Organised by APMDD, the webinar was co-hosted by the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), and the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies. Leaders and members of grassroots organizations from various sectors introduced the concept of, and rationale for, a wealth tax as a domestic resource mobilization mechanism for social and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for climate change adaptation.
Webinar “Wealth Tax for Tax Justice: A Call Whose Time Has Come!”
As inequality and poverty grow in the Philippines, in Asia, and across the globe, so too does the call for a wealth tax.
A wealth tax is a potent tool for equality and justice. A wealth tax is a tax on the market value of assets owned by an individual taxpayer rather than on his/her income. Taxable assets may include cash, bank deposits, shares, land, real property, cars, and furniture. By taxing the wealth of high net-worth individuals and not just income, governments will be able to raise more domestic revenues for funding essential public services that are needed so urgently today.
Groups based in the Philippines calling for a wealth tax are advocating for one of the most direct ways to stem inequality by reversing the highly regressive tax system that governments across Asia have long depended on to sustain basic public services. Regressive taxes such as Value-Added Tax (VAT) and excise taxes have long been known to hit those with smaller incomes harder, and have thus helped to widen the gap between poor and rich, women and men, marginalized sectors and influential elites.
A statement of solidarity with the youth of Asia and beyond in their struggle to end inequalities and fight for just, equitable, fair societies compatible with a healthy planet. The statement calls for an end to abusive tax practices and illicit financial flows and demands that governments adopt progressive tax policies to increase capacities for generating revenue. Furthermore, it demands that governments take urgent and decisive actions for pro-youth and pro-people socio-economic development.
The undervaluation of care and care work is reflected in the gross imbalances and gaps in national budgets and lack of publicly funded care services, support systems for care workers, and physical and social infrastructures needed to reduce and redistribute care work. Care – caring for families, communities, and society as a whole – is an essential need and function of any society; it is not “just a woman’s responsibility,” but the collective responsibility of society.
The Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) advances a comprehensive agenda for tax and gender justice that takes into account the multiple and intersecting layers of discrimination that women in Asia face. The issue brief explains how burdensome Value-added tax (VAT), Goods and Services tax (GST) and Excise tax are to women and all unpaid care workers and has become imperative to advance our five (5) calls and demands.
Currently, a third of the world’s countries are not at the table when global tax rules get decided. It’s time for the United Nations to take the lead, so all countries can participate on an equal footing.
Click here to learn more about the proposal for a UN Tax Convention.
This briefing was developed by the Civil Society FfD (Financing for Development) Mechanism (led by SID). The briefing connects the national and international when it comes to tax policies and broader domestic resource mobilization strategies, highlighting how shaping decision-making on global economic governance at the UN has the potential to transform our global economic systems to reduce inequalities within and between countries and make them work for people and the planet.
The briefing is part of the Civil Society FfD Mechanism’s broader toolkit introducing the Financing for Development (FfD) process. This is intended to to make navigating the FfD process and its interrelated domains more accessible for a non-technical audience.
The briefing is available in English, French, and Spanish.
Side event at the UN ESCAP Asia Pacific Forum, this webinar focused on the issue of persistent caste-based discrimination which eventually increases the vulnerability of Communities Discriminated by Work and Descent (CDWD, also commonly referred to as caste) to modern slavery and slavery-like practices.
On 15-22 January 2022, APMDD and its members participated in the Global Protest to Fight Inequality (initiated by the Fight Inequality Alliance). This included activities in Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines, around the theme “It’s Time to Tax the Rich”.
Actions ranged from protests by workers and union leaders in the Philippines and dances to the tune of “We Will Tax You” (see Facebook Live stream above), a children’s art exhibit in Pakistan, a human chain in Bangladesh, a package of activities from movie screenings to talk shows, declarations and mural installations in Indonesia, and a discussion forum bringing together around 70 activists, thinkers and leaders in India.
Further details on the actions can be found in this article.
At a critical time when tax revenues are gravely needed to fund essential public services and meet sustainable development targets, anti-poor tax policies and illicit financial flows have only deepened widespread inequalities within and among countries in the world.
Read and download the manifesto:
