“Without the Tax Justice Network it is impossible for me to imagine how activists and an ever growing public would ever have understood – and been outraged by – the threat the offshoring of the world’s wealth represents to the 20th century’s major social innovations: the middle class and the social welfare state. And on a personal note, it was not until I came into contact with TJN that I knew how to go about exposing the “fiscal termites” eating away at democracy.”
Harold Crooks, filmmaker – The Price We Pay
“TJN has done more than any other organisation to put fiscal justice at the center of the policy agenda. Tax issues should not be left to those who want to escape taxes! Changes will come when more and more citizens of the world take ownership of these matters. TJN is a powerful force acting in this direction.”
Thomas Piketty, Economist, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century
“I credit TJN for not only putting tax issues at the heart of the global development debate but also for ensuring that the voices of the people , especially from the Global South are heard loud and clear in this debate.”
Jane Nalunga, Country Director, Uganda, Southern and Eastern African Trade, Information and Negotiations Institute
“I’ve relied on TJN every time I’ve written a line about tax evasion and tax havens which has been quite often. I admire their work enormously.”
Susan George, The Transnational Institute
“Founded at a time when tax was a Cinderella subject, the Tax Justice Network was one of few voices challenging the status quo. Since then, its energy and international reach have greatly magnified its influence as the issues it championed moved up the political agenda.”
Vanessa Houlder, The Financial Times
“TJN has played a crucial role in opening up a whole range of issues. Questions of taxation are important in themselves, and they also unlock wider fundamental debates about the nature of our society. TJN has been at the forefront of opening up such issues.”
Doreen Massey, Open University
“TJN’s efforts to promote international cooperation on the part of governments and enforce responsibility on the part of multinationals safeguard the resources developing countries need for their development.”
Manuel (Butch) Montes, The South Centre
“In some ways I feel responsible for TJN’s creation since I suggested in a 2000 OECD Observer report that civil society needed to have a stronger voice in the international tax debate. Well, over these 12 years it certainly has achieved this, moving tax issues up the political agenda.”
Jeffrey Owens, former head of tax, OECD
“TJN has been instrumental over the past 10 years in making people understand that paying taxes is key to building a civilised society, that tax evasion and tax avoidance must be addressed without complacency. They have significantly contributed to trigger the political support necessary to fight bank and fiduciary secrecy and address the distortions of the international tax system.”
Pascal Saint-Amans, head of tax, OECD
“?Quienes luchamos hoy día a nivel global contra los crímenes fiscales y por desmontar la institucionalidad mundial creada para favorecer la impunidad y la opacidad fiscal; no podemos dejar de reconocer que sin TJN no tendríamos un movimiento internacional por la Justicia Fiscal con tanta fuerza y visibilidad. TJN ha sido fundamental para nosotros en América Latina al brindarnos el instrumental teórico y técnico para comprender el entramado de mecanismos utilizados por los consorcios multinacionales para estimular el fraude fiscal?.”
“Those of us fighting at a global level against tax crimes, and those who are seeking to dismantle the global institutions that promote impunity and fiscal opacity, cannot fail to recognise that without TJN we simply would not have an international movement for tax justice with such strength and visibility. TJN has been fundamental for us in Latin America in providing the theoretical and technical tools to understand the network of mechanisms used by multinational corporations to engage in tax cheating.”
Jorge Coronado Marroquin, Red Latinoamericana sobre Deuda, Desarrollo y Derechos (LATINDADD)
“Amidst an NGO ‘scramble’ to take the mantle on tax justice issues, the UK-based Tax Justice Network (TJN) emerged as the specialists . . . TJN’s influence comes from its capacity to build shared narratives, provide research-led alternatives to mainstream measures and indexes, assert clear policy positions, and engage corporate interlocutors in public debate. Members of TJN have been able to speak to and influence audiences in the activist, scientific, policy, and corporate ‘worlds’.”
Leonard Seabrooke, Duncan Wigan, Copenhagen Business School.
“The expression ‘tax justice’ has entered vocabulary, thanks to the efforts of the Tax Justice Network. Its calls for automatic exchange of information, transparency of company ownership, country-by-country reporting and unitary taxation have redefined the field of taxation, corporate governance and international relations to empower people and call giant corporations to account”
Prof. Prem Sikka, Centre for Global Accountability
“The tireless campaigners at Tax Justice Network, always armed with the best data and the most incisive analysis, have been absolutely key in shifting the scandal of global tax evasion from the nerdy fringes of public debate to the very centre.”
Heather Stewart, Business Editor, The Observer
“When big businesses and the rich avoid paying their fair share of tax, they cheat us all. The Tax Justice Network describes, in plain English, how they do it, what it’s consequences are and how to stop it. If you want a fair society, start reading here.”
Richard Wilkinson, co-founder of the Equality Trust
“?TJN was instrumental not only in promoting policy issues pertaining to global tax dodging and exposing its impact on government revenue and public service provision worldwide and development finance in developing countries. It was also equally instrumental in encouraging, and giving policy and institutional support to civil society organisations in the South to engage with the issues and join the tax justice movement to raise their voice and get involved in the struggle against tax dodging and illicit financial flows. Tax Justice Network ? Africa and other tax justice networks in the South owe a lot to this initial support”.
Dereje Alemayehu, Chair, Coordination Committee, Global Alliance for Tax Justice
“The Queen has asked me to thank you for your letter of 4th November from which Her Majesty has taken careful note of your comments and concerns about taxation and offshore financial secrecy.”
Queen Elizabeth II, to TJN’s director John Christensen,
in a letter dated 6th November 2013
Praise for the Illicit Financial Journalism Programme
Milorad Ivanovic, Executive Editor of Novi Magazin and ICIJ, Serbia:
“I have worked on several offshore investigations, but after the second day of the course I realised I didn’t have proper knowledge on the issue and that I missed very important clues. I have participated in more than 50 different media programmes in the last 15 years and this course is by far the best one regarding the knowledge participants can get.”
Emmanuel Mayah, Editor of Reporters-360, Nigeria:
“In my previous works, I’ve investigated smuggling by tobacco giants, royalty fraud in the extractive industry and ethanol import scams. Never for once did I imagine that these subjects were tax related. But looking back at the long routes I travelled in each of the investigations, I can see how my work would have been a lot better and my life easier if I had tracked the illicit processes thinking “tax”. Indeed it was a revelation and beautiful exercise in night vision.”
Juliana Ruhfus, Senior Presenter at Al Jazeera, UK:
“I found each day useful in different ways. I thought it was a really well-conceived course with good variety between micro and macro, the abstract and case studies. Also an excellent mix of real experts in their fields talking to us!”
Jessie Fenn Samuelsen, Strategic Campaigns Coordinator of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, UK:
“This is the most useful and practical course I have ever been on! It was of a very high standard and extremely inspiring with lots and lots of real learning and new skills that I will take away with me and use.”
Toyin Akinniyi, Research Officer at Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Nigeria:
“I found the sessions on reading company accounts, the session on tax evasion and the techniques employed to stash up monies in tax havens, and the investigative documentary showing high-level corruption, among others, really compelling.”
Susan Comrie, Senior Journalist, Carte Blanche (now City Press), South Africa:
“The entire course sensitised me to the issue of tax and how it plays a role in organised crime and illegal financial deals. I would have solely focused on the illegal gold smuggling and probably would have ignored the tax issue along the lines of “well, that’s not such a serious crime” when I made my documentary. The reason why the IFJP course was really invaluable is that it encourages you to look further than just the people who are mining the gold and the smugglers.”
Devlin Kuyek, GRAIN, Canada:
“After the course, we produced a detailed report on some of the biggest land grabbing firms in the world. I did a lot of digging through company accounts that I probably wouldn’t have done or been able to do properly otherwise. And this is where a lot of really important information came out.”
