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Tax the Rich, Not the Poor!: A Call to Institute A Wealth Tax

By Events, Global Inequalities

“A wealth tax is a potent tool for equality and justice…. 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.”

The Asian People’s Movement on Debt and Development held a webinar on 24 August 2022, attended by nearly 300 people to release the findings of the study it commissioned recently on “Inequality, Tax Justice and the Philippine Wealth Tax Campaign”. A press release was issued on the same day, making an appeal for the use of a wealth tax in the Philippines and across Asia. Read more here.

September 2, 2022
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Webinar – Wealth Tax for Tax Justice: A Call Whose Time Has Come

By Events, Global Inequalities

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.

Watch the webinar (via Facebook)

August 31, 2022
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Tax the Rich, Not the Poor!: A Call to Institute A Wealth Tax

By Campaign, Global Inequalities

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.

Read the full press release here.

August 24, 2022
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APMDD Statement on International Youth Day

By Global Inequalities

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.

Download now
August 12, 2022
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Recognizing unpaid care workers through tax and fiscal justice

By End Inequalities, Global Inequalities

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.

Download now (English)

 

July 22, 2022
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Indigenous women’s voices should be heard in all W20 G20 negotiations

By Campaign, Indonesia

Outside the W20 Summit, on July 20, indigenous Toba women and a number of activists unfurled a giant banner that read “Women of North Sumatra Against Deforestation” on Lake Toba and a number of action posters on the boat. The action was a protest against the discussions at the W20 meeting that did not address the problem of economic injustice experienced by Indonesian women, especially indigenous women. This meeting was actually held only to produce policies that would benefit the country’s economic and political elites, corporations and international financial institutions, and not to discuss the real interests of the people.

Among other media coverage, Narasi, an online media outlet responded with a comprehensive video of the story and interviewed Aksi! and its partner KSPPM.

Read more (in Bahasa)

July 21, 2022
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Webinar – How to achieve the SDGs despite the worsening hunger and poverty crisis?

By Events, India

Side event to the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the webinar was organised by the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD) and Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP). The event focused on the discussion on “Building forward better” around four interlinked themes – vaccines, hunger, debt and social protection, and livelihood while discussing it in context of the achievement of the SDGs, especially SDG 5 using the gender lens.

Watch the video

July 9, 2022
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Communities Discriminated on Work & Descent People’s Assembly – June 2022

By Events, India, Uncategorized

Side event to the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (UN HLPF), this Communities Discriminated on Work & Descent (CDWD) People’s Assembly was facilitated by the Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent, with NCDHR’s leadership.

Participants discussed achievements and obstacles regarding the rights of communities discriminated by work and descent. The forum brought together 39 CDWD rights experts, activists, and other country representatives, and had four aims:

1) to recognise the numerical strength and geographical spread of CDWD communities and the gravity of the discrimination they face;
2) to assess the level of response from individual and collective States Parties in eradicating such discrimination and violence;
3) to explore how the CDWD communities can be formally brought within the ambit of the UN Charter Bodies; and
4) to explore ways and means of generating support from the Foreign Missions

Watch the video of the meeting

July 1, 2022
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