The Taxcast

This month Naomi Fowler speaks to activist and writer Ben Phillips about how past struggles for justice were won and how we can win them again. We discuss valuable lessons he learned from living and working around the world which he writes about in his book How To Fight Inequality and why that fight needs you. https://uk.bookshop.org/books/how-to-fight-inequality-and-why-that-fight-needs-you/9781509543090 Plus: Why is the Chinese economy so successful? Naomi discusses with John Christensen the rise of China and, unless they chuck shareholder capitalism, the continuing demise of the US and the UK. Transcript available here. https://www.thetaxcast.com

This month we take a look at the transformative power of financial transactions taxes. There's a chance that New York, home to two of the world's largest stock exchanges, could be about to set an important precedent. We go to Kenya o look at its experience with a financial transactions tax. And we see how much further the tax could go. Plus: we discuss three major waves of change in 2020: the black lives matter protests, Trump's departure from the Whitehouse and the end of the Brexiteers dream. More information on this podcast is available on https://www.thetaxcast.com Further reading: You can read Keval Bharadia's paper "Recalibrating financial transaction tax policy narratives" here: https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Recalibrating-financial-transaction-tax-policy-narratives-Keval-Bharadia.pdf You can look at his slides on Recalibrating financial transactions tax policy narratives for reparations here: https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Recalibrating-ftt-policy-narratives-for-reparations-Keval-Bharadia-slide-pack-04-Dec-20.pdf You can read about the efforts towards a financial transactions tax in New York here: https://www.salon.com/2020/11/01/a-wall-street-tax-that-could-lift-many-out-of-poverty-already-exists--its-just-not-being-collected/ Transcript available here https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Transcript-1.pdf (some is automated and may not be 100% accurate)

This month: we look at the terrible Beirut explosion and how the story of tracing those responsible tells us everything that's wrong with our world. Plus, we discuss what President-elect Biden's win could mean for tax and economic policies: one thing with big potential could be tackling monopoly corporate power which has cross-party support. The transcript is available here https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/TranscriptNov2020.pdf

This month we go on a reparational justice journey and speak to the Council for World Mission about their Legacies of Slavery project and economist and reparations specialist Priya Lukka. Plus: austerity's out, public investment is now in?! We discuss the IMF's hypocritical turn around - now poorer countries need apologies and restitution.. The transcript of the show is available here. Subscribe to the Taxcast by emailing naomi@taxjustice.net

In this episode: How a competition lawyer's eyes were opened to the dangers of letting companies get too big and form monopolies which act against our interests. We talk to Michelle Meagher about her book just out: Competition is Killing Us: How Big Business is Harming Our Society and Planet - and What To Do About It. Plus: not everything is bad news at the moment! We look at the revival of support and progress on financial transactions taxes in New York, some slow advances in the EU on multinationals publishing their accounts, and the significance of the latest leaks revealing corruption in major global banks, the FinCEN Files Transcript available here (not 100% accurate)

How do we stop ourselves sleepwalking into another Great Depression? Join me Naomi Fowler and John Christensen for the Taxcast from the Tax Justice Network. We talk about how we take back control from the super rich and powerful, and make our economies work for all of us. You can find us on most podcast apps and your favourite radio station can broadcast us for free! Get more information on www.taxjustice.net/taxcast

In this special extended interview we ask - how much wealth is stashed offshore? We speak to Tax Justice Network senior advisor Jim Henry on why his estimate for the Tax Justice Network of $21 to 32 trillion has been vindicated by new figures released by the OECD: "it means we've discovered an eighth continent of wealth" Further reading here and here. You can hear a shorter version of this interview on the Taxcast #103 available here in which we also bring you Part 2 on systemic racism and tax.

This month we bring you part 2 on how tax justice can help address systemic racism in the US. Author Shawn Rochester, (The Black Tax: the cost of being Black in America) does some number crunching on the historic denial of equality and economic costs of exclusion, Gabriel Zucman speaks on reforming the private tax of healthcare, Cortney Sanders of the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities speaks about the impact of covid19 on communities of colour, and Brandon J. McKoy of New Jersey Policy Perspective speaks on the myth of millionaire tax flight. Plus: how much wealth is stashed offshore? We speak to Jim Henry on why our estimate of $21 to 32 trillion has been vindicated by new figures released by the OECD: "it means we've discovered an eighth continent of wealth" Transcript available here (not 100% accurate)

This month we look at the United States and how tax justice can help address systemic racism. Plus: did you know Britain's slave owners compensation loan was only settled by the government in 2015 on behalf of taxpayers? As Faulkner wrote: "The past is never dead. It's not even past." As we discuss, the legacy of centuries of institutionalised racism is that a wealth chasm has been created between black and white communities. We also know that the City of London in Britain itself built its wealth from slavery and empire. Still today major finance sectors have extractive business models, that impoverish some of the world's poorest nations. And financial secrecy is another form of empire. So how can we think about combining tax justice and reparations? Keval Bharadia's work on a super tax on the $8 trillion a day financial markets could help show the way. And financial institutions must have independent slavery money audits.

This month, we cover the story the mainstream media aren't telling you – how governments around the world are undermining our tax collection services. We look at how the South Africa Revenue Service was established in very challenging times to become a world class institution. Yet also how quickly such achievements can be set back. Also, as all eyes turn to Central Banks during this coronavirus pandemic, we ask who are they serving? And how do people forge a new relationship and a new role for them that fits modern times?