Financial Transparency Coalition

Here’s the newest edition of TaxCast, courtesy of our colleagues at the Tax Justice Network. In the February 2014 Taxcast: Are European tax havens getting ‘illegal state subsidies’? The European Union’s Competition Commissioner thinks so. Are the world’s tax havens really going to become more transparent? We analyse the OECD’s automatic information exchange proposal, warts

Tax justice campaigners understand the link between tax and poverty. The more money a government can raise, the more funds it has at its disposal to help alleviate poverty. But the realisation that tax justice is a human rights issue is only starting to get wider attention. The UN has played a major role in this. In May 2012 its committee on economic, social and cultural rights addressed the effect of austerity programmes on human rights. It said that all states should avoid taking decisions that lead to the denial or infringement of human rights. This can lead to political...

This year, when the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania (TTCSP), made its annual list of the world’s most relevant think tanks, it chose four Financial Transparency Coalition members among its ranks. They included Global Witness, Tax Justice Network, and Global Financial Integrity, which ranked #32, #54, and $63 (respectively) for Think Tanks with the Best Advocacy Campaigns. FTC member Transparency International was also highly celebrated on the list, appearing a full twelve times, many of which were top ten spots. Among others, TI ranked #12 for Top Think Tanks Worldwide, #1 for Top...

The Philippines has made significant progress on its quest to confront corruption and tax evasion under the guidance of President Aquino. However, a new report by Global Financial Integrity shows one important—and growing—component of the problem is trade mispricing, specifically import under-invoicing, and its role in facilitating tax evasion in the Philippines. In June 2010, Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III assumed his position as the 15th President of the Philippines. As a Senator, before his election to the Presidency, Aquino pursued an anti-corruption agenda. For example, Aquino contributed to the Preservation of Public Infrastructures bill—which raised standards in public infrastructure...