No one will be surprised to learn Google pays a decent wage.
The average wage of Google employees in the UK has been revealed.
Google UK staff – of whom there are thousands – earned an average salary of £160,000 in 2015. Note that this figure may be skewed by higher-earning executives.
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Google is also facing criticism over allegations that the company receives special treatment from the UK government.
Part of Google’s argument as to why it pays a low amount of tax in the UK is that the company’s British operations are merely a supporting role.
However, Margaret Hodge, former Public Accounts committee head, said the salary suggests Google’s UK business “is not a back office support operation. These are clearly people who are paid a lot because they add value – selling advertising, closing deals and developing new products.”
She’s not wrong either; much of Google’s Android development takes place in humble Blighty.
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The Independent reports that Google could owe as much as £700 million in UK taxes.
“Britain was a key player in generating sales for the tech firm’s global operations,” said Barney Jones, formerly employed in Google’s UK sales department, as quoted in the Independent report.
Jones continued: “They do a lot of high-value sales, marketing and engineering – all out of London. I find it utterly baffling that HMRC accepts that these people do almost nothing worthwhile.”
Did you guess Google’s average salary correctly? Let us know in the comments!