1 year since the Paradise Papers – governments need to take action!
5 November 2018
Monday November 5, 2018 marks the one-year anniversary of the publication of the Paradise Papers, the gigantic release of leaked tax haven documents that made news around the world.
The Paradise Papers provided evidence of international tax dodging on a wide scale, and resulted in a call for action by
political leaders in many countries. But one year following their publication, little has been done internationally or
nationally to prevent the tax avoidance and evasion exposed by the Paradise Papers.
In New Zealand official and governmental reaction to the Paradise Papers has been almost mute, despite passage of the
New Zealand Taxation (Neutralising Base Erosion and Profit Shifting) Act in June this year. Louise Delany, spokesperson
for Tax Justice Aotearoa New Zealand (TJANZ), says that this new law simply doesn’t address the root causes which enable
multinational companies and rich individuals to get away with not paying tax.
Tax Justice Aotearoa New Zealand (TJANZ) is part of a global campaign push to mark the one-year anniversary of the
Paradise Papers, and call on governments to take action and Make Multinational Corporations Pay Their Share of Tax.
International cooperation is needed, along with effective enforcement at national and international levels. Significant
criminal penalties should recognise the damage wrought by criminal behaviour. New Zealand should legislate to ensure
maximum transparency with full public access to information on the activities of multinational companies and trusts.
TJANZ said New Zealand is perfectly placed to be a leader on tax havens and tax avoidance. "The world urgently needs
countries to take concrete steps the fix the international tax system. New Zealand is ideal for that role."
"One year after the Paradise Papers scandal, we’re unfortunately still far from the point where the problems in our tax
system have been fixed. Globally, corporate tax avoidance is costing countries an estimated US$500 billion per year. In
the world’s poorest countries, one type of corporate tax avoidance alone is costing countries around US$100 billion per
year. This money is direly needed to fund public services such as healthcare and education, as well as climate
protection and sustainable development.
“There is no time to waste. Governments need to stop allowing harmful tax practices, and start cooperating
internationally, to find a global solution to this global problem. They also need to introduce transparency, so that
citizens can see where multinational corporations are doing business, and how much tax they pay, in each country where
they operate.
“It is perfectly possible to make multinational corporations pay their share of tax. We need our governments to take
urgent action to make it happen.”