Financial Transparency Coalition

Dawie Groenewald of South Africa and 11 conspirators were arrested in September of 2010 on 1,872 counts of racketeering, including illegal trade of rhino horns. Among those arrested are two veterinarians, Karel Toet and Manie Du Plessis, as well as several professional hunters. This case is one of the biggest wildlife cases seen in South Africa and has been postponed several times since 2010. It is currently scheduled for early May 2013.

LONDON - This Valentines Day, Global Witness is publishing a report raising concerns that diamond purchases may help fund the Zimbabwean military. The report, Diamonds: A Good Deal for Zimbabwe? reveals that several directors of one of the largest mining companies operating in Zimbabwe’s controversial Marange diamond fields are drawn from the Zimbabwean military and police, and highlights the risk that off-budget funding of the security sector could be used to finance violence in any future election.

Taxation plays an important role in democratic governance and market economies. Tax revenue finances social and physical infrastructure. It reinforces national sovereignty. When coupled with good governance and institutions, it ensures that the costs and benefits of development are felt across society.

AFRODAD (African Forum and Network on Debt and Development) has released two reports entitled “What has tax got to do with Development: A Critical look at Mozambique’s and Zimbabwe’s tax systems” The link between development and taxation has come up in various fora, as development practitioners and activists discussed methods of mobilizing domestic resources to finance development, and attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Tax revenues are, on average, lower in developing countries than in rich countries; the average tax revenue in African countries was approximately 15% of GDP in 2008. Hence the argument is that if developing countries...