Parliamentarians have an opportunity before the Budget to commit to end tax dodging

Come to the Tax Dodging Bill coalition stunt on Tuesday 17th March. It takes place at Old Palace Yard (outside Parliament) from 9.30am to 11.30am.
 
As the UK is about to receive the last Budget of this Government before the General Election, the Tax Dodging Bill campaign (a coalition of 16 British organisations*) calls on all UK political parties to pledge to introduce a Tax Dodging Bill in the first 100 days after the 2015 General Election.

In the Budget statement, the Coalition Government are expected to set out their proposals for what they would do to tackle tax dodging. While the proposals announced so far are a step in the right direction, they do not go far enough.

Politicians of all parties are still playing catch up with public opinion with only 20% of the public saying that the promises made by UK political parties to tackle tax avoidance by large companies are sufficient to address the issue.

78% say that it is important to them that large UK companies pay their fair share of tax in developing countries in which they operate, with 73% saying it is personally important to them that the next UK government legislates to discourage UK companies from avoiding tax in the developing countries in which they operate.

85% of the public think tax dodging is morally wrong even if legal.

Whoever comes to power must provide a systematic, joined-up approach which will put an end to tax dodging. To win back public confidence, political parties need to commit to a Tax Dodging Bill; a comprehensive law to make tax fair, both in the UK and in poor countries. Such a law would make it harder for big companies to dodge UK taxes, stop them from getting unjustified tax breaks, make the UK tax regime more transparent and ensure UK tax rules don’t incentivise British companies to avoid tax in developing countries.

The coalition estimates that a well-crafted Bill could bring in at least £3.6 billion a year to the UK treasury - the equivalent of £600 for every household living below the poverty line – as well as billions of pounds a year for developing countries - which could be spent on schools, hospitals and other essential services.
Ahead of the general election in May we urge all parties to pledge to introduce a Tax Dodging Bill in their first hundred days of government to tackle tax dodging and bring in billions to fight poverty in the UK and in developing countries.

Find out more here

* Full list of organisations in the coalition: ActionAid, Christian Aid, Church Action on Poverty, Church Urban Fund, Equality Trust, Global Poverty Project, Health Poverty Action, High Pay Centre, Jubilee Debt Campaign, Methodist Tax Justice Network, NUS, Oxfam, Restless Development, Share Action, Tax Justice Network, War on Want