SPARK newsletter winter 2012

8/3/2019 SPARK newsletter winter 2012

1/16

autumn 2011fnd out more on pag

1ann

ualr

eview

inside!

winter 2012


2/16

Local Church Action on Poverty groups take direct, practical actionto tackle poverty and inequality in their own towns.

We currently have active groups in Newcastle, Leeds,Sheeld, Barnsley, Haliax, Merseyside and NorthernIreland. Why not get involved in your local group?

I theres no group in your area, we can provideresources and advice to help you start one!

Visit www.church-poverty.org.uk/groupsor call Liam on 0161 236 9321 extension 1.

room or hireChurch Action on Povertys Micah Room is a versatile andaordable space in central Manchester, suitable or allkinds o meetings and events.

Maximum capacity 100, depending on layout

Central location with good transport links

Full acilities: ree wi-, data projector, laptop, fipcharts

Coee and tea includedLunches available and serviced

Competitive prices, with special ratesor voluntary groups

For more inormation or to make a booking, visitwww.church-poverty.org.uk/micahroomor contact Janet Gee on 0161 236 9321 extension 1.


3/16

As we enter 2012,the prospects orsociety at large, andor those strugglingon its margins in

particular, are bleak. For many itwill be a season o darkness and

a winter o despair.We are in the middle o themost prolonged squeeze onhousehold incomes in moderntimes. As orecasts o economicgrowth recede ever urther intothe distance, we are aced with anunprecedented six years o cutsin public spending. And, in spiteo the Coalitions commitmentto protect the poorest andmost vulnerable, the impacto these cuts will clearly all

disproportionately on the poorest.The Catholic Bishops

Conerence said as ar back as1997: There may come a pointat which the scale o the gapbetween the very wealthy andthose at the bottom o the rangeo income begins to underminethe common good. This is thepoint at which society starts to

be run or the benet o the richnot or all its members.

The UK is now not only moreunequal than at any time inthe past 50 years, but the gapbetween rich and poor is risingaster in the UK than in any

other developed nation.In 2012, our 30th year, ChurchAction on Poverty will not besitting on our laurels. We willlaunch an ambitious programmeor the next 10 years: to builda movement rooted in localchurches and communitiesacross the UK, to challengeinjustice, tackle inequality andbring about positive change.

Narrowing the gap betweenrich and poor

Developing resilientcommunitiesMobilising the power o aithgroupsForming wider partnershipsand alliancesDeveloping a sustainablenancial model

I hope you will join us!

the common goodNiall Cooper hopes that the 30thanniversary o our ounding may be theyear in which society starts to be runagain or the beneft o all its members,not just or the beneft o the rich.

Church Actionon PovertyDale House35 Dale StreetManchesterM1 2HFT: 0161 236 9321F: 0161 237 5359E: [email protected]: www.church-poverty.org.uRegistered Charity no 1079986Company no 3780243

giveBecome a memberwww.church-poverty.org.uk/give

actGet news updates byFacebook,Twitter oremaiwww.church-poverty.org.uk/newsJoin oure-action networkwww.church-poverty.org.uk/act

prayUse the Action Week praycalendarwww.actionweek.org.ukJoin the Close the Gapprayer communitywww.church-poverty.org.uk/pray

4 News and events

5 Annual Review 2011

1 Celebrating success

Pilgrimage AgainstPoverty; Heat or Eat; TheSalord Apprentice: OurCash Our Call

14 Give: 0th anniversary

Support our appeal

15 Act: Fair Taxes

A brieng on the newocus o our campaign toClose the Gap

16 Pray: partners with the

poor

Prayers rom our Close theGap prayer community

in this issue


4/16

spark news rom Church Action on Poverty winter 2012

community assets frst!In October, we publishedCommunity Assets First, a jointreport with IPPR North, Oxam

and Urban Forum.It uses our innovative

Sustainable Livelihoodsapproach (the model used in ourThrive project) to bring togetherperspectives on a range o issuesaround poverty in the UK. Itmakes a valuable contributionto policy debates, and shouldencourage new ways o thinkingabout poverty more broadly.

Read the report at www.church-poverty.org.uk/news/communityassetsfrstreport - orcall 0161 236 9321 and request a

printed copy.

frst Living Wage dioceseSheeld has become the rstdiocese in the Church o Englandto commit to paying the LivingWage. All employees o thediocesan oce will now be paida Living Wage o at least 7.60an hour the minimum neededto ensure that they and theiramilies can meet their basicneeds, and do not live in poverty.

Sheeld Diocesan Synodmade the decision in November,making reerence to thedisturbing inequality o incomein our society and the needto ensure that churches ownpractices refect Kingdomvalues.

Find out more and supportour campaign or Fair Payat www.church-poverty.org.uk/closethegap

frst victory in campaigto Close the Tax Gap!Church Action on Poverty isdelighted to announce the rstsuccess in our campaign to Clothe Gap between rich and poor

through Fair Taxes.We demanded that the

Government close a tax loophowhich allowed retailers to avopaying VAT by sending goodsrom subsidiaries in the ChannIslands. It was costing the UK140 million a year enough tomake all the cuts to Sure Startand other childrens servicesunnecessary.

We delivered an open letterto the Chancellor, signed by

nine church leaders (see photoWe then mobilised over 750Christian campaigners to emathe Chancellor about this VATdodge.

The Government announcein October that it is to closethe loophole. Low ValueConsignment Relie (LVCR) willnot apply to goods sent rom thChannel Islands to the UK rom1 April.Support our campaign or Fair

Taxes see page 15.

Christmas appeal thank you!Thank you to everyone whodonated money to our Christmappeal. We raised nearly 6,00which will really help to makesure our Fair Taxes campaign ha huge public impact.

Church Action on Poverty mournsthe loss o two ormer colleaguesIt is with great sadness that we have to report thedeath o two ormer members o sta.

David Stott was our accountsassistant or almost 10years, until his retirementin December 2010. Alwaysunassuming but assiduousin his work, he had a greatsense o humour. One o

the highlights o every yearwas when David presided over our annual staChristmas dinner. David was also a cornerstone olie at Woodley Methodist Church, where he wastreasurer and chair o the social action committeeor many years. He died peaceully on Wednesday5 October ater bravely enduring motor neuronedisease since his diagnosis last November. Formercolleagues joined a packed congregation or athanksgiving service at Woodley on 17 October.David is survived by his wie, Brenda, two daughtersand numerous grandchildren.

Lorraine Shaw, our ormeradministrator and ocemanager, died at the ageo 54 ater apparentlytaking her own lie on 11December. Lorraine joinedChurch Action on Povertyin October 2007, initiallyas administrator or theChangeMakers programme,

but her enthusiasm and energy or the work meantthat she rapidly took on other roles within theorganisation, including periods as Community

Organiser and Oce Manager. A native o Leigh,Greater Manchester, Lorraine had previouslyspent more than 20 years working as a productionmanager on a number o long-running TV seriesin Hollywood. She was also a successul reelancephotographer and keen walker. Lorraine is survivedby her parents, Derek and Winired.

news


5/16

annual review2011

Where is thechurchtoday?

Theworldisinaprettyperilousstate andthethingthatiscausin

gmostotheangstisthestateotheworld

economy.Weseepeopleacrosstheworldsettingupanti-capita

listprotestcampsinmajor townsandcities.The

campoutsideLondonsStPaulsCathedralhascausedtheChurchoEnglandaew headaches,asthiscathed

ralis

seenasatouristattractionandpeoplegladlypaymoneytoenterit

. Someothismoneyischangedintostocksand

sharesinnancialmarketswhichshould remindus othestor

ywhereJesusenteredthetempleandthrewout

themoney-changers.

ChurchActiononPovertyisrunningacampaigntoClosetheGap

betweenrichandpoor,

andbuild asocietythatis moreequalhealthier,happier,saeran

dairer.Thepeoplewho

areprotestingoutsideStPaulsandinothertownsandcitiesacross

theworldhavethe

sameaim.

Itisuptothechurchinallitsormstomakehervoiceheardinsocie

ty today,and

rememberthesegreatwords:Comorttheafictedandafictthe

comortable.

Revd LewisRoseischair ofChurchAction onPoverty


6/16

sustainable livelihoodsWe aim to enable people in poverty to develop more sustainable livelihoods: incomesecurity and paid employment which promotes dignity and justice.

Last year, our local partner organisation in Stockton-on-Tees, Thrive, uncovered hugedissatisaction amongst customers with the actions o a high-cost lending company, high credit charges, poor customer service, lack o transparency in what customersowed and so on.

Most local projects would respond by encouraging customers to get help rom thelocal Citizens Advice Bureau and seek redress on an individual basis. But having beentrained in community organising, the response o Thrives community leaders was to

challenge the way the company itsel operated at the very top.With our help, local people produced a spoo TV advert (www.ripotv.net), which w

watched by over 1,000 people on YouTube. Our supporters in churches across the countthen emailed and telephoned the companys chie executive, politely demanding that hmeet with Thrive to respond to their concerns.

Finally the boss agreed to fy his senior management team rom Cardi to Stockton, tomeet with six o his customers. Far rom nding conrontation, he accepted the concerns osome o his most long-standing customers, and acceded to all o Thrives demands. Not onlythat he agreed to work with Thrive to bring together a roundtable o high-cost lenders alowith the Oce o Fair Trading to build consensus within the industry on a way orward. Throundtable, chaired by the Bishop o Ripon and Leeds, has now met three times, and willshortly be agreeing an industry-wide code or responsible lending, which will benet morethan a million people on low incomes who are customers o high cost lending companies.

www.thrive-stockton.org.uk

Church Action on Poverty actively supported the European Year or Combating Povertand Social Exclusion, running Listening Campaigns in Yorkshire and the North West,and working in partnership with Community Links on a national programme oactivities ocused on tackling working-age poverty.

Over 45 people attended training events on participation, leadership andempowerment in Manchester, Bolton, Leeds and Hull. A urther 24 people attendedspecialist media training events in Manchester and Leeds. 18 local groups across Yorksh

and the North West were supported to undertake local listening campaigns in theircommunities.

We undertook research into the impact o the extra costs o poverty on the lives olow-income amilies in Yorkshire. This involved in-depth interviews with 17 amilies inthe village o Goldthorpe, South Yorkshire. The research was carried out in partnershipwith South Yorkshire Credit Union, and written up in the reportPaying Over the Odds?

Real-lie experiences o the poverty premium, which was launched at the YorkshireRegional EY2010 Assembly in December 2010.

There was an opportunity or all those who had taken part to come to our end-o-year Assemblies in Manchester and Bradord, eaturing presentations and stories romthose taking part in the year, including a specially commissioned participatory dramaby WatersEdge Arts in Manchester, involving seven actors who themselves had directpersonal experience o poverty and exclusion.

european year or combating poverty

thrive

Its great to seeordinary people

making a dierenceand becoming

extraordinary people

20 a week wouldbe like winning the

lottery oh, the thingsId spend it on, clearing

debt to start with


7/16

sustainable livelihoo

Thriveisopentoeverybody.

Weallhaveavoice,

andweshoulduseit.

ThrivecommunityleaderKathCarterreceivedaSheilaMcKechnieFoundationcampaigningawardforheworkonThrivesRip-offTVcampaign(seeopposite).HeresheiswithChanne4newscasterJonSnow,receivingheraward.


8/16

a voice to people inpovertyWe want all poor and marginalised people to have an eective voice in shaping decisionwhich aect their lives.

TheOvertoYOUthprojectinFierecentlydemonstratedthepoweroparticipatorybudgetingtogivepeopleavoice.TheprojectwasopentoyoungpeopleromacrossGlenrothesanareawhichacessomeotheworstdeprivationandpovertyinScotland. ThpictureshowsrepresentativesromGlenrothesHigh,alocalschoolwhichtookpart.Ataspecialevent,youngpeoplepresentedtheirideasorprojectstomakeGlenrothesabettplaceoryoungpeopleandthecommunity.Eachprojectwasconsideredandthentherewasaveryinteractive speeddatingsession thechancetogetafnalpointoverorhaveaprojectscrutinised.Voteswerethencastusingrealballotboxesyoucouldnotvoteoryourownproject.11groupsreceivedundingthroughtheproject,andmeetingswereorganisedtohelptheunsuccessulgroupstosecureundingorsupportelsewhere.

Itshowsthatyoungpeople

areverycapable

ofcomingupwithideas

andmorethanwillingtoget

involvedindecision-making


9/16

Our Community Pride Unit (CPU) continues to work in North West England.We aim to increase levels o consultation, civic activism and participation, and take-up

o community leadership roles. We want citizens particularly those rom marginalisedand disadvantaged communities to build the skills and condence they need toparticipate in society. We equip people to press or change that helps their communitiesto grow socially, economically and politically.

CPU played a leading role in the Salord Take Part programme, building the skillsand condence o local people in Salord so they can pursue civic activism, communityleadership and lay governance roles. We have helped people and organisations tounderstand and overcome the barriers to participation. Community developmentworkers in Salord say our approach is unique in enabling participants to direct their ownagenda truly bottom-up.

www.communitypride.org.u

We have developed and consolidated our community organising initiatives in Manchesterand Stockton (see the previous section on Thrive). We are helping local people to gain theskills and condence to build a sustainable citizens organisation, and to act publicly andeectively on their issues to bring about positive change in their communities.

Action by local people, supported by our team and publicised by mainstream media,can be a powerul and eective combination in bringing about change or disadvantagedand marginalised people.

We helped carers in Manchester to run a Carers Hearing and get major concessionsrom public sector managers about carers being involved in the design and delivery oservices or carers and their charges. We also supported tenants in Collyhurst to organisea major public event where they persuaded councillors and MPs to secure the unds orurgent and long overdue building repairs. www.changemakersmanchester.org

www.participatorybudgeting.org

Our Participatory Budgeting Unit has continued to encourage and support thedevelopment o participatory budgeting (PB) initiatives across the UK enabling local

people to infuence decisions about the spending o public money. The number o localPB places is now in the region o 150, and it has continued to spread to new sectors andmodels.

PB has an impressive capacity to mobilise large and diverse numbers o people inmeeting together (oten or the rst time), listening to each other, understanding theirperspectives and taking decisions in the interests o the community as a whole. It is notuncommon or several hundred local people to attend PB events.

PB has eatured in two articles in the Guardian and in two Radio 4 programmes, aswell as generating signicant local news coverage. It has continued to be reerred toavourably by government ministers. A case study based on two residents rom Mantonis to be included in the revised version o a highly successul book on communitydevelopment by Proessor Margaret Ledwith.

changemakers

community pride

participatory budgeting

a voice to people in pover


10/16

We now have over 100 groups committed to meet regularly with their MPs, and holdthem accountable or their actions to tackle poverty.

This ongoing engagement is now a vital part o our campaigns. During the year,we have brieed the groups regularly on important issues, and they have had reallyproductive meetings with MPs. The Network has helped ensure the successul launch oan All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty.

www.church-poverty.org.uk/mp

This year saw the launch o a major new campaign which will be our key ocus in thenext three years. We are mobilising churches to Give, Act and Pray together to Close theGap between rich and poor. We know that together, we can build a more equal society.Happier. Healthier. Saer. Fairer.

The campaign is enthusiastically supported by numerous national churches and otherChristian organisations. We have already recorded thousands o Pledges to Give, Act and

Pray in support o the campaign calls: Fair Taxes, Fair Pay, Fair Prices and a Fair Say.

www.church-poverty.org.uk/closethegap

mobilising churchesWe mobilise churches to work with others to overcome poverty. We want thechurches to actively promote a bias to the poor, both internally and externally.

www.actionweek.org.uk

For Poverty & Homelessness Action Week 2011, we asked churches across the UK totackle prejudice and ignorance around poverty and exclusion by running events andservice on the theme Who Counts?

As well as worship and event resources, or the rst time we also produced a prayercalendar with video stories and ideas or urther action, which was widely used. ActionWeek becomes larger every year this time, over 200 events took place. Thousands onew people become supporters o our work as a result o taking part in Action Week. It

also leads to the creation o vital new projects and initiatives in many churches.

action week

mp accountability network

close the gap

Our local groups have a direct impact on poverty at grassroots level.In 201011, our Barnsley group set up an award-winning Starter Packs project. Our

Northern Ireland group launched the Heat or Eat appeal which raised vital unds tohelp people aected by uel poverty. On Merseyside, our local group set up a QuestionTime event and challenged local MPs to act on poverty issues. The North East group rana project with young people looking at Barriers to Employment. And in Sheeld, thegroup helped to coordinate Christian campaigns against spending cuts.

Find your own local group at www.church-poverty.org.uk/groups

Our Northern Ireland group launch thHeat or Eat? appeal

local groups


11/16

TheGodwhomeetsusin

Jesus

callsustomeetandserveeachother,

yetthegapbetweenthewelloffandthep

hasbecomesowidethatfewbridgeit

InJanuary,churchleadersofmanydenominationsgatheredinWestminsterandmadeapublicPledgeosupportforourcampaigntoClosetheGap.TheyhandedinalettertoDavidCameron,expressingtheircommitmenttoClosetheGapbetweenrichandpoor,andaskingabouttheCoalitioGovernmentsplanstodothesame.Theystated:Weconsideritisourdutytospeakuponbehalothepoorestandmostvulnerableespeciallyatatimewhentheyaresueringtheconsequencesotheeconomiccrisisandpublicspendingcuts.Lettoright:FrancesBallin(NationalJusticeandPeaceNetwork);

PaulMarriott(DePaulUK);KateGreenMP;JamesNorth(FreeChurchesJointPublicIssuesTeam);RevdSivakumarRajagopalan(BaptistUnion);RtRevdThomasMcMahon(RCBishopoBrentwood);RtRevdDavidWalker(CoEBishopoDudley);Christy-AnnaErrington(MethodistYouthPresident); AlanThornton(ChurchActiononPoverty);RevdLeoOsborn(PresidentoMethodistConerence)

mobilising church


12/16

FinanceWhere our money came rom in 201011Grants 689,784

Donations 79,551

Campaigns and events 37,030

Membership subscriptions 50,767

Bank interest 121

Total 857,253

What we spent it onFundraising 32,609

Governance 10,691

Thrive 50,703

European Year or Combating Poverty 96,927

Community Pride 160,769

ChangeMakers 156,294

Participatory budgeting 266,752

Close the Gap 12,118

Action Week 5,166

Campaigns, events and other projects 129,559

Total 921,588

Support our vital workwww.church-poverty.org.uk/give

AcknowledgementsCouncil o Management 201011Frances Ballin, Elspeth Brighton, KathleenCarter, Jenny Cooke, Millicent Dews, Julie Green,Helen Hood, Alison Jackson, Bandi Mbubi,Norbert Mbu-Mputu, Brian ONeill, Lewis Rose,Adrian Smith, Rose Tyrrell, Jackie Worthington.

Sta and volunteers 201011Mary Akumu, Ade Arogundade, MuhammadBhana, Daisy Black, Oluwadunni Boyinbode,Greg Brown, Niall Cooper, Roland Dale, SarahDumpleton, Chinenuye Ejioor, Liz Firth,

Geo Fletcher, Janet Gee, Christina Gonzales,Amanda Hewitt, Ruth Jackson, Andrea Jones,Ocia Koranteng, Jenny Lazarus, Hannah Lucas,Helen McNally, Sebastian Morello, ChaloMvula, Liam Purcell, Olive Sabiiti, Adam Sharpe,Lorraine Shaw, Anne Stewart, David Stott, AlanThornton, George Waterhouse, Mark Waters,.

FundersOur work is made possible by the generoussupport o many partners, donors and unders,including:Baptist Union, Church Urban Fund, Departmentor Communities and Local Government,Department or Work and Pensions, Faiths inAction, Friends Provident Foundation, John LaingCharitable Trust, Joseph Rowntree CharitableTrust, MB Reckitt Trust, The Methodist Church,National Lottery Awards or All, Oxam, UnitedReormed Church, and Waterside Trust.

Find out more and get involved

at www.church-poverty.org.uk!Dale House, 35 Dale Street, Manchester M1 2HF

Telephone 0161 236 9321 Fax 0161 237 5359

[email protected]

@churchpoverty

acebook.com/churchpoverty

Company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, number 3780243.Registered charity number 1079986.


13/16

celebrating success

shefeld: pilgrims against povertyOn Saturday 29 October, the local Church Action on Poverty group inSheeld held its third annual Pilgrimage Against Poverty, around theManor Castle area.

More than 40 pilgrims visited numerous local churches and projectsto hear about their anti-poverty work. They also visited sites withhistoric signicance in the struggle against poverty.

The Pilgrimage ended at St Aidans Anglican Church, where pilgrims

met local MP Paul Blomeldand discussed issues withhim. He commented:Church Action on Poverty inSheeld do antastic work toencourage greater action ontackling poverty. Events likethe pilgrimage are importantas they help raise awarenessabout poverty.

our cashour call

Our ChangeMakers project worked with localcommunities to organise three participatorybudgeting (PB) events across Greater Manchesterin Old Traord, Moss Side and Collyhurst. Localcommunity projects applied or grants to supporttheir work, and the local community voted on howthe money should be distributed. The eedbackwas very clear: people liked having a say, and theywanted more o it.

Were now doing grassroots community organisinwork on issues which suraced at the PB events:tackling trac androad saety problems,and challenging thedisproportionateexclusion o young

black men rom schools.More issues are comingto the ore and moreactions will ollow.

the apprentice:asking questions!

Sandra Breen, a divorced mother o our, graduatedrecently rom The Salord Apprentice a trainingprogramme designed by our Community Pride Unitto prepare grassroots people to take up governanceroles within their communities. She refects:

Local people like me needto get into governancepositions at every level o

decision-making i positivechange is to happen withinour communities.

TheApprenticeprogramme is designedto make you look athow and why we have aear o asking questionsand why we dont value

our own judgments and decisions... It is givingpeople the knowledge and confdence not just tobecome involved, but to ask questions and researchinormation, and not just accept.

making changeWe celebrate the recent achievements o some o our groups and projects.

northern ireland: fghting uel povertyFuel poverty is a major and growing issue in Northern Ireland the worst in the UK conronting amilies with a stark choicebetween heating and eating.

Our local group in Northern Ireland, in partnership with othercharities and politicians, has set up a central und to helpvulnerable amilies with their heating bills. In 2010, individuals,churches, community groups and businesses contributed to theund and made a real dierence to the lives o these amilies. Thyear, the scheme has been extended to new areas and partners.

The group have also set up anemail campaign, asking Memberso the Assembly (MLAs) toinclude action on uel poverty inthe Assemblys programme orgovernment 201115. 149 emailswere sent, reaching over 60% othe Assemblys members.


14/16


This year Church Action on Poverty is30 years old. To mark the occasion we

are inviting you to celebrate with us inhosting birthday undraising eventsaimed at giving Church Action on

Poverty the biggest birthday present ever.

Building on the Close The Gap campaign withits themes o Give, Act and Pray, and by workingclosely with local groups, we are planning to usethis birthday year to look to the uture and launch anew statement o our vision Building a Movement

or Change .

While the dicult current economic climate meansthis is a challenging time to be launching newundraising initiatives, we believe that the work oChurch Action on Poverty in campaigning to Closethe Gap between rich and poor is more importantthan ever and we need your help to ensure webuild a movement or change that is sustainable orthe years ahead.

Our birthday year will be an opportunity to givethanks or what we have achieved so ar and to

look orward to new challenges but its also anopportunity to do something together that is abohaving un, using what we spend in a dierent wand making a positive step towards building a jussociety.

share your stories and ideas...So how can you be involved? At this stage we arelooking or people who would be willing to sharestories o campaigning and undraising activitiesthat happen at the local level, and the dierencethey have made to you as an individual or a amiland to the community around you. These do nothave to be stories o huge initiatives, but sharingthe kind o ideas that other people can look at andthink I could do that.

design a campaign...We are also looking or people who would be awilling sounding board or new undraising ideaas we shape our birthday undraising campaign.Would it work where you are? Is it un? Will it mamoney while being true to our vision and values?

the biggestbirthday present?

Clare McBeath, our new Community Fundraiser, invites you tojoin us in celebrating our 30th birthday and preparing or theuture.

I you would be interested in writing your story,sharing a undraising idea or helping design acampaign, Clare would love to hear rom you.

Contact Clare on 0161 236 9321 ext 1, or [email protected]

our

birthdayyear willbe an

opportunityto givethanks

or whatwe have

achievedso ar and

to lookorward

to newchallenges


15/16

act

what is the problem?The Tax Gap isocially dened as thedierence between the amount o tax actuallycollected and the tax that should be collected,i all individuals and companies complied withParliaments intention in setting tax law (thespirit o the law).The Governments ocial estimates measurethe UK Tax Gap at 35 billion a year. Othersestimate the gure to be much higher.

The Gap is caused by individuals and companiesailing to pay the tax set by Parliament eitherthrough legal means (tax avoidance) or illegalmeans (tax evasion).

In a time o austerity, avoiding taxes amounts torobbing rom the poor. The churches task is toenable all people to enjoy lie in all its ullness,to speak out and challenge unjust structuresand practices which deny people this God-givenopportunity. Tax avoidance is one such practice.

what is tax avoidance?Tax avoidance is the process o getting round

taxation law without actually breaking it.Whilst tax avoidance by wealthy individuals is

a common practice and is part o the problem, bigbusinesses are the really big tax dodgers. This is,in particular, because they operate internationally,opening avenues or tax planning and avoidancebetween territories that no individual can exploitIn 2008, tax specialist Richard Murphy ound in areport called The Missing Billions that:

The 50 largest companies pay 5% less tax onaverage than they declare in their accounts.The average tax rate paid by these companiesell by more than 0.5% a year over a seven-year

period to 2006, even though the UK tax rateor these companies was constant throughoutthat time. As a result, the corporation taxrate actually paid by UK companies in 2006was 22.5%, when the actual rate agreed byParliament was 30%.I this de acto rate was the ocial tax rate, itwould place the UK 16th out o 25 in a table ocorporation tax rates or the EU, with Francethe highest and Malta the lowest. It would alsomean that the UK had the lowest corporationtax rate o the Western European economieswith the exception o Ireland.

By the end o 2006, the cumulative tax savingrecorded in the accounts o the 50 largestcompanies actually exceeded the total tax paiby all companies in 2006 by some 2 billion.98 o the UKs top 100 largest corporationsoperate subsidiary companies in oshore taxhavens, potentially allowing the companies antheir clients to avoid huge sums in tax.

putting the numbers in context

Corporate tax avoidance costs the tax-payer 2100 billion p.a. The Government is seeking to cpublic spending by an average o 30 billion pover the lietime o the current parliament.A third o the amount lost to tax avoidance bythe UKs 700 largest corporations could increachild tax credit by enough to halve child poverin the UK.Just under hal o the total amount lost to taxavoidance would pay or a 20% increase in thestate pension, or could reduce the basic rate oincome tax by 3p in the pound, or could build extra 50 hospitals.

What are we calling or?We can Close the Tax Gap by pressing or a taxsystem in which businesses and individuals paytheir air share. Tackling widespread tax avoidanwill reduce the need or urther damaging cuts inpublic spending.

Improved transparencyThe European Union and the InternationalAccounting Standards Board (IASB) shouldintroduce country-by-country reporting.We need stronger International Tax Inormati

Exchange Agreements covering tax havens.We must put pressure on the accountancyproession to improve proessional conduct on ta

Stronger anti-avoidance measuresThe UK Government should legislate tointroduce general anti-tax-avoidance principlThere must be increased resources or HMRevenue and Customs to tackle large scalecorporate tax avoidance.The UK Government must reorm UK-linked tahavens (including Jersey, Guernsey, Bermuda,the Cayman Islands and the Isle o Man).

its time to Close the Tax GapAn introduction to Fair Taxes the new priority in our campaign to Close the Gap. Learn

about the injustices o our tax system and how together, we can challenge them.

in atime oausterity,avoidingtaxamountsto robbingrom thepoor

a thirdo theamountlost to taxavoidanceby thelargest

companiescouldhalvechildpoverty inthe UK

Make sure youpay your airshare and askothers to dothe same.Find out moreat http://bit.ly/closethetaxgap or call 0161236 9321 to askor a printedbriefng.


16/16


The issues o peace, poverty and justice continued tooccupy the minds o the online Close the Gap prayercommunity throughout the past three months, andthe works o WH Smaw, GA Studdert Kennedy andMichel Quoist were to be o particular use to some.

With Remembrance Sunday alling during this time,it inevitably invoked much thought, with AdrianWait posting one o his own poems on the subjecto the utile killing at the Somme and other battles;something which Cecilia Yardley was able to use as asource or refection in her own prayer group.

The period has also seen the continued coalition-led assault on the most vulnerable people in oursociety, rom the marginalisation o the sick anddisabled to the increasing pressure that many aceto keep a roo over their heads. In this climate wewere reminded o the ever relevant Proverbs 31:89:

Speak up or those who cannot speak orthemselves; or the right o all who are destitute...Speak up and judge airly; deend the rights o thepoor and needy.

Reading such work we cannot help but be remindo the ot-repeated line rom James that aithby itsel, i it has no works, is dead; and on theInternational Day or the Eradication o Poverty(17th October), the oten explicit commitment to tpoor in The Bible was highlighted or example,Deuteronomy teaches that the dignity o the debtmust be respected and that poor labourers are to paid immediately.

And tying in particularly nicely with the Close thGap campaign, David Rhodes reminded us all to:

Pray or the rich who dodge their taxes.Like all addicts they need our love.

Heres a prayer rom a Christian Aid resource, Working Together: Ten Bible studies inspired by the MillenniuDevelopment Goals :

God o the whole earth,deender o the poor, yet lover o the rich,you hear the voice o those who are derauded o the right to a lie beore death.We coness that we are involved in a murky world

where desire or sel-enrichment deeats the common good.Nothing we do is hidden rom your sight;you understand the deals that are made in secret.You know how hard it is to be human when we strive to rely on our wealth instead o on you.Call us into the company o your riends,to be partners with the poor,so that all may inherit your eternal lie promised in Jesus Christ.Amen

partners with the poorOur Jesuit volunteer David Adams shares some resources and idea

or the community o our supporters who are Praying to Close thGap.

Pray orthe rich

whododge

theirtaxes.

Like alladdicts

they needour love

From 28 Januaryto 5 February, the

Action Week prayercalendar will providevideo stories, acts

and fgures, and other material to help you pray orthe barriers o poverty to be broken.Sign up to ollow the calendar at www.actionweek.org.uk, or call 0161 236 9321 and ask or printedresources.

Documents

SPARK newsletter winter 2012