Vince Cable

On Friday 14^th September the Tax Justice Bus stopped off at Teddington on day 22 of its 53-day tour of the UK and Ireland, as it highlights how global tax dodging is hurting the poor in the UK and beyond.

Local residents welcomed Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty's red double-decker as it stopped at Teddington Methodist Church for afternoon tea and learnt how they can make a difference in the fight for tax justice. Vince Cable, MP for Twickenham, also met with supporters and got on board the bus.

Vince Cable said: "Tax is a key issue of our time, with implications for the poor both in this country and overseas, not least because tax havens are sunny places for shady people. The Tax Justice campaign by Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty is a great campaign."

Local Christian Aid organiser for Teddington, Colin Hicks, added: "There are many important development issues but tax justice ranks high among them".

Tax dodging is an injustice that keeps some people poor while others get richer. It robs countries of the taxes they are owed, money that could be spent on essential services such as health, education and welfare. Both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have condemned aggressive tax avoidance as morally wrong.

Tax Justice Aim's

Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty think the system must be changed and that David Cameron should use his global leadership to end financial secrecy, so tax dodgers have nowhere to hide. As the Tax Bus continues its travels around the country, the charities want people to 'Tick for Tax Justice' by signing a petition that calls on the Prime Minister to push for measures that would require:

• Companies to report on the profits they make and taxes they pay in every country in which they operate.
• Tax havens to automatically share information about the money flowing through them with other countries.

Niall Cooper, Church Action on Poverty, said: 'At a time when spending cuts are having a devastating impact on the UK's poorest people and communities, tax dodging is morally unacceptable. It amounts to robbing the poor. If the Government just collected the £35 billion of tax they know is going uncollected, they could invest properly in tackling UK poverty.'

Hannah Griffiths, Christian Aid, said: 'We estimate that tax dodging by some unscrupulous multinational companies costs developing countries at least $160 billion a year, that's one-and-a-half times the total global aid budget. It's money that could be used to make huge improvements to public services such as healthcare and education, better enabling people to sustain themselves. By making changes to the tax system, people across the world can live healthier, happier and less hungry lives.'

Tax Bus Tour

The Tax Justice Bus will be making over 100 stops from Falmouth to Inverness and Dover to Belfast. Politicians, church leaders and thousands of campaigners and members of the public will be invited to step aboard and show their support for an end to tax dodging.

If you missed the stop in Teddington you can find out more about the 'Tick for Tax Justice' campaign action by visiting www.christianaid.org.uk/tax-bus or www.church-poverty.org.uk/taxbus.