SUPERMARKETS should be forced to pay a 5% tax on their profits to be used to invest in local communities, a senior Labour MP demanded today.
Labour’s Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) accused the big chains of “sucking the life” out of the areas they served and claimed a tax would allow them to give something back.
During questions on future business he asked Commons leader Harriet Harman: “Could we have a debate on the way these monopolistic supermarkets squeeze the life out of communities.
“Couldn’t we have a 5% tax on supermarkets that was dedicated to investing in social enterprise and the third sector and charities in their locality?
“In that way something would be given back by these companies that suck the life out of these communities.”
Ms Harman replied: “I think you raise an important point which relates to town centres, which relates to monopolies, which relates to corporate responsibility and corporate citizenship of the supermarkets.”
