
Alex Cobham ■ Open Data for Tax Justice: Launch! #OD4TJ

Every year countries lose billions of dollars to tax avoidance, tax evasion and more generally to illicit financial flows. According to a recent IMF estimate around $700 billion of tax revenues is lost each year due to profit-shifting. In developing countries the loss is estimated to be around $200 billion, which as a share of GDP represents nearly three times the loss suffered by OECD countries. Meanwhile, economist Gabriel Zucman estimates that certain components of undeclared offshore wealth total above $7 trillion, implying tax losses of $200 billion annually; Jim Henry’s work for TJN suggests the full total of offshore assets may range between $21 trillion and $32 trillion.
We want to transform the way that data is used for advocacy, journalism and public policy to address this urgent challenge by creating of a global network of civil society groups, investigative reporters, data journalists, civic hackers, researchers, public servants and others.
Today, Open Knowledge and the Tax Justice Network are delighted to announce the launch of a new initiative in this area: Open Data for Tax Justice. We want to initiate a global network of people and organisations working to create, use and share data to improve advocacy and journalism around tax justice. The website is: http://datafortaxjustice.net/ and using the hashtag #od4tj.
The network will work to rally campaigners, civil society groups, investigative reporters, data journalists, civic hackers, researchers, public servants and others; it will aim to catalyse collaborations and forge lasting alliances between the tax justice movement and the open data movement. We have received a huge level of support and encouragement from preliminary discussions with our initial members, and look forward to expanding the network and its activities over the coming months.
What is on the cards? We’re working on a white paper on what a global data infrastructure for tax justice might look like. We also want to generate more practical guidance materials for data projects – as well as to build momentum with online and offline events. We will kick off with some preliminary activities at this year’s global Open Data Day on Saturday 5th March. Tax justice will be one of the main themes of the London Open Data Day, and if you’d like to have a go at doing something tax related at an event that you’re going to, you can join the discussion here.
Related articles

Colômbia: esperança de justiça para todes #45:the Tax Justice Network Portuguese podcast

The Santiago Declaration on Public Services

Tax Justice Network Arabic podcast #61: الفاتورة الإلكترونية بين رفض المهنيين وإصرار مصلحة الضرائب

Imperial Inequalities: Workshop on Colonial Taxation and National Welfare across European Empires

Five key trends in 2023: Financial transparency, tax justice and inequality

Remunicipalización: el poder municipal: January 2023 Spanish language tax justice podcast, Justicia ImPositiva

2022: developments, successes and looking forward to 2023

Heróis invisíveis e em extinção #44: the Tax Justice Network Portuguese podcast

Tax Justice Network’s French podcast: Pas de Justice Fiscale sans une vraie justice climatique #46
