Thank havens for new taxes

The Our Taxes, Our Lives campaign group is organising another event in the UK Parliament on Wednesday 25th November 2009. This event features Richard Wilkinson (one of the authors of the enormously important The Spirit Level), Kate Green from Child Poverty Action Group, and a certain Richard Murphy.

Now here are a few random facts that we might expect to form the basis of their discussion:

* Britain has proportionally more children in poverty than most rich countries;

* Relative to comparable countries in the European Union, inequality is far starker in Britain and the number of pensioners and children living in poverty is higher today than in the 1970s;

* Britain is estimated to lose around £18.5 billion a year because of tax evasion via secrecy jurisdictions;

* Exactly one half of all secrecy jurisdictions have political ties to Britain;

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put these factors together and conclude that we'd all be a great deal better off if Britain kicked its tax haven habit and redistributed some of the proceeds towards tackling poverty.

Here are the details of the event on the 25th:

INVITATION

Meeting hosted by David Drew, MP

Wednesday November 25, 2009
7.00 – 9.00
Wilson Room, Portcullis House

Premiere of 2nd YouTube film
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Dysfunctional societies: why inequality matters

Richard Wilkinson
Emeritus Professor of Social Epidemiology
and co-author of “The Spirit Level”
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The UK's Child Poverty Challenge

Kate Green, OBE
Chief Executive,Child Poverty Action Group
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Thank havens for new taxes

Richard Murphy
Director of Tax Research UK
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Portcullis House is on the Embankment, just round the corner from
Westminster Underground station. Allow 15 minutes to get through security