Google boss Eric Schmidt: 'We follow tax laws'

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has said he welcomes the current debate about tax avoidance by multinationals, but rejected criticism of his company's conduct.

His comments came after Labour leader Ed Miliband raised concerns about the attitude of Google and other firms when it came to paying tax.

Several firms including Google, Amazon, Starbucks and Apple have been accused organising their tax affairs to minimise payments in the UK and other countries.

But executive chairman Eric Schmidt said Google followed "the tax laws of the countries we operate in".