Public perception about the amount of tax paid by business has made tax a global issue for multi-national companies, according to the results of a PricewaterhouseCoopers poll. It is no longer just tax authorities, but customers, pressure groups and other stakeholders, including analysts, who make judgments about whether a company pays a 'fair amount' of tax. As a result, the boards of multi-national companies now recognise that a clear tax strategy is integral to their business strategy.
Assistance from HMRC was provided to the following numbers of small businesses in 2005-06, said Dawn Primarolo in response to a written question:

