Business Civil Society And The New Politics Of Corporate Tax Justice

Since the financial crisis the extent of corporate tax avoidance has attracted media headlines and the attention of political leaders the world over. This study examines the ‘new’ politics of corporate taxation and the role of civil society organisations in shaping the international tax agenda and influencing the tax practices of the world’s largest and most powerful corporations. It highlights the complex and multi-dimensional strategies used by activists to influence public opinion, formal regulation and corporate behaviour in relation to international taxation.

Tax “justice” has become an increasingly central issue of political debate in many countries, particularly following the cardiac arrest of global financial services in 2008 and the subsequent worldwide slump in trade and production. The evident abuse of tax systems by corporations and rich individuals through tax avoidance schemes and offshore shadow banking is increasingly in the public eye. Above all, the political challenges of recovery and structural reform have raised core issues of burden-sharing and social equity on the agendas of both civil society groups and political elites. Democratic states need tax revenue to fund public goods and combat public “bads” with any degree of legitimacy. The contributions to this book discuss the haphazard evolution of contemporary taxation systems, their contradictory effects in a globalized economy, and the urgency of their reform as a precondition for social justice.

This authoritative book examines the power of multinational corporations (MNCs) to exert influence in global politics. Focusing on the actions and motivations of MNCs, it explores how they attempt to shape the political issues that affect them.

This short introduction to issues of tax justice explains the meaning and causes of tax injustice and offers options for a better future. Providing insight into the specific failures of Africa s tax systemand the associated problems of capital flight, tax evasion, tax avoidance, and tax competitionthis book explores the role of governments, parliaments, and taxpayers, and asks how stakeholders can help achieve tax justice. Arguing that tax revenues are essential for establishing independent states of free citizens, it demonstrates how the tax consensus promoted by multilateral agencies, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, has influenced tax policy in Africa and led to a reduction in government revenues in many countries. "

This comprehensive Handbook provides an insight into the main concepts and academic debates on taxation from a political science perspective. Providing a background to current debates on green taxation, taxation and inequality, taxation and gender, tax evasion and avoidance, and tax compliance, it offers potential avenues for future research.

This comprehensive Handbook provides an analysis of the key issues, accomplishments, and challenges of research and practices related to the interactions between business and public policy.

This book does not present a single philosophical approach to taxation and ethics, but instead demonstrates the divergence in opinions and approaches using a framework consisting of three broad categories: tax policy and design of tax law; ethical standards for tax advisors and taxpayers; and tax law enforcement. In turn, the book addresses a number of moral questions in connection with taxes, concerning such topics as: • the nature of government • the relation between government (the state) and its subjects or citizens • the moral justification of taxes• the link between property and taxation• tax planning, evasion and avoidance • corporate social responsibility• the use of coercive power in collecting taxes and enforcing tax laws • ethical standards for tax advisors • tax payer rights • the balance between individual rights to liberty and privacy, and government compliance and information requirements • the moral justification underlying the efforts of legislators and policymakers to restructure society and steer individual and corporate behavior.

This exciting Research Agenda offers a multi-disciplinary and historically informed programme for the further investigation of the global political economy of the corporate sector. It tackles the question, can and should the corporation be reformed? Christopher May develops a range of intersecting areas for research while also offering an account of the possibilities for the reform of the global corporation.