Women's Views on News |
| Posted: 20 Apr 2016 08:12 AM PDT
The European Commission announced new proposals to tackle tax dodging by multinational corporations recently, including public country-by-country reporting and a common list of tax havens – proposals contained in a Labour report approved by MEPs last year. "The recent Panama Papers revealed tax avoidance on an enormous scale, with an estimated 1 trillion Euro loss in public finances – that's one trillion euros not spent on schools, hospitals and other vital public services, one trillion euros the global super-rich have robbed from the taxpaying public," East Midlands MEP Glenis Willmott said. "By making companies publicly declare where they make their profits and where they pay their tax, we can force them into playing by the rules throughout Europe. "And the new list of tax havens, which will be based on objective criteria, will ensure greater transparency – all activity in places like Panama will need to be disclosed." "This announcement is another excellent example of the EU showing its value and an amazing step forward in the fight against tax avoidance and evasion," Willmott, who is Leader of the Labour Party in Europe, added. "I hope that following the release of the Panama Papers, Conservative MEPs take a long look at themselves after voting down every one of these Labour proposals in the European Parliament last year. "The Tories have a lot to answer for after repeatedly blocking attempts to crack down on tax avoidance and evasion in Europe." The Independent listed the MEPs who voted against the proposals on 25 March this year: Conservatives, UKIP and the DUP’s Diane Dodds. The Panama Papers have also revealed the role that UK-linked tax havens, such as the British Virgin Islands, play in facilitating corruption and money laundering. According to Global Witness, over half of the anonymously-owned companies listed in the Panama Papers were set up in the UK's tax havens, or “Overseas Territories". The UK has the power to address one of the root causes of offshore secrecy by requiring the Overseas Territories to create public registers of the real owners of companies registered there, as happens in UK. This would make it much harder for the world's criminal and corrupt to hide their money there, and mark a huge step towards the global standard of transparency that UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said he wants to see. Cameron has said that he want to see the Overseas Territories create full public registries of company owners, but so far, Global Witness reports, they have only agreed to set up private registries which are accessible to UK law enforcement authorities. Given the scale of the criminality revealed by the Panama Papers and previous work by Global Witness, UK law enforcement won't have the resources to stem the tide of suspect funds. To deter those with something to hide, this information needs to be available to a much wider pool of people, including civil society, journalists and the public. "If we want to break our links to terror financing, dodgy dictators and other criminals we have to address the role the UK's Overseas Territories play by creating public registries of company owners, like we're getting in the UK," Chido Dunn, of Global Witness, said. "The measures announced so far, such as private registers, won't cut it. "As things stand it will be a question of when, not if, the next great corruption scandal hits the UK tax havens."  |
| Fracking: the greatest threat now Posted: 20 Apr 2016 07:31 AM PDT
By Kate Styles. Let us make no bones about this. Nanas believe that FRACKING is the greatest threat that we as a modern society face. From the thousands of extra lorry movements and increases in diesel pollution, to the greenhouse gases that threaten Climate change. The noxious air pollutants released by fracking that impact nearby residents to the questions regarding the disposal of contaminated radioactive wastewater. There are just SO many risks associated with fracking, and we are only just seeing the short term health effects on those who live with it in their communities. Nanas take every opportunity to speak at meetings and raise awareness of these threats. They keep up to date with the new research that is published and try and ensure that a very broad and intricate subject can be made accessible and understood by those with no previous knowledge. Nanas have and will take non-violent and direct action in order to stop fracking. The Nanas took over a field on one of the proposed fracking sites in Lancashire and also participated in a visit to David Cameron's Oxfordshire home in a tank, accompanied by Dame Vivienne Westwood, an outspoken critic of fracking. What the Nanas do works because people identify with what the Nanas stand for. The Nanas are a very visible and easily identifiable group within the anti-fracking movement. To many they represent the wisdom and caring of the broader definition of being a grandmother… a knowledge and experience of life, a warmth and love for family are fairly universal attributes of society's views of being both a grandmother, and the case of anti-fracking, a Nanna. Within protest or environmental activism, the association between Grandma and Nanna is clear. Both have the same desire to protect family coupled with the experience, love, compassion and wisdom that determines their response to the threat posed to the wider community from fracking. Nanas are diverse in their ages, backgrounds, beliefs, but they are united in their passion and determination to protect our air and water, our environment, and above all, the health and wellbeing of our children and your children. Who would have thought that laws and planning would be changed to benefit fracking? Who could have assumed that bans and moratoria on fracking due to health concerns in other countries would be ignored by our Government? How could anyone have known that fracking and its dreadful impacts would not be properly debated in Parliament? It is difficult to know what we could have done differently. It is obvious now that plans have been afoot for at least the past ten to fifteen years, and who knew then what fracking even was? All we can do, is what we have been doing. Continue to be a visible and knowledgeable presence. Continue to educate and raise awareness. Continue to speak up for our loved ones and communities against this dirty industry. Continue to take non-violent peaceful action against fracking. As more communities come under threat, resistance to fracking grows. Nanas will continue to be at the forefront of efforts to stop this toxic industry that threatens each and every one of us and the very air that we breathe. And you can help: please sign this petition asking Greg Clark, the Minister for Local Government and David Cameron to “Please respect Lancashire county council’s democratic right to say no to fracking. “Giving the shale gas industry permission to drill – after council leaders listened to local people and said no to fracking – would make a mockery of the government’s support for local democracy.”  |
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