‘Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin healthcare group has not paid a penny in corporation tax while being handed £2billion worth of NHS and local authority deals.
Health campaigner Dr John Lister branded the billionaire’s firm “parasitic” over its involvement in UK health.
Virgin did not pay any corporation tax on its healthcare arm because it has consistently racked up losses since being created in 2010.
Dr Lister, secretary and health policy academic at the group Keep Our NHS Public, said: “Virgin continues to play a parasitic role in the NHS, fragmenting services and poaching NHS-trained staff and undermining nearby NHS trusts.
“This is made worse by the fact that the company pays no corporation tax and therefore only takes resources from the public sector while contributing nothing of value.
“The fact the firm is not making a profit suggests its continued involvement with the NHS is either based on ideological opposition to public services or a series of loss leader contracts hoping to force the prices up and cash in later.”’
Read more: Richard Branson’s Virgin Healthcare has paid no tax on £2billion NHS deals
