Jeannie Manipon (TAFJA Co-Coordinator) and Dr. Dereje Alemayehu (GATJ Executive Coordinator) speaking on what is at stake in the UN Tax Convention negotiations in Kathmandu, Nepal.
In May, members of the Global Alliance for Tax Justice (GATJ) held a seminar with Tax and Fiscal Justice Asia on the role of Asian civil society in the UN Tax Convention negotiations, participated in the Regional Platform for Tax Cooperation for Latin America and the Caribbean meeting with Red de Justicia Fiscal de América Latina y el Caribe, and worked with gender justice advocates at a global convening in Morocco. Read along for more news on global tax justice.
GATJ
TAFJA – GATJ Seminar on the UN Tax Convention
GATJ and regional member Tax and Fiscal Justice Asia (TAFJA) held a seminar on the UN Tax Convention in Kathmandu, Nepal. The seminar analysed what is at stake in a UN Tax Convention, the role of Asian civil society, and the relevance of the process for national and regional campaigns. GATJ regional members from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe also presented interventions highlighting regional perspectives.
The Regional Platform for Tax Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean
Luis Moreno (GATJ Chair and member of RJFALC), Adrián Falco (RJFALC Coordinator), Nathalie Beghin (RJFALC Member), and Jorge Coronado (RJFALC Member and GATJ Coordinating Committee Member) at the 37th ECLAC Regional Seminar on Tax Policy.
GATJ supported and accompanied the work carried out by Red de Justicia Fiscal de América Latina y el Caribe (RJFALC) during the meeting of the Regional Platform for Tax Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean (PTLAC) and its advisory bodies in Santiago, Chile. GATJ and RJFALC share the goal of strengthening regional institutions committed to promoting fair, transparent tax systems that support social well-being. Read more on RJFALC’s reaction to the event, in which Brazil assumed the Presidency of PTLAC, here.
A Collective Feminist Agenda for People and Planet: Global Convening and Strategy Session on Economic and Climate Justice
Maureen Mburu, GATJ Tax and Gender Lead & Africa Campaigns Coordinator, leading a session on tax and gender.
Alongside feminist organizations, GATJ participated in a gathering in Rabat, Morocco, from the 16th-19th of May. The gathering focused on strategizing, fostering global linkages, and setting a foundation for advocacy led by Global South feminist analysis, particularly from the MENA region. The gathering looked at specific macroeconomic policy arenas, particularly tax, debt, global economic governance, and climate justice and their interconnections. In a session on tax and gender justice, Maureen Mburu, GATJ Tax and Gender Lead & Africa Campaigns Coordinator, highlighted key priorities including addressing unpaid care work, ensuring progressive taxation, and calling for a gender-transformative UN Tax Convention.
Africa
Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA) participated in the 4th Sub-Committee session on Tax and Illicit Financial Flows under the Africa Union’s Specialised Technical Committee on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integration, which was held in Lusaka, Zambia, from the 5th-9th May. TJNA also became the first CSO to sign an MoU with IBFD, advancing global tax justice collaboration.
Asia
Tax and Fiscal Justice Asia (TAFJA) members came together in Kathmandu Nepal for their annual CC meeting. Ahead of the meeting, TAFJA Co-Coordinators, Dr. Arjun Karki and Jeannie Manipon, and GATJ Executive Coordinator, Dr. Dereje Alemayehu, spoke at the Sagarmatha Peoples’ Assembly. The speakers highlighted the need for grassroots voices in international policy spaces and the connections between tax and climate justice.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Red de Justicia Fiscal de América Latina y el Caribe (RJFALC), as members of the Permanent Civil Society Advisory Council to PTLAC, presented recommendations on how to strengthen the platform and advance fairer tax cooperation in the region.
North America
The Financial Accountability & Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition reacted to the House’s passage of a large tax cuts and spending package, which pays for massive tax breaks for corporations and high-income individuals with deep cuts to health care and climate programs. Notably, the House bill also attempts to undermine recent multilateral efforts to end the global race to the bottom on corporate taxes, by threatening punitive taxes on foreign companies and individuals from countries that impose “discriminatory” and “unfair” on U.S. businesses.
Canadians for Tax Fairness (C4TF) is gearing up to release a substantial report on Canadian corporations’ pervasive use of tax havens, including key recommendations on how to end this ongoing obstacle to economic equality. Check out their most recent reports here.
Europe
Tax Justice Europe (TJ-E) continued advocacy in Europe around the UN Tax Convention negotiations.