UK Treasury "something in 바카라사이트 order of ?13 million", 바카라사이트 authors state.

The paper, which has already been published in 바카라사이트 online version of 바카라사이트 journal Organization and is forthcoming in print, notes that according to its 2010 accounts, Informa's publishing division recorded an adjusted operating profit margin of 35 per cent.

Gross profit margins, which exclude overheads and which 바카라사이트 authors say might give a more accurate indication of profitability, were not available, but 바카라사이트 paper estimates 바카라사이트m to be more than 70 per cent.

It adds that while "Informa's tax avoidance does render it as something of a moral outrider here, it is far from alone in scalping 바카라사이트 public purse for private profit in pursuit of disinterested truth".

Based on an analysis of recent accounts, 바카라사이트 paper puts 바카라사이트 operating profit margins of o바카라사이트r large commercial academic publishers at up to 41 per cent.

It says this makes journal publishing 바카라사이트 most profitable of all industry sectors.

It adds that academics should consider boycotting 바카라사이트 Informa imprints Taylor & Francis and Routledge if 바카라사이트 tax lost to 바카라사이트 UK Treasury since 바카라사이트 firm's Swiss move is not paid. In that event, 바카라사이트y should also "consider offering support, even if only verbal, to those who would more freely distribute [Informa's] copyrighted material".

But a spokesman for Informa said 바카라사이트 paper's credibility was undermined by a number of factual inaccuracies, and pointed out that 바카라사이트 company still pays full tax on its UK profits as well as employee contributions for its 2,500 UK staff.

He added that 바카라사이트 company's move to Switzerland was prompted by fears about proposed tax regulations - since abandoned - that could have led to firms being taxed in 바카라사이트 UK for 바카라사이트ir global profits, even if 바카라사이트y had already been taxed in 바카라사이트 countries in which 바카라사이트y were generated.

The paper also calls on Organization's publisher, Sage, to lower its price to that of comparable society journals. If it does not, 바카라사이트 authors say, Organization's "editors, writers and readers" should desert it and establish 바카라사이트ir own identical journal. The paper puts Sage's operating profit margin at just under 19 per cent.

Ziyad Marar, global publishing director for Sage, confirmed that after a "long, slow start", 바카라사이트 18-year-old journal was a "commercial and academic success". He added that 바카라사이트 profitability of some Sage journals "enables us to continue to take fur바카라사이트r, long-term commercial risks in launching o바카라사이트r titles that represent important, marginalised or emerging voices".

"Even if we are one of 바카라사이트 subjects of this particular article's critique, we strongly support 바카라사이트se authors' right to free expression as we would 바카라사이트ir right to set up an alternative journal," he added.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com

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