Everlyn Muendo, Tax Policy Lead at TJNA, speaking at the UN on behalf of GATJ’s Tax and Gender Working Group.
In March, members of the Global Alliance for Tax Justice (GATJ) united for international women’s day, launching the Global Days of Action on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights and continuing advocacy around the UN Tax Convention. Read along for more global and regional updates.
Global
UN ECOSOC Special Meeting on International Tax Cooperation
On March 28th, GATJ Secretariat and regional members participated in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Special Meeting on International Cooperation in Tax Matters at the UN Headquarters [LINK FORTHCOMING]. In the meeting, GATJ’s members made interventions on the need for a robust UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (UN Tax Convention) with broad support from countries.
On behalf of GATJ’s Tax and Gender Working Group, Everlyn Muendo, Tax Policy Lead at TJNA, presented an intervention on the need to address gender equality through tax policy design and implementation. “Tax systems are not neutral; a tax system that fails to consider the gendered economic realities such as income disparity and the burden of unpaid and underpaid care work reinforces inequalities… The UN Tax Convention negotiations present a historic opportunity to create an equitable global tax system. We urge governments to explicitly incorporate gender considerations into all relevant provisions,” Muendo shared.
Global Days of Action on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights
From March 7th to 21st, tax justice campaigners, women’s rights advocates, feminist scholars, trade unions, and grassroots movements from around the world came together to demand #ProgressiveTax4Care and to #MakeTaxesWorkForWomen as part of the 9th edition of GATJ’s Global Days of Action on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights,
Read highlights from the campaign and watch the events here.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Red de Justicia Fiscal de América Latina y el Caribe (RJFALC) hosted impactful webinars during the Global Days of Action. Read the highlights or watch the webinars on Connections Between Fiscal Justice, Care, and Cimate Justice and Collectively Building New Narratives On Care.
Africa
Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) hosted its second Anti-IFFs Policy Tracker piloting workshop from the 19th to the 21st of March 2025 in Uganda.
TJNA commenced the 2025 Tax Justice Journalists Training Program from March 4th to April 10th, 2025, with participation from close to 30 African journalists.
TJNA hosted members of the High-Level Panel on illicit financial flows from Africa for an exclusive Fireside Chat on Monday, February 24, 2025.
Asia
Tax and Fiscal Justice Asia (TAFJA) members staged International Women’s Day March 8 actions with calls around national issues confronting women and the demands of the 9th Global Days of Action on Tax Justice for Women’s Rights. Activities in Kathmandu were led by SAAPE, LDC Watch, and the Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN). They underscored the critical need for progressive taxation policies that support an inclusive and equitable social organization of care. In Manila, the demonstration led by the women’s group Oriang, the TAFJA co-convenor of the Working Group on Tax and Gender shouted out for women to fight Hunger, Violence, and Calamity! They were joined by workers’s groups, urban poor and youth groups.
North America
Canadians for Tax Fairness (C4TF) released a new report exploring how 40 years of neoliberal tax policies entrenched the affordability crisis in Canada. They also launched a series of town halls looking at progressive tax policy solutions to help lower the cost of living.
The Financial Accountability & Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition Following the firing of roughly 7,000 U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees in February, reports now indicate that the IRS is planning to cut its remaining active workforce of more than 90,000 staff by a further half. In a statement, FACT executive director Ian Gary said that the move, if executed, would “represent an existential threat to the revenues needed to operate the federal government.”
Europe
Tax Justice Europe (TJ-E) members participated in the Global Days of Action.
TJ-E members also continued to campaign on the need for a robust UN Tax Convention.
That’s all for now!
Looking to learn more about GATJ and our regional members? Learn more about each regional member here.