Despite setback, civil society more motivated than ever
July 16th, 2015
PRESS RELEASE
CSOs stand with developing countries that fought hard to deliver an intergovernmental body that could help create equitable tax rules
Although a small group of rich countries blocked a plan toward inclusiveness, the amount of pressure developing countries and civil society placed on the Financing for Development negotiations ensures that the spotlight will remain on tax and illicit financial flows.
“This text could have been agreed to on Monday morning,” said Pooja Rangaprasad, Policy Coordinator for the Financial Transparency Coalition “But many developing country governments stood up and said ‘no’ arguing that they must have more say in how global tax standards are drafted.”
“While we didn’t achieve the final win this week, the campaign is just getting started,” added Tove Maria Ryding, Policy and Advocacy Manager for the European Network on Debt and Development. “We’ve managed to deliver a message loud and clear: the days of the rich deciding for everyone must end.”
“Yes, we’ve had a setback, but seeing developing countries push hard for a seat at the table makes us more motivated than ever to stand in solidarity,” added Rangaprasad.
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Media Contacts:
Christian Freymeyer, FTC, cfreymeyer@financialtransparency.org, 001 410 490 6850
Julia Ravenscroft, Eurodad, jravenscroft@eurodad.org, +251 (0) 965 286 523