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Tax issues - a humanitarian concern?

Afghan children eating lunch in a district in Daikundin Province, central Afghanistan, in June 2008. High food prices and drought have hit hard millions of already vulnerable Afghans, aid agencies said. Masoud Popalzai/IRIN

Interesting analysis from Oxford Analytica on the recent Christian Aid report (Death and Taxes) on tax evasion, which accuses tax havens and multinational companies of depriving developing countries of 160 billion dollars of tax revenues per year.

The 18 July Oxford Analytica article suggests tax issues are becoming more prominent in development and policy circles.

Leading development NGOs are focusing attention on the lack of transparency regarding tax havens and the taxes paid by multinational companies, which they say is hindering developing countries' efforts to raise revenue.

The issue may well come up at a UN Financing for Development meeting in Doha in November, according to the study.

The Christian Aid report predicts that “illegal, trade-related tax evasion alone will be responsible for some 5.6 million deaths of young children in the developing world between 2000 and 2015. That's almost 1,000 a day. Half are already dead.”

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