Inequality Campaign - Even It Up - Catherine Olier

8/10/2019 Inequality Campaign - Even It Up - Catherine Olier

1/14

Even it up campaign

Catherine Olier Nairobi- 2ndDecember 2014


2/14

Page 2

INEQUALITY IN AFRICA

Growth but for whom?

WAF fastest pace of growth expansion inthe continent, above 7%.

Sierra Leone: 16.3 % growth rate in 2013

High level of inequality

Africa: 2nd most unequal region after LAC16 billionaires in sub-Saharan Africa - 358

million people living in extreme poverty


3/14

Page 3

WHY DO WE CARE?

It affects efforts on

poverty reduction

It reinforces other

types of inequality

It affects peoples lives


4/14

Page 4

WHAT CAUSES INEQUALITY?

Market fundamentalism

Political capture


5/14

Page 5

WHAT SOLUTIONS?

Public services

Fair taxation

Minimum wages and

decent work

Active citizenship

Social protection


6/14

Page 6

EVENT IT UP CAMPAIGN

OBJECTIVES Help to mobilise millions of people across the world to create a

movement for change

Shift the terms of the debate to end market fundamentalism (public

services, gender, political capture)

Obtain policy changes (taxation)

5 years

About 25 countries and growing


7/14


8/14

Page 8

CONCRETE ACTIVITIES

1. Studies to show the scale of the inequality problem and itsdrivers

2. Advocacy towards key decision-makers at local, national,

regional and international levels

3. Raising awareness and mobilising people for activecitizenship

4. Media to put taxation in the public debate and change

perception

5. Offline and online products (for social media, petitions,videos etc)


9/14

Page 9

AT GLOBAL LEVEL:

A WORLD TAX SUMMIT

versus

NOW: Base Erosion and Profit Shiftingreform (OECD/G20)

34 to 44 countries only including tax havens

Strong influence by the business

No equal representation for developing

countries

JULY 2015: World Tax Summit (in margin of

the FFD conference in Addis) to

o acknowledge tax dodging by MNCs not

entirely solved with BEPS

o re-open the tax debate for a more

visionary and fair design;

o create in the future a global tax body to

negotiate global tax rules in an

inclusive and transparent way.


10/14

Page 10

AT REGIONAL LEVEL: MORE COORDINATION

TO AVOID RACE TO THE BOTTOM

1. Tax harmonisation

and race to the

bottom (UEMOA,

ECOWAS, SADC,

EAC)

2. Illicit Financial

Flows (AU,

NEPAD)


11/14

Page 11

AT NATIONAL LEVEL:

PROGRESSIVE TAXATION

Promo te redis t r ibut ive po l ic ies andpract ices that redistr ibu te

revenues (tackl ing inequal i ty once)

and inc rease fund ing for essent ia l ,

f ree publ ic services (tackl ing

inequal i ty tw ice)

Examples: progressive fiscal reforms,

streamlining tax exemptions,

especially in the extractive industriessector, combat harmful practices, look

at IMF tax advises in countries


12/14

Page 12

AT NATIONAL LEVEL:

PROGRESSIVE TAXATION

NIGERfollow-up of

Areva case

+ study on

drivers of

inequality

KENYA

Citizens

awareness

raising andtraining on

governance

and budget

NIGERIA

Platform of NGOs on

fair taxation, reducing

tax burden of women

in informal economy,

study on drivers ofinequality

BRAZIL

Campaign for political and

tax reforms and look at

Brazils role in international

context (G20, BRICS, post-2015


13/14

Page 13

The people have been left behind for too long, a fact that has

already sparked popular protests and outrage around the world.

Outrage that elected governments are representing the interests of

the powerful few, and neglecting their responsibility to ensure adecent future for everyone.

Outrage that corporate giants are able to dodge their taxes and get

away with paying poverty wages.

Many of you w i l l won der whether there is anyth ing we can do to

change this? The answer is very f i rmly yes...

WINNIE BYANYIMA

Executive Director, Oxfam


14/14

THANK YOU

Catherine Olier Mai / Juin 2014

Documents

Inequality Campaign - Even It Up - Catherine Olier