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The publication of the Panama Papers database is a significant blow against tax dodgers but the public should not have to rely on whistleblowers to expose tax cheats, said Oxfam today.  Oxfam is calling on politicians gathering in London for the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May to end the secrecy that enables companies and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share of tax.

Within hours of Oxfam International’s Executive Director Winnie Byanyima declaring at the UNGA that the glory days for tax havens are over, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has released a damning exposé pointing the finger at the Bahamas for tax abuse. 

At a meeting at the OECD in Paris on the future of development aid, governments of the world’s richest countries promoted the use of development aid to support private investment in poor countries, but failed to focus on the rules and safeguards needed to make sure it supports the people most in need.

This report shows the unparalleled power of public education to tackle growing inequality and bring us closer together. To achieve this, education must be both of good quality and equitable; it should be free, universal and adequately funded.

The slight decrease in development aid spending in 2017 is bad news for the fight to end poverty and reduce inequalities, said Oxfam today in response to the publication of new aid figures by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

This G7 finance meeting has again been a debate among exclusive club members without the equal participation of developing countries. It’s no wonder that tax issues relevant to poor countries were not addressed. 

It is very good news that the European Commission seems ready to finally tackle harmful tax competition inside the European Union, Oxfam said in reaction to a report criticising seven EU member states for their aggressive tax policies. The organisation also welcomed the increased pressure on tax havens greylisted by the EU to make their reform commitments public.

EU finance ministers failed to agree on a ‘digital services tax’ that would ensure big tech companies pay a minimum level of tax at a meeting today in Brussels. Instead, France and Germany have presented a watered-down new proposal to only tax online advertisements.

It’s good to see the Commission continue their crackdown on tax avoidance by Europe’s largest companies, but actual reforms towards more tax transparency are needed, Oxfam said in reaction to a decision by the European Commission that declared illegal a tax deal of Luxembourg with the French company Engie.

At the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in Peru this week, moves to help combat inequality and climate change were announced, but G20 finance ministers failed to adequately address the skewed international tax system, said Oxfam today.