This video was published by the International Budget Partnership yesterday, announcing the forthcoming launch of its new series on tax transparency, which I largely host:
Taxes shape our public services, our infrastructure, and our future. But how they're collected and managed should be transparent and accountable.
Debuting on June 24th: A groundbreaking video series exploring tax transparency and accountability, brought to you by the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency, University of Sheffield, and the International Budget Partnership.
Get ready to unpack how tax really shapes society.
It's taken a lot of time to develop this course, and there is already interest in its use in at least five countries on three continents. We're hoping it will make a difference.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
There are links to this blog's glossary in the above post that explain technical terms used in it. Follow them for more explanations.
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
Buy me a coffee!
yawn
So, you aren’t interested in government accountability, or good tax decision making, or ensuring those who owe tax actually pay it, or how we might better use tax as an intrument in economic, social and industrial policy. Thankfully, there are those who are. You get all the benefits from that. We do the work. That makes you sound very like a neoliberal.
@peter
Please don’t troll with your mouth open. Just go back to bed if you’re sleepy.
A fundamental belief I have developed over the years (and I view it as contestable by the way – it’s more of a suspicion I would say) is that if tax is not collected – especially from the rich – some of the money that should have been destroyed to say fight inflation, finds itself ending up in the political system inflating the influence of capital on policy makers.
That influence can effect tax policy itself and of course tax transparency. I think it worthy of more study. If tax can be avoided and hidden, then it increases the wealth of those doing this and their disposable income to the point that funding political parties can be seen as an investment decision like any other resulting in returns (policy that benefits them).
Good luck with the course. You’ve certainly changed my views about tax over the years.
Thanks, and an interesting idea, which we used as an explanation for tax haven lobbying in the past.
Point two will be hotly disputed by real economists. Everyone knowing more about tax and knowing it more clearly could actually reduce revenues to the Exchequer.
Consider the corollary of the claim – that benefits transparency will lead to a lower benefits bill. That’s insane. Making it complicated works to the governments advantage, especially benefits that are seriously hard work to claim, as fewer people can be bothered unless someone helps them through it.
Likewise tax being opaque and complex is working to the government’s advantage. I believe there is data to show the tax take is an all time high outside of wars against the French or Germans, and we’re not officially at war with anyone now. There’s also strong evidence that tax is more opaque and complex than ever before, which is part of the rationale for your course, no.
Very politely, you know a lot about far-right dogma, but almost nothing about tax. I know from a lifetime of experience that you are wrong.
It is only over the past 10 years that I have come to appreciate how important tax transparency is absolutely necessary for good economic governance. Once again, you for your efforts