Highlights from the closing webinar of the 9th edition of the Global Days of Action on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights. 

From March 7th – 21st 2025, women’s rights organisations, feminist scholars, grassroots movements, trade unions, and tax justice advocates came together to demand “Progressive Taxation for an Inclusive and Just Social Organization of Care.” The call takes place under the 9th edition of GATJ’s annual Global Days of Action on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights, organised by GATJ, GATJ’s regional members and GATJ’s Tax and Gender Working Group. 

Each year, the Global Days of Action on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights runs alongside the UN Commission of the Status of Women (CSW). This year is a key moment for reflection as the campaign also marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+30) and the start of the negotiations for a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (UN Tax Convention). 

Closing the campaign, Maureen Mburu, Tax & Gender Lead and Africa Campaigns Coordinator at GATJ, said “Throughout this campaign, we have exposed a fundamental truth: tax systems that claim to be ‘neutral’ are, in practice, deeply biased. A tax policy that fails to account for gendered economic disparities does not merely overlook inequality, it entrenches it. This is why we must continue to demand progressive taxation to fund gender-transformative public services. Governments must shift away from tax models that disproportionately burden women and instead implement policies that ensure that those with the greatest ability to pay contribute their share. 

While this year’s Global Days of Action on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights is concluding, our advocacy must not stop here. Let’s carry forward this momentum with renewed urgency and an unshakable commitment to transformative change.  Together, we will keep pushing for a world where tax policies are truly just, care is valued, and economic systems serve all, especially women and marginalized communities.” 

Panelists discussed the importance of care as a public good, and how to effectively mobilise movements to shape public policy in support of care work. 

Verónica Serafini, Gender and Macroeconomics Specialist at Latindadd and member of Red de Justicia Fiscal de América Latina y el Caribe (RJFALC), shared, “In Latin America, we found that tax breaks or tax exemptions for care have two effects. On one hand, they benefit the wealthiest sectors and the wealthiest men because they are the ones who can buy private care services and then benefit from the tax exemption. On the other hand, it indirectly incentives privatization, meaning we are telling society that if you buy privatized services, you will have tax deductions. So, in the end, it reduces resources that could be used to build universal care systems. That’s why data is so important because it allows us to engage in dialogue with governments using figures.”

Expanding upon the need for care as a public good, Grace Arina, Feminist Tax Lead at Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) and NAWI, said, “The privatisation of care is problematic because it relegates the burden of care to women who have been forced to step in as the shock absorbers of society. 

The call here is for the State to reclaim their duty of care and moreover stop the reliance on regressive taxation. In the Global South, this as a result of international financial institutions that have acted under the guise of promoting foreign direct investment. A progressive tax approach conversely redistributes the burden of regressive taxation from women and particularly the poor to multinational corporations and high-net worth individuals.” 

Bringing the Global Days of Action on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights to a close, panelists highlighted the need to continue the momentum of creating bridges across movements to strengthen shared fights. 

Flora Santos, President of the Oriang Women’s Movement, a member of Tax and Fiscal Justice Asia (TAFJA), emphasised, “We need collective action so that local and national governments have to respond to the demands of our movement. It is not only about addressing gender but also the overlapping issues of economic justice, poverty, housing, climate, and more. This work is about organising and building awareness.” 

Reshma Shakya, Advocacy and Campaign Officer at the South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE,) a member of Tax and Fiscal Justice Asia (TAFJA), expanded upon this point to add, “Tax is often viewed as a technical issue but it’s a political issue. To continue this momentum and this work we must strengthen these partnerships with the feminist movement, trade unions, grassroots movements, tax justice campaigners and others who are also working to fight inequalities and create a united front. Such collaborations allow us to amplify our voices and enhance our advocacy.” 

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About GATJ
The Global Alliance for Tax Justice (GATJ) is a South-led global coalition in the tax justice movement. Together we work for a world where progressive and redistributive tax policies counteract inequalities within and between countries, and generate the public funding needed to ensure essential services and human rights. GATJ coordinates the Tax and Gender Working Group (TGWG) and co-coordinates the Tax Justice Workstream of the CS FfD Mechanism. 

About the TGWG
The TGWG was established by the GATJ in 2016 as a dedicated platform for its members and committed partners to directly engage in campaign and policy advocacy efforts on tax and gender issues. It brings together grassroots movements, women’s rights organisations, trade unions, non-governmental organisations, and civil society organisations.

The TGWG has collectively coordinated the annual Global Days of Actions on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights, as well as the publication of Framing Feminist Taxation Guides (volume 1 and volume 2), which provide guidance and recommendations for policy-making and advocacy that can influence and change our current economic and tax systems for a feminist future. Other milestones of the working group also include the first global convening on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights in Bogotá, in 2017; the Bogotá Declaration on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights. In addition to these, working group members collaborate on opinion pieces, policy briefs, workshops, trainings, and actively participate in global, regional and national policy spaces.