THE TAX DIRECT ACTION GROUP, UK Uncut returned this week after a long break. The group closed down several Vodafone stores claiming that the company has avoided billions in taxes. Vodafone, it will be of no surprise were unimpressed, calling the action ‘ignorant’ and ‘undeserved’. Nevertheless, UK Uncut plans more action ahead of Vodafone’s AGM.SONY DSC CAMPAIGNERS IN NAMIBIA have challenged global diamond mining giant DeBeers to prove that they are not engaged in tax avoidance through transfer pricing. The campaigners are citing an academic study from the University of Manchester which points to evidence of transfer pricing issues in the mining industry. The campaigners want DeBeers to open their books for an independent inspection. IN A WIN FOR CAMPAIGNERS IN ZAMBIA, the country’s revenue authority has launched an investigation into the mining firm, Vedanta Resources. This was triggered by a speech by Vedanta boss and founder, Anil Agarwal. Agarwal claimed that his company had made between $500m and $1bn every year for ten years from its 79% owned Konkola Copper Mines subsidiary. The size of profits contrasted with what the firm had previously reported. Agarwal said his comments were taken out of context. But they sparked protests in the Zambia. 2014-06-16 00:00:00