By Caroline Othim

This year, the Global Alliance for Tax Justice will be holding the 6th edition of its annual campaign on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights. It will take place from 14 to 25 March, coinciding with the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW66), which is a key strategic advocacy opportunity and space for us to engage and enter into dialogue with policy-makers on tax issues affecting women. 

As we mark this International Women’s Day, it provides us with a great opportunity to #BreaktheBias and take our campaign messages to existing actions for gender equality and women’s rights around the world. Today also allows us to unite feminists and tax justice campaigners across the world and call on governments and multilateral institutions to maximise available resources to fund gender-responsive public services and social protection systems while ensuring the equal participation of women in decision-making – including financial and economic decisions – and advance gender equality. This will only be possible through fair and progressive taxation, as well as by curbing illicit financial flows and all forms of tax abuse.

The campaign is being held at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is still causing untold suffering across the world and women are disproportionately impacted as intersecting inequalities based on gender, sexual orientation, age, race and other dimensions are deepened. Big multinational corporations and wealthy individuals continue dodging their share of taxes, denying governments the much needed resources to fund public services which benefit women more, such as education, healthcare, and childcare. It is now more urgent than ever for governments and multilateral institutions to take action for tax justice and women’s rights. Tax justice is a fundamental tool to address inequality and poverty. 

Here are some ways to support and get involved in this campaign: 

• Share our messages on social media with the hashtag #MakeTaxesWorkForWomen
• Participate in our global events:
  14 Mar at 5 pm East African time – Tax justice for a feminist and transformative recovery
  21 Mar at 5 pm East African time – Tax and Gender Working Group’s parallel event at the UN CSW66
  23 Mar at 3 pm East African time – TaxEd Alliance’s event
• Take and post on social media a photo of yourself, a friend, or a group holding a placard with your messages and tag GATJ