Financial Transparency Coalition

As part of the IMF-World Bank Civil Society Forum in Marrakech, the Financial Transparency Coalition (FTC) in collaboration with Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) and Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA),Third World Network (TWN) a panel at the IMF-World Bank Civil Society Policy Forum in Marrakech, Morocco, entitled “Progressive Fiscal Policies to End Austerity: Taxing Wealth to Fund the Care Economy”.

 Date: Tuesday 10 October 2023

Time: 10:00 AM-11:30 AM Marrakech time (GMT + 1)

Venue: AMSC03 Saghro, Bab Ighli, Marrakech, Morocco

Zoom link to join the event LIVE here

Today, 6 billion people are living under austerity around the world, resulting in harmful cuts in public services and social protection amid a cost-of-living crisis. These IMF and World Bank-promoted austerity policies are being implemented in the name of ‘fiscal consolidation’ as countries struggle to pay their debts.

Yet the world’s biggest five oil companies for instance shared profits of US$195 billion in 2022, and 20 of the world’s top food corporations paid out US$53.5 billion to their shareholders in the last two financial years alone. Meanwhile billionaire wealth has surged during the pandemic even as the richest people in many countries largely avoid paying taxes by hide their wealth in tax havens, with the poorest people in many countries often paying higher tax rates than the billionaires.

What are the alternatives to austerity? Can wealth taxes and other progressive fiscal policies ensure that countries have enough funds to support the care economy and avoid falling further into debt? Are the IMF and World Bank through their loan conditionality policies making things worse?

This high-level hybrid event in Marrakech is filled with a distinguished set of panelists who will stimulate a productive discussion on wealth tax and other alternatives to fund the care economy. Join us in person or online!

Panelists:

Moderator: Matti Kohonen, Executive Director, Financial Transparency Coalition

Panelist: Eduardo Tadem, Professor Emeritus of Asian Studies, University of the Philippines, Diliman Center for Integrative and Development Studies Program on Alternative Development

Panelist: Towfiqul Islam Khan, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD)

Panelist: Chenai Mukumba, Policy Research and Advocacy Manager, Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA)

Panelist: Bhumika Muchhala, Senior Adviser, Third World Network (TWN)

Discussant: Jeannie Manipon, Senior Program Manager, Development Finance Team, Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD)

Full schedule here

photo credit: Jemaa-el-Fna market in Marrakech, Morocco (source: Luc Viatour / https://Lucnix.be)