Event description
The State of Tax Justice 2021, launched on 16 November, will report on the catastrophic impact of tax abuse on vaccine equity. You can watch the launch here, in three parts:
The devastating impact of the pandemic on life, well-being and livelihoods is unevenly borne and inequitably addressed. Our societies are organised in such a way that women and girls, in particular, and the most marginalised in general will be deeply impacted by vaccine inequity. Progress towards substantive equality and the elimination of discrimination will be obstructed and the loss of rights compounded. The tragedy of many millions dying and hundreds of millions infected is, and will continue to be, felt most keenly in lower income countries, and in the poorest communities where vaccination rates remain very low. Their ability to manufacture their own vaccines has been hamstrung by the shameful application of World Trade Organisation patenting rules, and big pharma’s failure to share technical knowledge on vaccine manufacture.
Multinational companies are responsible for around a third of global economic output, half of world exports and towards a quarter of global employment. Their tax abuse is a first-order global economic issue, depriving governments of tax revenues, increasing inequalities between and within countries, and undermining smaller and domestic businesses that generate the majority of employment.
As the Pandora Papers leaks have once again confirmed, financial secrecy remains a defining feature of the global economy – and poisons our political systems too. Financial secrecy doesn’t just enable individuals to abuse their tax responsibilities and launder money – it keeps drug cartels bankable, human trafficking profitable and terrorist financing feasible.
We invite you to join us on Tuesday 16 November for the launch of the annual report on the economic and social cost of international tax abuse. Convened in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Tax Justice and Public Services International the webinar will discuss the research, share findings, and consider the impact on inequalities and human rights, and explore the national and international policy recommendations to support a just and lasting recovery.
