Vodaphone uncut 14th June occupy stores to turn into homes and homeless shelters. Vodaphone a 12 billion unpaid tax how many austerity cuts could that save

Anti-austerity activists UK Uncut have announced a day of action against tax dodging giant Vodaphone for the 14th June, six weeks before the company's AGM. The evil Star Wars-misappropriating company has paid no corporation tax at all in the last few years, whilst making profits of billions of pounds. Unlike when Joe Bloggs forgets to mention a few days of cash-in-hand work in his tax return, HMRC had negotiations with Vodaphone which resulted in a £12 billion reduction to their bill.

You might remember all this from back in 2010, when UK Uncut formed out of an occupation of Vodaphone's flagship store. Activists are putting Vodaphone back in the spotlight, and plan to transform dozens of Vodaphone shops into homes and homeless shelters for a day. The aim is to remind them of the connection between tax avoidance and the austerity agenda.

The housing crisis and cuts go hand in hand. Austerity has resulted in more tenants being taken to court and evicted, both by private landlords and social housing associations. With rents rising faster than wages and benefits, it's no surprise that people fall into arrears. Politicians seem to forget those evicted are not just statistics but real people.

Some, such as UK Uncut, suggest that more housebuilding is the answer to the housing crisis. But the problem is more that there isn't enough truly affordable housing: New housing developments tend to involve dodgy corporations trashing the planet to sell houses to those who are at least moderately well-off. DIY alternative housing, like squatting or living in vehicles, has become more difficult not just through laws like the ban on squatting residential buildings but also from an accumulation of smaller legal and financial pressures.

Still, moving into Vodaphone shops for a day to draw attention to the crisis seems like a pretty good plan. If you can't find one of those you could try one of the many branches of Barclays, HSBC, Boots, or Tesco. Perhaps you'd prefer a 90s boy band mansion, so they can never forget the shame of taking the piss.

www.ukuncut.org.uk