Google says it would pay more tax in UK

Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, has blamed the Government's weak tax laws for the fact it pays just £8m of corporation tax in Britain despite making more than £6bn in revenues in this country.

The technology giant has come under heavy fire for using tax laws to avoid paying a more significant level of corporate tax in the past.

However, Mr Schmidt told the Edinburgh Television Festival yesterday that Google "loves" Britain and would pay more tax if it were legally required to do so. He said the company's hands were tied by Britain's low tax demands.

"It is true we could pay more tax but we would have to do so voluntarily. It's called paying the legally minimum amount of tax required," he said.

"The fact of the matter is there are lots of benefits to [being in Britain]. It's very good for us, but to go back to shareholders and say 'We looked at 200 countries but felt sorry for those British people so we want to [pay them more]' . . . there is probably some law against doing that."

Mr Schmidt's comments come after months of controversy surrounding the UK's corporate tax system, which has seen campaign group UK Uncut target high street chains including Vodafone, Boots and Barclays. Violence has often been used, bringing condemnation from business leaders.