SAGE IT has nearly a quarter of its subsidiary companies in tax havens new figures have revealed.

The North-East based computer software designer has 43 out of its 180 subsidiary companies based in tax havens including 10 in Delaware, four in Singapore and four in Switzerland.

A spokesman for Sage said: “Sage is a responsible tax payer and recognises and respects the need to meet its tax obligations in the countries in which it operates.

“As our accounts reveal, we pay a substantial amount of corporation tax to the exchequers of the countries in which we are based as a consequence of this obligation.”