Discussing the impact of tax justice on access to health at the Afrikadag
17/11/2024
- Event
On 16 November 2024, Wemos was present at the Afrikadag 2024, in Pakhuis de Zwijger, in Amsterdam. In our session, titled ‘Tax Wars: The Fight for Universal Healthcare and Financial Justice’, we discussed the profound impact of tax justice on human rights, including access to health, with a panel of experts.
The session started with a key cut of the documentary ‘Tax Wars’, an award-winning documentary film following experts advocating for fair tax policies to curb corporate greed and tax evasion. You can watch the full documentary here.
The live screening of this documentary formed a starting point for a lively discussion on tax-related illicit financial flows. These hamper domestic resource mobilization in many countries in Africa. The panel talked about the direct and indirect impacts they have on access to public services like healthcare. A special focus was put on the recent steps, led by African countries, to develop a UN framework convention on international tax cooperation. This is considered to be a promising, legally binding instrument in the fight to close public finance gaps.
We were honoured to have Everlyn Muendo (Tax Justice Network Africa) and Hege Dehli (Tax Wars director) on our panel. They emphasized the critical role of inclusive, effective and comprehensive international tax cooperation in efforts to close domestic public finance gaps.
Co-hosts Barbara Fienieg (Wemos), Arnold Merkies (Tax Justice NL) and Jan Schriefer (FNV) added their perspectives from their respective works in health and financial justice.
Barbara: “Staggering amounts of tax are currently not paid by multinational enterprises and wealthy individuals, due to cross-border tax avoidance practices. As a result, an estimated annual 492 billion USD is lost to the public purse globally. In Africa, the resulting government tax losses equal 13% of their average spending on health. Progressive taxation at fair rates is crucial to fulfill state obligations and commitments, including those related to human rights, gender equality, public services, and the promotion of health and well-being.”
The session underscored the urgency of addressing tax avoidance so that countries can ensure access to healthcare.
