Bold proposal to fund community upgrades with so-called Amazon tax
How ‘Amazon tax’ could save your local pub and community
- A new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) proposes a tax on wealthy firms, such as Amazon, to fund community regeneration and foster social cohesion.
- The suggestion follows summer riots, including those in Southport, which the IPPR links to community disrepair and the loss of shared physical spaces.
- The report highlights a significant decline in community venues across the UK, citing the closure of hundreds of pubs, youth clubs, and local authority spaces.
- It recommends establishing a '21st-century welfare fund' through higher levies on online retailers' warehouses or an online sales tax, targeting companies with revenues over £1 million.
- The IPPR argues that rebuilding local infrastructure is vital to combat division and counter the influence of the far-right, which exploits the void left by lost community solidarity.