Well of course companies dictate corporate tax rates

How else does anyone think this happens? The point being not that the head of the CBI phones George up and dictates what the corporate tax rate would be (not that George would give much mind to the CBI anyway), but that the rate of tax that can be charged depends upon the reaction to it of those the tax is being levied upon. All of which makes the vapours that people are having over this comment somewhat mysterious:

The UK’s tax policy is effectively dictated by companies and not ministers, according to a leading barrister and adviser to the treasury on its recent “Google tax”.

Philip Baker QC said policymakers and tax experts had learned over recent decades that the mobility of companies and jobs meant there was “no question [countries] have to be competitive to survive”. As a consequence, governments had to provide the tax policies that international corporations wanted.

So, why do we not have 100% income tax rates on pay over £7.00 an hour? Because we know that just about everyone would bugger off out of the country making being the politicians running it really no fun at all. why don't we have VAT at 100% on everything? Because that storm for the ferries would be just the same as most fled such an extortionate tax regime. If, of course, we didn't all just ignore it and deal in cash.

so, why do we have a reasonably reasonable corporate tax system and rate? Because it's easy enough for a company to leave the country and go and try to make a profit elsewhere. Therefore their mobility really does tax our ability, dictate to the government, to tax them.

There's really nothing mysterious about this at all. We all realise that a restaurant where they ceremonially spat on the soup at each and every table would get very little customs (not none as there's nowt so strange as folk) for we would be dictating our rejection of the practice by staying away.

Why would anyone think that taxation would be different?