Tax lost in tax havens is enough to end global extreme poverty twice over according to new figures published by Oxfam, Wednesday.Although a deal was done earlier this month to get some of these tax havens to be more transparent and share tax information, there is still no tax deal on the table that will benefit poor countries who are struggling to reclaim billions of dollars.In the agreement British tax havens in the Caribbean have said they will provide information on offshore bank accounts.Tax havens take desperately needed cash from poor countries as well as from citizens at home who are being hit by austerity measures, the international agency said.Some of the major world, EU and British tax havens are the Bahamas, Luxembourg, the British Virgin Islands and the Isle of Mann, which is located under 50miles away from the UK mainland.“These figures put the UK at the center of a global tax system that is a colossal betrayal of people here and in the poorest countries who are struggling to get by, and put the government on the side of the privileged few,” said Emma Seery, Oxfam’s head of Development Finance and Public Services, in a statement.The $156 billion in lost tax revenue is estimated by Oxfam to be just a fraction of the total tax lost, as it only reflects the amount of tax individuals are neglecting to pay and doesn’t include tax dodged by companies that costs poor countries a further $160 billion a year.Oxfam is part of the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign, which is calling on the G8 to make all tax havens join a multinational agreement to share tax information.The campaign includes more than 200 UK anti-poverty organizations and calls on the British government use its presidency of the G8 to launch a Convention on Tax Transparency, where countries would commit to preventing individuals and companies from making their wealth untraceable.“The crucial thing at G8 is that any tax deal is multilateral, which means the developing world would be able to recoup the money owed to them,” Emma Seery told RT.The UK Prime Minister David Cameron is attending an EU summit Wednesday where European heads of state and government will be addressing the unfair global tax system. Two thirds of the world’s offshore wealth, some $12.29 trillion is sitting in European linked tax havens, including the British ones.“Britain’s credibility is on the line; talking tough on tax, whilst continuing to usher a third of the world’s wealth into UK tax havens, risks making a mockery of David Cameron’s leadership at the G8 summit in June,” Seery said.Oxfam says the EU is set to fail on imposing countermeasure sanctions against tax havens and those using them and that they won’t come out of Brussels with a deal.In fact the EU meeting will be about harmonizing tax across the trading bloc. Attempts for a better exchange of information on what tax multinationals are paying, which were meant to be global rather than European in scope, have been taken over by various attempts to create a consolidated EU corporate tax base. … Read More
Levelling The Playing Field Post-Collapse
Survival in extreme situations often depends on an individuals ability to respond to the threat they are faced with. The stress response in humans has for decades been referred to as the ‘fight or flight’ response. … Read More
Religious Fundamentalism Growing in Gaza
Hamas is under extreme pressure from small Salafi extremist groups to impose Islamic and Sharia law … Read More
‘Troika has no legitimacy to make decisions for national states’
In this sense the Troika has no right to decide the fate of such troubled countries as Greece or Cyprus.RT: Greece is again turning to Berlin for some cash. It wants to hold Germany to a promise it made to stump up reparations dating back to WWII. But Berlin, which has already provided the vast majority of the 240 billion euro rescue package given to Athens, is refusing to talk about it. So why isn’t Berlin even ready to discuss the issue?Frauke Petry: We don’t comment on what the current government does or says because it’s first of all their business and we are not in the government right now. But I personally think that we should keep apart the two questions – rescuing the Eurozone and going back to WWII problems.RT: Greece needs this money now, so why shouldn’t Athens demand it?FP: I haven’t heard the question being put like this, but again I think we shouldn’t mix up the two completely different issues. I think the problems of Athens should be solved on another political basis.RT: That’s certain, but the country is getting more and more desperate and looking for more extreme solutions.FP: Our government says that we need the euro to keep Europe together. But looking at the Greek example we can see exactly the contrary – the euro tears Europe as a union of nation states apart. This is what we don’t want to see happening. That is why our party says that we need to get rid of the euro.RT: New data shows public confidence in the European Union has fallen to historically low levels in the six biggest EU countries. What is next for the bloc?FP: I don’t even want to imagine what is next. While the politicians say the Eurozone is still stable but these numbers just show us it is not at all. If you look at the unemployment rates in southern European countries you will find that there are lots of problems, which in the end will sort of turn the nations against each other instead of working together. This is why we say the euro experiment should be stopped as quickly as possible but in a controlled manner in order to avoid more complications.RT: Many Europeans hold a grudge against the European bodies, wider known as the Troika, for what is seen as a poor response to the crisis. What is your take on what they’ve done? Should the Troika have decision making powers taken away?FP: No, it shouldn’t at all. Europe is a union of nation states. We know that the European Commission is not a democratically elected body. You can’t expect the Troika, which is not a democratically elected body, to decide important issues of national states. I understand very well why the Greek people have problems accepting the proposal of the Troika because nation states should be run by elected governments. … Read More
Experts: Millions will starve to death as climate change accelerates
Millions of people could become destitute in Africa and Asia as staple foods more than double in price by 2050 as a result of extreme temperatures, floods and droughts that will transform the way the world farms. As food experts gather at two major conferences to discuss how to feed the nine…
Chavista legacy hangs in the balance as Venezuelan elections open
Capriles’ campaign team lodged an official complaint against the government for what they called a “violation of electoral norms” on the blackout day before the polls opened. Nicolas Maduro appeared on Venezuelan television on Saturday visiting the tomb of deceased leader Hugo Chavez and marking the anniversary of the 2002 coup d’état against the former president.”Let’s honor his [Hugo Chavez's] memory, his legacy,” Maduro told Venezuelans in a speech at the tomb, accompanied by renowned Argentine footballer Maradona. Maduro also inaugurated the television channel ConCiencia, taking advantage of his moment in front of the camera to criticize some of Venezuela’s most famous actors and directors for their support of Capriles.Capriles wrote on Twitter that the move was a “flagrant violation” of election rules. The opposition candidate also launched an Internet channel to publicize his candidacy on Saturday, but maintained that he was “respecting the electoral rules, but those in power don’t know anything other than the abuse of power.” Acting President Maduro is currently the frontrunner in the polls, leading by 5 percentage points according to a survey by Datanalisis. The former bus driver has capitalized on the public grief that followed Chavez’s March 5 death, calling himself the former president’s “son” and vowing to continue his legacy. Despite Maduro’s initial dominance in the electoral campaign, rival Capriles has gained significant ground in the run-up to Election Day. The opposition candidate has called for a business-orientated economic model that he says will emulate Brazil’s recent growth.“In the state of Miranda we implemented the FomeZero social initiative, a Brazilian idea, and in four years we helped more than 75,000 people in extreme poverty,” Capriles said in an interview with Brazilian outlet Globo. About 19 million Venezuelans are expected to vote on Sunday when the polls open at 6:30am local time (10:30 GMT). Voting will close at 4:30pm local time (20:30 GMT). The winner of the election will assume the presidency on April 19, and will serve until 2019. … Read More
Chavista legacy hangs in the balance as polls close in Venezuela
Capriles’ campaign team lodged an official complaint against the government for what they called a “violation of electoral norms” on the blackout day before the polls opened. Nicolas Maduro appeared on Venezuelan television on Saturday visiting the tomb of deceased leader Hugo Chavez and marking the anniversary of the 2002 coup d’état against the former president.”Let’s honor his [Hugo Chavez's] memory, his legacy,” Maduro told Venezuelans in a speech at the tomb, accompanied by renowned Argentine footballer Maradona. Maduro also inaugurated the television channel ConCiencia, taking advantage of his moment in front of the camera to criticize some of Venezuela’s most famous actors and directors for their support of Capriles.Capriles wrote on Twitter that the move was a “flagrant violation” of election rules. The opposition candidate also launched an Internet channel to publicize his candidacy on Saturday, but maintained that he was “respecting the electoral rules, but those in power don’t know anything other than the abuse of power.” Acting President Maduro is currently the frontrunner in the polls, leading by 5 percentage points according to a survey by Datanalisis. The former bus driver has capitalized on the public grief that followed Chavez’s March 5 death, calling himself the former president’s “son” and vowing to continue his legacy. Despite Maduro’s initial dominance in the electoral campaign, rival Capriles has gained significant ground in the run-up to Election Day. The opposition candidate has called for a business-orientated economic model that he says will emulate Brazil’s recent growth.“In the state of Miranda we implemented the FomeZero social initiative, a Brazilian idea, and in four years we helped more than 75,000 people in extreme poverty,” Capriles said in an interview with Brazilian outlet Globo.Political analyst Gearoid O Colmain told RT that the opposition has little support among Venezuelans and Maduro should have an easy victory in this election.“It is very unlikely that the opposition is going to win. The opposition has very little support on the ground. It is a part of a usual media procedure to claim that the opposition has some sort of credibility. Maduro should have a fairly comfortable victory.”He adds,“Capriles is not a serious candidate. He is a puppet of the US. He is an obnoxious character. He got into a lot of trouble a couple of weeks ago, when he insulted handicap people. He is not a politician at all. He is on Television in tracksuits and baseball caps in order to make himself popular and so on. He has absolutely no policies. He represents a return to the horrible 1990s system of corruption and crime, a tiny oligarchy which had the power in their hands. There are few people in Venezuela who will tolerate that.” … Read More
