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	International Labor Day by International Trade Union Confederation   1 May 2016   Today is a day to celebrate the achievements that through generations union men and women have won: peace, democracy, rights and decent work for millions of people.   But even as we celebrate the successes and triumphs of the great tradition of trade union solidarity, we know that the challenges faced by people across the world require collective strength and commitment to carry forward the fight for democratic rights and freedoms, equality and social justice.   When political and corporate leaders conspire to hide the vast wealth of the one per cent, avoiding the taxes that are the bedrock of social and economic development and the basis for social protection – support for the unemployed, health, education, child care, aged care and many other public services – then all are vulnerable.   When global trade relies on exploiting the majority in insecure, low-paid and often unsafe work in supply chains to secure yet more wealth for the global elite, then the world is on the wrong path.   When people seek refuge from conflict created by dictators clinging to power or from economic desperation, then we must support and welcome them, and demand that our governments play their part in removing the causes of the conflicts and economic desperation that blight the lives of hundreds of millions.   When corruption, exploitation, inequality and environmental destruction are the hallmarks of the global economy, then the values of the trade union movement provide hope, and set the standards required for transforming the world into a place where people come first and where the generations to come inhabit a sustainable world.   On this May Day, many will march under banners for freedom and against conflict and slavery, many will rally for justice for refugees, many will stand firm for minimum living wages and collective bargaining and oppose corporate greed, many will demand climate justice and many will welcome refugees. Uniting all these are the fundamental principles of equality and social justice which inspire the actions of trade unionists every day.   The collective voice and action of union women and men all over the world will continue to fight the corporate greed which fuels attacks on workers’ rights, the enslavement of people, the corruption of tax evasion and the destruction of public services. Where our governments fear corporate power, we will stand up for democracy and an end to corporate greed.   We will act for a truly inclusive future where prosperity is shared, where the planet on which we live is protected and where the common good is supreme.   http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/statement.imfwb.0416.pdf http://bit.ly/2crk0Hg Visit the related web page
	How are corporations hiding billions needed for fighting poverty? by ONE International, Reuters, agencies   May 2016   Activists call for an end to corruption. (One International)   Today, leading voices from academia, progressive business leaders, citizens worldwide, rights activists who have risked their lives fighting for the truth, have added their voices to the call for governments to finally take bold action to root-out corruption.   In May, British Prime Minister David Cameron will host the world’s first Anti-Corruption Summit. Expectations are high. Bold and decisive measures are needed if governments attending the Summit are to put their own houses in order and close-the loopholes that continue to facilitate corruption.   But, success is by no means guaranteed; the threat of inertia is very real and some leaders may opt for the easy-way out and come to London to simply restate old pledges that have so far failed to deliver change. This would be a massive missed opportunity to take action that could really help in the fight against poverty.   Developing countries lose a trillion dollars every year due to money laundering, dodgy deals and illegal tax evasion.   If these funds could stay in developing countries some of this money could be taxed; investing even a fraction of these funds in basic health and education services would help fight poverty and preventable disease.   Signatories to the letter have called on governments attending the summit to sign up to a new blueprint for tackling corruption – a Fair Play Standard. This new standard includes the most effective policies for fighting corruption:   Allow the public to know who owns and profits from companies, trusts and other legal entities. Tighten the rules to stop corrupt money being spent on property investments. Require banks and businesses to find out who they’re dealing with, and report it if they come across shell companies or dodgy practices. Require companies buying oil, gas and minerals, and those in the defence and construction sectors to make details of their payments to any government, on any project, available to the public. Demand companies reveal how much tax they pay in every country they do business in.   All government contracting processes around the world should be open. All government budgets around the world should be available for anyone to view.   Corruption investigators should have access to timely, comparable and relevant open data on the issues above as well as the technology that will allow them to work effectively.   The missing ingredient now is the political will. Corruption hurts us all – but it hurts the poorest most. Leaders must do everything in their power to stop it; turning a blind-eye would be inexcusable in its complicity.   http://www.one.org/international/blog/activists-business-leaders-and-corruption-fighters-call-for-a-new-fair-play-standard/   April 2016   Offshore tax havens are allowing corporations to avoid taxes, depriving countries of the revenues they need for education, and pushing the tax burden down on to other smaller businesses and citizens.   As Americans are finalizing their tax returns, corporations are hiding trillions in offshore tax havens and dodging billions in tax payments in the US and around the world—payments that should go to schools, roads, and health care.   Oxfam''s recently released "Broken at the Top" report outlines how the top 50 US companies use offshore tax havens and other aggressive and secretive schemes to stash profits and dramatically lower their corporate tax rates in the United States. The companies, which made nearly $4 trillion in profits globally between 2008 and 2014, paid an average effective tax rate of just 26.5 percent— well below the statutory tax rate of 35 percent in the US and also well below the tax rate of an average US worker of 31.5 percent.   Oxfam’s report comes days after the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released its report on the Panama Papers, which details a massive web of offshore tax havens and shell companies helping the world’s wealthiest individuals avoid taxes. These revelations, combined with data on global companies in Oxfam’s report, reveal a system that concentrates wealth into fewer and fewer hands, puts the tax burden unfairly on those least able to pay, and deprives the world of billions in revenues countries need to fight poverty.   US taxpayers would have to shell out another $760 each in order to cover the $100 billion gap that tax dodging costs the US government.   The report reveals the same corporations dodging taxes are among the largest beneficiaries of US taxpayer-funded support, receiving a staggering $11 trillion in federal loans, loan guarantees, and bailout assistance from 2008 to 2014. Oxfam calculated that during this period, these 50 companies collectively received approximately $27 in loan support for every $1 they paid in federal taxes.   Oxfam’s new interactive website brings exposure to global corporate tax dodging, allowing you to calculate how much you would pay in taxes if you were a corporate tax dodger and then to sign a petition calling on Congress to pass the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act, legislation designed to close the corporate tax loopholes here in the US while increasing transparency to fight tax dodging abroad.   “When corporations don’t pay their fair share of taxes, governments--rich and poor--are forced to cut services or make up the shortfall from working families and small businesses. Neither is acceptable,” said Ray Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America.   http://action.oxfamamerica.org/stoptaxdodging/   China suspends G20 anti-corruption task force. (Reuters)   China suspended an international anti-corruption task force earlier this year after taking over the G20 presidency, according to six individuals in the group, who called it a setback to global efforts to crack down on shell companies used to conceal assets.   The so-called "Business 20" Anti-Corruption Taskforce, comprising businesses and civil society groups, had been drawing up G20 policies for increasing transparency of offshore financial structures, among other work, but the body was scrapped in late January because Chinese companies declined to participate, according to the sources.   China is one of several countries under pressure to share data on paper companies after the "Panama Papers", documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, revealed how the rich and powerful use such structures to avoid taxes and in some cases conceal ill-gotten gains. They were published by German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung and more than 100 other international news outlets.   The B20, the G20''s business outreach arm, and its various task forces are by convention led by companies from the nation holding the presidency.   The state-run China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), this year''s head of the B20, did not provide an explanation for suspending the anti-corruption task force.   But three people who had worked on the task force, who represented international, U.S. and European institutions, said the trade group could not persuade a Chinese company to take on the role of leading the task force, even though around 150,000 Chinese businesses are effectively state-run.   The sources cited the CCPIT as saying a one-off anti-corruption convention to be held later this month would be a sufficient substitute, despite strong counter-lobbying from international NGOs.   "It''s a disappointing indictment on the environment in China that no company was willing to step forward," said one of the sources. "This is a critical agenda, and this decision has taken the wind out of the sails." Visit the related web page
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