Tax Justice Network

Tax Justice Network

Abbreviation	TJN
Formation	March 2003 formal November 2002 informal
Founder	28 co-founders[1]
Founded at	London
Type	NGO
Focus	tax avoidance, tax competition, tax evasion, and tax havens.
Headquarters	38 Stanley Avenue, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 2JG, United Kingdom.
Official language	English
Chief Executive	Alex Cobham
Revenue	£1,111,981 ($1,556,773) (2016)
Website	www.taxjustice.net

The Tax Justice Network (TJN) is a British advocacy group^[2] consisting of a coalition of researchers and activists with a shared concern about tax avoidance, tax competition, and tax havens.^[3]

Activity

Research

The TJN has reported on the OECD Base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) projects and conducted their own research that the scale of corporate taxes being avoided by multinationals is an estimated $660 billion in 2012 (a quarter of US multinationals’ gross profits), which is equivalent to 0.9% of World GDP.^[4][5]

In July 2012, following a study into wealthy individuals with offshore accounts, the Tax Justice Network published claims regarding deposits worth at least $21 trillion (£13 trillion), potentially even $32 trillion, in secretive tax havens. As a result, governments suffer a lack of income taxes of up to $280 billion.^[6][7][8]

In November 2020, the TJN published "The State of Tax Justice 2020" report. It claims $427 billion is lost every year to tax abuse.^[9][10]

Financial Secrecy Index

The Financial Secrecy Index is a biennial publication of the TJN which was started in 2009 and was last released in February 2020.^[11] It covers 133 global jurisdictions and produces a "Secrecy Indicator" score for each based on 20 qualitative criteria. Releases are widely covered in the media.^{[2][12][13][14]}

Corporate Tax Haven Index

The Corporate Tax Haven Index is a biennial publication of the TJN which had its inaugural publication in May 2019.^[15] It covers 64 global jurisdictions and produces a "Corporate Tax Haven Index" value by combining two core measures; first a "Haven Score" based on 20 mostly tax related criteria, second a "Global Scale Weight" showing the scale of activity. Release are widely covered in the media.^[16][17][18]

Publicity

Experts of TJN appeared at public hearings of the Finance Committee of the German Bundestag in 2016.^[19]

Funding

TJN has been rated as 'highly transparent' in its funding by Transparify^[20] and has been given an A grade for funding transparency by Who Funds You?^[21]

Leadership and authors

• John Christensen, founding director and chief executive 2003-2016, board chair 2016-2021^[22][23]
• Richard Murphy, co-founder and research director 2003-2010^[24]
• Alex Cobham, chief executive since 2016^[25]

Notable authors who have worked with TJN include accounting scholar Prem Sikka, activist Sony Kapoor, journalist Nicholas Shaxson,^[26] and legal scholar Sol Picciotto.^[27]

See also

• Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions and for Citizens' Action
• Tax Foundation
• Offshore financial centre
• Corporate haven
• Tax haven

Notes

1. "Happy Birthday Tax Justice Network". TJN. 9 November 2012.
2. "Report Says U.S. Is World's Second-Biggest Tax Haven". Bloomberg News. 30 January 2018. The Financial Secrecy Index, an assessment of global financial centers compiled by the Tax Justice Network, a left-leaning research and advocacy group,
3. "Core Funding Prospectus 2018–2021" (PDF). Tax Justice Network. 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
4. "Tax Avoidance Costing U.S. $189 Billion: Tax Justice Network". Bloomberg News. 23 March 2017.
5. "Base Erosion and Profit Shifting BEPS". Tax Justice Network. 2015.
6. "13 trillion pounds in offshore tax havens: Report". The Times of India. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
7. "Super rich hold $32 trillion in offshore havens". Reuters. 22 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
8. "Tax havens: Super-rich 'hiding' at least $21tn". BBC. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
9. "The State of Tax Justice 2020" (PDF). Tax Justice Network. 20 November 2020.
10. "$427bn a year lost to tax abuse by firms and rich individuals, study finds". The Guardian. 20 November 2020.
11. "Financial Secrecy Index 2020 Results". Tax Justice Network. 18 February 2020.
12. "U.S. Becomes World's Second-Biggest Tax Haven". Wall Street Journal. 30 January 2018.
13. "UN urged to launch global effort to end offshore tax evasion". The Guardian. 30 January 2018.
14. "Australia a safe haven for illicit funds, but Switzerland the world's worst". Sydney Morning Herald. 31 January 2018.
15. "Corporate Tax Haven Index 2019 Results". Tax Justice Network. 28 May 2019.
16. "UK and territories are 'greatest enabler' of tax avoidance, study says". The Guardian. 28 May 2019.
17. "Channel Islands 'among worst tax havens' worldwide". BBC. 28 May 2019.
18. "U.K. Islands Unravel Global Corporate Tax Order, Group Says". Bloomberg Tax. 28 May 2019.
19. "Öffentliche Sitzung des Finanzausschusses" (in German). German Bundestag. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
20. "Round-Up of Transparify 2018 Ratings". Transparify. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
21. "Tax Justice Network | Who Funds You?". whofundsyou.org.
22. "John Christensen steps down as Tax Justice Network chair". Tax Justice Network. 2 August 2021.
23. Richard Murphy (3 August 2021). "John Christensen quits the Tax Justice Network". Tax Research UK.
24. "Richard Murphy". Tax Research UK.
25. Alex Cobham (2 August 2021). "The past, present and future of Tax Justice Network". Tax Justice Network.
26. "Our History". Tax Justice Network.
27. "Sol Picciotto, ICTD Senior Fellow". Institute of Development Studies.

External links

• Tax Justice Network
• Global Tax Alliance for Justice
• Briefing Paper of the TJN
• TJN Co-founder Richard Murphy Tax Blog
• Bullough, Oliver. "The Fall of Jersey: How a Tax Haven Goes Bust," The Guardian online, 8 December 2015 - includes an interview with John Christensen, a native of Jersey, about the origins of TJN