Shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh warned that Labour would not tolerate "tax avoidance on a large scale", describing Uber's tax arrangements, being based offshore, as "interesting".
She also seized on the fact that drivers using Uber are classed as self-employed to justify her concerns, calling on the cab app firm to "do more to demonstrate that its drivers are paying taxes".
Uber, which is operated by a Dutch entity, has drawn anger from Britain's taxi drivers, who drove London to a standstill in June protest at its presence in the marketplace.
The cab app has also been banned in some major cities around the world, with a German court overturning a nation-wide ban last week.
London mayor Boris Johnson has previously said it would be "very difficult" to ban Uber, with any attempt risking a judicial review.
Business groups hit out at Creagh, who made her comments at a Labour Conference fringe meeting in Manchester on transport organised by the New Statesman on Monday morning, accusing her of"demonising" Uber drivers.
A spokesperson for the Institute for Directors said: "As new technology and innovation continues to change the way we go about our lives, more and more people will be able to take ownership of their labour and get a foothold in the economy.
"It's exactly this kind of new economy that Uber represents, and politicians should be careful not to demonise Uber drivers, who are effectively self-employed and entrepreneurial.
"We should be encouraging the new economy, and all the social benefits it brings, not peddling scare stories about the tax affairs of a new generation of self-employed drivers."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Uber said the firm "complies with all applicable tax laws, and pays taxes in all jurisdictions, such as corporate tax, income tax, payroll tax, sales and use tax, and VAT."
Uber added that its drivers are "independent businessmen that use the platform" and are not employed by the firm.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/09/22/uber-cab-london-labour_n_5860272.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
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Uber is squeezing every last drop out of its drivers’ pay, and it’s starting with its newest recruits.
Drivers who sign up for UberX in San Francisco on or after September 2 will fork over an unprecedented 25 percent of their earnings to Uber, said spokeswoman Eva Behrend.
That’s the highest-ever UberX commission, which has always been 20 percent or less. And it’s just the latest way that Uber is shaving off more and more of drivers’ meager earnings.
This summer, Uber rolled out “limited time only” steep fare drops in at least 25 cities, which riders loved. But drivers worried that the discounts wouldn’t end because Uber wouldn’t want to raise prices on its riders.
Their worries proved right. So far, Uber has declared summer discounts of varying amounts are “here to stay” in San Francisco (15 percent), Seattle (20 percent), Boston (15 percent), Washington D.C. (15 percent), New Jersey (10 percent), and Los Angeles (20 percent), among others — and more will likely follow. In San Francisco and Seattle, the cut is even sharper: Uber heavily subsidized the discounts at the beginning of the summer, but those ended abruptly a few weeks ago.
Other cuts have followed: As of last month, drivers also have to pay $10 a week to use the iPhone 4S they used to get for free, and new drivers report having to pay a $100 phone deposit. (Drivers can avoid the weekly fee by using their own phone and data plans.) And Uber’s $1-a-ride reimbursement to drivers ended August 31.
Those cuts add up. Let’s throw some rough math at a $10 San Francisco UberX fare: That $10 ride used to cost $11 for the rider (fare + $1 Safe Rides Fee) and the driver took home $9 (80 percent of fare + $1 reimbursement). Over the summer, that ride cost $8.50 for riders (25 percent summer discount + $1 Safe Rides Fee) and drivers were paid the same $9 through a subsidy.
But as of this month, that $9 in driver pay would be $6.80 (80 percent of new “here to stay” 15 percent off fare, with no $1 subsidy). Riders paid a bit more — $9.50 — because the discount shifted from 25 percent to 15 percent.
That’s a 25 percent pay drop for drivers. The $1-a-ride loss becomes a $6,240 yearly loss if drivers do a modest three rides an hour and work 40 hours a week — more if they work longer or give more rides.
Uber has also increased commissions on its premium UberBLACK service, but the low-cost UberX is where the company experiments most with huge fare drops — and where drivers feel the crunch. Lyft, which went months without taking commission so its drivers could still make good wages during fare cuts, recently reinstated 20 percent commissions. But drivers can earn back all of their commission by working 50 hours a week — a bid at increasing driver loyalty.
Uber Now Taking Its Biggest UberX Commission Ever -- 25 Percent
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2014/09/22/uber-now-taking-its-biggest-uberx-commission-ever-25-percent/
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ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Police have busted a phony VIP taxi service in Greece that was using the bank accounts of homeless people to collect deposits from cab drivers.
Police spokesman Christos Parthenis said Monday that seven people have been arrested.
They are accused of taking more than 110,000 euros ($141,300) in deposits from drivers who were promised a customer list that would include officials from the European Commission and the World Health Organization.
Parthenis said a 66-year-old man and 39-year-old woman, both Greek, were accused of paying panhandlers and homeless people in Athens to use their bank accounts to collect the deposits.
Taxi drivers, approached around the country, typically paid a 1,500 euro ($1,925) deposit to join the service, which promised to pay them 300 ($385) a day for at least a month.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/greece-homeless-used-vip-taxi-161556810.html#qqfNK9s
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TAXI drivers in Denbighshire are to be told to smarten up or risk being given penalty points.
Under a new dress code being suggested licensed drivers must not wear dirty clothes or footwear, shorts above the knee, hoodies, football shirts or items with logos which could be considered offensive.
Beachwear will not be allowed and women must not wear low-cut tops or, for personal safety reasons, mini-skirts.
A report to be considered by members next week on Wednesday, September 24 says: “A revised dress code has for some time been discussed due to safety concerns and the impression left with visitors and residents to the county when inappropriate clothing is worn.
“A balance must be found between drivers presenting a good image for the county without impacting on an individual’s freedom to wear clothes that are not prescriptive.”
Though the code will not be a condition of the drivers’ licences breaches will result in penalty points under the council’s regulatory scheme.
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