Friends House joins call for tax justice
Friends join with other faiths to call for tax justice reforms
Paul Parker, Britain Yearly Meeting recording clerk, joined Christian leaders in the House of Lords last month to challenge government inactivity on tax justice reforms and to demand immediate, tough action.
Paul Parker launched ‘Church Action for Tax Justice’ (CAT) on 17 April with Michaela A Youngson, the president-designate of the Methodist Conference, peers Rowan Williams and Richard Harries and dame Margaret Hodge MP to demand an end to corporate tax evasion, greater transparency and a change to the negative narrative around tax.
Rowan Williams, chair of the Christian Aid Board, said: ‘The creation of this new church-wide movement is timely. Many of the world’s largest companies seem to have forgotten that they have moral duties, as well as legal ones. They must support human flourishing, not least by paying their fair share of taxes in all the countries where they do business – and being fully transparent about the relevant data.’
One of the reforms CAT intends to pursue is ending financial secrecy in UK tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands, along with changes to the way large multinational companies are taxed.
In addition, the new campaign will call on churches themselves to make more vigorous and vocal use of their power as investors in major companies.
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