Petition · past parliament
Ban shareholder dividends for companies receiving state help during COVID crisis
Rejected
10 signatures
What the petition asks
Ban companies from paying out shareholder dividends if they have received tax breaks, furloughed staff, got bailouts or any other form of assistance from the government or state during the COVID-19 crisis.
It seems only fair at this time when we are all doing all we can to help the economy and keep businesses going, that businesses themselves respond in kind by taking the minimum assistance necessary instead of topping up their profits with tax payer funds.
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Decisions about the payment of dividends are a matter for individual companies, not the Government or Parliament.
We have published a petition calling on the Government to restrict Government support for Covid-19 to dividend-paying companies, which you might like to sign: Restrict Government support for Covid-19 to dividend-paying companies
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you find out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
We have published a petition calling on the Government to restrict Government support for Covid-19 to dividend-paying companies, which you might like to sign: Restrict Government support for Covid-19 to dividend-paying companies
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you find out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
Timeline
| 8 Apr 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 9 Jun 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
10
Status
Rejected
Rejected
9 Jun 2020
Follow this petition
Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.
Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.