This week, 100+ women’s rights organisations, feminist scholars, grassroots movements, and tax justice campaigners are coming together to kick-off the 9th Global Days of Action on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights.

by: Maureen Mburu, GATJ Tax & Gender Lead and Africa Campaigns Coordinator

As the 9th edition of the Global Days of Action on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights (GDOA) approaches, running from March 7th to the 21st, 2025, it’s a pivotal moment to reflect on how taxation plays a key role in creating a fair, gender-just society. This year’s campaign takes place under the banner of, Progressive Taxation for an Inclusive and Just Social Organization of Care, focuses on how fairer taxation can support care. By centering on women’s rights and gender equality, GDOA aims to emphasize the urgent need for tax policies that properly value care work and contribute to rebuilding care systems that benefit everyone.

The Overlooked Importance of Care Work

For far too long, care work has been undervalued, despite its significant impact on the economy and society. What is care work? Care work, both paid and unpaid, includes responsibilities such as childcare, eldercare, healthcare, and social support roles predominantly carried out by women. However, traditional economic measures often fail to reflect the true value of this work, resulting in its exclusion from national economic measures.

In many countries, particularly in the Global South, regressive tax policies and austerity measures further deepen gender inequalities by reducing public funding for essential services, privatizing care, and placing an increasing burden on women to shoulder the responsibility for caregiving. Women, and all caregivers, are forced to pay the price when the rich and multinational corporations do not pay their fair share. To create a fairer equitable society, governments must recognize that care work, which is essential for social well-being, should be viewed as a public good and a human right.

The Case for Progressive Taxation

This year’s GDOA places a strong emphasis on the need for progressive taxation. 

What is progressive taxation? Progressive taxation means higher tax rates for those with higher income or more wealth, so that those who earn or have more are taxed at a higher rate. This is opposed to regressive taxation where the proportion of available resources paid by low income groups is higher than that of the rich. This is evident in consumption taxes like VAT which employ a flat rate. 

We demand an end to regressive tax systems and the creation of genuinely progressive tax systems which tax  the rich and multinational corporations so that everyone pays their fair share. These financial contributions to the system will enable governments to redistribute wealth and invest in services that foster a gender-equitable, socially transformative care structure. Progressive taxes would alleviate the financial burden on women and marginalized groups, providing them with access to vital services that ensure their health, safety, and overall well-being. Beyond generating revenue, these taxes could help shift power dynamics, empowering women and fostering a more equitable societal infrastructure.

Gender Justice in Tax Systems

For the first time in history, all countries are coming together on an equal footing to negotiate a more inclusive global tax system under a United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (UN Tax Convention). The UN Tax Convention negotiations offer a historic opportunity for feminist advocates to push for transformative reforms. Current tax policies, shaped largely by wealthy nations and corporations within the OECD framework, need to be redesigned to promote gender equality.

If we are to create a global financial system that truly supports gender equality, the UN Tax Convention must address the specific needs of women, particularly in the Global South. This is why the GDOA demands are clear: tax policies must be progressive, gender-transformative, and aligned with social justice principles. Without clear gender-transformative considerations, tax reforms will fail to address the structural inequalities in the current social organisation of care and could undermine the progress toward gender justice. 

Campaign Action: Rallying for Change

The campaign for tax justice is not just about raising awareness; it’s about mobilizing action to create a more equitable future. From March 7th to the 21st, 2025, the GDOA will unite activists, feminist movements, tax justice organizations, and trade unions in demanding urgent reform. We call for:

1. Progressive Taxation for Gender-Transformative Social Organization of Care
2. Incorporate Gender-Transformative Provisions in the UN Tax Convention
3. Increase Public Investment in Care Public Systems
4. Acknowledge and Value Unpaid Care Work in Economic Systems
5. Ensure Gender Equality in Tax Systems and Public Services

Tax justice is fundamental to advancing women’s rights and rebuilding the social organization of care. It is time to ensure care work is recognized, valued, and supported, and to reform tax policies to create a more just and inclusive society.

Join the movement. Support tax justice for women. Let’s rebuild the social care system for a fairer, more sustainable world. 

#MakeTaxesWorkForWomen #ProgressiveTax4Care

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Get Involved!

• Join the GDOA activities! The programme and registration for events can be found here.

Contact: 

• To receive the campaign toolkit or share your communications activities contact Alexandra Wenzel (GATJ Comms Coordinator): [email protected]. 
• For more information about the campaign, please send an email to [email protected] cc [email protected]