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Fighting inequality is not just an issue of fairness but an economic necessity. That’s not Oxfam speaking, but the International Monetary Fund today. 

Runaway inequality has created a world where 62 people own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world’s population – a figure that has fallen from 388 just five years ago, according to an Oxfam report published today ahead of the annual gathering of the world’s financial and political elites in Davos.

Today the European Parliament adopted the report by its Panama Papers inquiry committee and voted in favor of recommendations aimed at stopping corporate tax avoidance across the European Union. Oxfam welcomes the Parliament's call for EU member states to adopt the reforms needed to end corporate tax abuses.

Poverty and inequality in Europe have reached shocking levels, according to a new Oxfam report.

For every new billionaire created during the pandemic — one every 30 hours — nearly a million people could be pushed into extreme poverty in 2022 at nearly the same rate, reveals a new Oxfam brief today. “Profiting from Pain” is published as the World Economic Forum — the exclusive get-together of the global elite in Davos — takes place for the first time face-to-face since COVID-19, a period during which billionaires have enjoyed a huge boost to their fortunes. 

The political response to tax dodging in the 12 months since the SwissLeaks scandal hit the headlines has been slow and restrained, said Oxfam today.  SwissLeaks exposed how global banking giant HSBC's Swiss branch helped wealthy individuals hide $100 billion in secret bank accounts out of the reach of tax authorities.Claire Godfrey, Policy Lead for Oxfam’s ‘Even it Up’ Campaign, said:“A year has passed since the Swiss Leaks scandal but still much more needs to be done to ensure wealthy individuals and big business pay they fair share of taxes.“Governments across the…

Rising inequality could set the fight against poverty back by decades, Oxfam warned today as it published a new report showing that the number of billionaires worldwide has more than doubled since the financial crisis. 

Over 50 leading financiers have expressed their support for a European Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) ahead of a meeting of Finance Ministers in Brussels next week. In an open letter to European leaders, the financiers argue the FTT will reduce financial instability and raise significant additional government revenue.

Despite the recent spate of economic growth, Africa remains afflicted by entrenched poverty and alarmingly high and rising inequality. This paper uses the Reducing Inequality Index (CRI) developed by Oxfam and Development Finance to produce a ranking of African countries on their policies to reduce the gap between rich and poor.

A report by the Greens/European Free Alliance reveals that Inditex, owners of the global fashion retailer Zara, avoided paying €585 million in taxes in Europe between 2011 and 2014.