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Public Funding/Tax Justice

The gap between the rich and the rest of us is growing rapidly. In many countries, the richest 1% pay less tax than everyone else. Profitable multinational corporations use loopholes and tax havens to avoid paying their share. Around the world, inequality is growing. A taxation system based on fairness and ability to pay is the first step in reversing this attack on the middle class.

ICRICT Meeting: 10-Years from the Last Crisis, We Still Need Effective Financial Regulation

04 September 2018

This week, the Independent Commision for the Reform of International Corproate Taxation (ICRICT), of which PSI is a founding member, is meeting in New York to discuss the path forward for global corproate tax reform.

Norwegian affiliate press charges against private health company

21 August 2018
Mette Nord, President of Fagforbundet.

"This is a very serious matter, where a large and professional private health company has taken advantage of our members," says Mette Nord, President of Fagforbundet.

PSI holds workshop on Tax Justice in Ghana

09 August 2018

PSI affiliates converged in Ghana, on July 27-28, for a two-day meeting sponsored by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) on Tax Justice under the theme “Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) and the needed Revenue for Public Services Development”. Before Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria and Kenya held similar meetings; while a final conference has been scheduled to take place in Ethiopia in September.

Corporate power international seminar

27 July 2018

The principal objective of this activity wasto cultivate a broad discussion of the mechanisms that strengthen corporate power while connecting directly to PSI´s global priorities including tax justice, the fight against privatization and free trade agreements.

30 000 nurses on strike in New Zealand

12 July 2018

The 24-hour strike began on Thursday, and comes after months of negotiations between the government and nurses broke down on Wednesday. Nurses said they were overworked and underpaid, with unsafe working conditions leading to burnout and exhaustion.

PSI holds two seminars on tax and trade in São Paulo

11 July 2018

With support from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), the seminars discussed free trade agreements, the new methods employed by transnational companies (TNCs) to “capture” international organisations, corporate tax evasion and prospects for progressive tax reform.

Big Four accounting for influence

11 July 2018

We pay our taxes, so why don’t corporations? This new report shows how the four main accountant firms are embedded in EU policy-making on tax avoidance, and concludes that it is time to kick this industry out of EU anti-tax avoidance policy.

To win quality public services we must have tax justice

24 May 2013

More and more people are seeing the damage caused by regressive taxes. Stagnant economies. Lost jobs. Sky-high youth unemployment. Deep cuts in public services. The result is a dramatic privatisation of services; associated corruption is often one of the major consequences which impacts public budgets, prices and tax policies.


It’s a world-wide trend. It requires a unified, coordinated response backed by positive solutions.

A Financial Transactions Tax for the future we want

09 July 2012
Robin Hood Tax logo

Rio de Janeiro – 22 June 2012:

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as RIO+20, has taken place at a critical moment. The G20, meeting almost simultaneously, has not shown enough collective will by the world’s major economies to resolve the economic and financial turmoil we face. Member states of the European Union are facing a crucial test of their leadership in overcoming the financial and debt crisis. They are being called to choose whether or not to adopt a FTT for human and sustainable development. A positive answer could lead to a fairer and more sustainable future for the EU and contribute to sustainable human development worldwide.

No to Austerity!

19 November 2011

Public services and public service workers are under pressure in almost all European countries with austerity measures affecting EPSU members directly. Collective bargaining, the autonomy of the social partners and social dialogue are under attack in many countries in the Euro-zone, in the EU and in other European countries.

Apply a financial transaction tax to heal global inequities

12 October 2011

Public Services International affiliate healthcare members from Europe and elsewhere are invited to join the delegation for a special event now scheduled for 3 November at the G20 Summit in Cannes, France. This action to promote a financial transaction tax to world leaders is led by PSI, our affiliate National Nurses United, the International Trade Union Confederation and civil society partners.

Policy brief EB-148 : Tax Justice

04 October 2016

This policy brief on Tax Justice was produced for the PSI Executive Board EB-148 held at the ILO in Geneva (Switzerland) on 19-20 May 2016. Its objective is to inform EB-148 of activities in tax since EB-147, that took place in Geneva (Switzerland) in May 2015, and to inform EB-148 of proposed action in tax for 2016. The brief is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Swedish and Japanese.

Tax Justice : Nigeria Report

23 September 2016

This detailed research paper by Jane Lethbridge from Public Services International Research Institute outlines the current issues surrounding tax evasion, avoidance and illicit financial flows in Nigeria and outlines some potential solutions.

Gender and Tax Justice Resources

07 September 2016

These presentations and concept note were produced for PSI's global forum "No Gender Justice Without Tax Justice" held in London, 30 June-1 July 2016.

Ghana: Tax Justice and Public Sector Restructuring

06 September 2016

This background document was prepared for a Conference on Tax Justice held in Ghana as part of a two-year project (funded by FNV) with affiliate trade unions in Ghana, with the aim of promoting quality public services through a fair tax system under conditions of decent work.

Mistreated: The tax treaties that are depriving the world’s poorest countries of vital revenue

25 February 2016
Mistreated

ActionAid has released a new report that reveals how tax treaties are reducing the tax that some of the world’s poorest countries can collect from multinational companies.

Table of missing tax payments

10 November 2015

Corporations do not always want to pay tax on their profits where they are making their profits. They often engage in a strategy called profit shifting whereby, through artificial subsidiary companies they shift their profits into low or no tax countries and thereby avoid paying taxes where profits are made. Research by the Tax Justice Network reveals the real figures behind missing tax.

Still Broken

09 November 2015

Governments must do more to fix the international corporate tax system
New research shows that the gap between where companies pay tax and where they really do their business is huge. In 2012, US multinationals alone shifted $500–700bn, mostly to countries where these profits are not taxed, or taxed at very low rates. G20 countries themselves are among the biggest losers. The measures recently announced by the OECD leave the fundamentals of a broken tax system intact and do not stop the race to the bottom in corporate taxation. G20 governments must do more and should strongly support further reforms.

Civil Society Policy Forum (IMF/World Bank 2016 Annual Meetings)

28 September 2016

The Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF) has become an integral part of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Spring and Annual Meetings, providing an open space for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to dialogue and exchange views with World Bank Group and IMF staff, their peers, government delegations, and other stakeholders on a wide range of topics.

World Social Forum 2016 (Montreal, Canada)

13 July 2016
WSF2016

The World Social Forum is the largest global gathering of civil society to find solutions to the problems of our time by building concrete alternatives to the neoliberal economic model and to politics based on the exploitation of human beings and nature.

UNCTAD 14

11 July 2016
UNCTAD14

The United Nations Committee on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) over many years has provided one of the less neo-liberal forums on trade and development in the UN system. PSI in the past has supported its work and will send a delegation to UNCTAD 14 which is taking place in Nairobi on 17-22 July this year.

Tax justice workshop in Jamaica

24 June 2016

This workshop, organised with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), contributes to PSI’s work in building union capacity to advocate for tax justice and to influence global tax policy through advocacy at national and global levels.

Forum: No Gender Justice without Tax Justice

15 June 2016

PSI and FES are organising a tax and gender forum in London, 30 June - 1 July 2016 on the theme of “No gender justice without tax justice”.

Tax Justice Forum: How to spread that wealth around

01 June 2016

At a time when inequality is rising and public services are being cut, the Panama Papers have shone a new light on corporate accountability. We are looking for new ways to fund development - tax policy has never been more relevant.

Sovereign debt, a global problem: international experiences and the situation of Puerto Rico

29 February 2016

The seminar “Sovereign debt, a global problem: international experiences and the situation of Puerto Rico” will be taking place on 30 March 2016 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the Verdanza Hotel

Video: Multinationals are attacking democracy

12 June 2015

Rosa Pavanelli, PSI General Secretary, speaks at the ICRICT panel on tax reform in Trento, Italy on 2 June 2015.

Video: Brazil - cuts and privatisation damaging health and other public services

01 June 2015

In this video, Juneia Batista, WOC Chair, talks about the situation in her home country, Brazil. She says that 2015 has started poorly, with the government introducing new measures to allow foreign capital into the Brazilian health system.

Audio: Radio Interview with Daniel Bertossa

17 November 2014

PSI Policy Director, Daniel Bertossa is interviewed by Chris Ilsley on Australian radio 6PR Perth Tonight about tax havens and the need to push for fair taxation. Mr Bertossa was in Australia to call on the G20 Leaders to meet their promise to stop multinational corporations from dodging hundreds of billions of dollars each year.

Video: The fightback against austerity

07 July 2014

Public Services International (PSI), the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), together with our affiliate unions, ADEDY, and allies in Greece brought together a team of expert union journalists and communicators. This solidarity exchange enabled PSI communicators from other countries to learn more about the issues facing Greek trade unionists and share this understanding with their union members and communities around the world.

Video: Trade agreements and the threat to quality public services

24 June 2014

Sanya Reid Smith - Third World Network, Guest speaker at PSI's Executive Board meeting in Nyon, Switzerland 24-25 June 2014.

Audio: A RadioLabour interview with Rosa Pavanelli on World Public Services Day

23 June 2014

Monday June 23: World Public Services Day. All around the world governments are attacking public services and the workers who help supply them. As well, a number of international trade agreements are jeopardizing the right of governments to provide public services instead of corporations.

Photos: Tax Justice & Anti-Corruption Forum, Argentina, April 2014

23 May 2014
More than 100 members of affiliate unions of Public Services International (PSI) came together from across the Americas for a Tax Justice and Anti-Corruption Forum in Buenos Aires, Argentina in late April 2014.
Source: Flickr

More than 100 members of affiliate unions of Public Services International (PSI) came together from across the Americas for a Tax Justice and Anti-Corruption Forum in Buenos Aires, Argentina in late April 2014.