Canberra IKEA opening hacked with fake price tags

Lobby group Fair Go For Canberra sobered Canberrans’ giddy glee at flatpacks and meatballs at Monday’s Majura Park store opening by drawing attention to the company’s multi-national corporate tax avoidance using parody price tags.

“During the period from 2002 – 2013, IKEA’s Australian stores made over $1 billion in profit and paid less than $31 million in tax,” the tag reads.

“That’s a tax rate of 3 per cent. The corporate tax rate in Australia is 30 per cent. Imagine what we could do with $269 million.”

The tag directed people to the group’s website and asked them to sign a petition calling on the Turnbull government to close corporate tax loopholes and take GST hikes off the table. “By avoiding real action on corporate tax avoidance and instead focusing on raising the GST, the Turnbull Government is protecting the wealthy at the expense of everyday Australians,” the group said. “Aggressive tax minimisation is rife in Australia and costing us billions in potential healthcare, education, infrastructure and crucial social services funding.” The petition has attracted more than 350 signatures.

@FairGoCanberra Hej guys, thnks 4 the tweet! Not sure if you’ve seen the price of meat at @woolworths but we gotta make cuts. Tax went first — IKEACanberra (@IKEACanberra) November 16, 2015

Photos of the tags attracted thousands of upvotes on image-sharing sites Imgur and Reddit.

“I like this, non-violent activism that is still direct and confronting. Hopefully this causes some headaches for IKEA,” one Reddit user commented.

“Leaving anonymous notes where nobody capable/willing to do anything about it will ever see is like…the opposite of direct and confronting,” another fired back.

More than 12, 000 people flowed through the doors of the new IKEA Canberra store on its first day of business.

Fairfax Media has attempted to contact IKEA and Fair Go For Canberra for comment.