Image: UberUber effectively paid no corporation tax in the UK in 2014, its accounts have shown.
The controversial taxi-booking app posted profits of £866,302 last year, and its account show taxes worth £22,134. But a spokesperson said this was deferred tax from previous years.
An accountant's analysis for The Independent showed that Uber's tax bill would have been effectively wiped out due to deductions for the cost of its share schemes.
The accountant claims that employees who cashed in their portion of the scheme would have paid up to 47% income tax and National Insurance. Therefore, Uber would have received deductions.
An Uber spokesperson denied that the company used any loopholes to avoid paying tax, and stressed that it had paid “every penny of tax that is due”.
He added: "With corporation tax, past losses offset current and future profits - as is the case with Uber which made losses in the UK in previous years.
"This is an accounting principle to encourage investment that dates back to Benjamin Disraeli. It is not a loophole."
"We are a young company - only three years old in the UK - that is investing heavily.
"We are a significant net contributor to the local economy everywhere we go, creating new opportunities for thousands of professional drivers.
"The lion's share of every fare stays local, as it remains with the drivers who use Uber. And unlike the cash-in-hand past of this industry, we only take card payments so every fare is traceable and transparent."
The figures mean that Uber is the latest company to be subject of suspicion surrounding tax avoidance in the UK. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Facebook in the UK paidless than £5,000 in corporation tax, despite its staff taking a share of a £35 million bonus pool.
