Oxfam International
Oxfam International endorses the objectives of the Addis Tax Initiative (ATI) and has joined the ATI as a supporting organisation in May 2018.
Oxfam International fights extreme inequality as a barrier to poverty reduction by investing in activities related to tax justice and domestic resources mobilisation (DRM) and advocating for fairer, pro-poor taxation policies. They seek to challenge concentrations of wealth through international tax reform and support more spending on public health and education programs. Oxfam and Action Aid published a report that examined how the EU’s aid to DRM is disbursed looking at what they considered essential for a good quality DRM project: country and regional ownership of DRM, fairness, inclusiveness, and local empowerment.
Other publications by Oxfam include a briefing paper that scrutinises the efforts, raises some questions about how to measure progress, and urges both governments and donors to shift to a more equity-centred approach to DRM. Oxfam also published a report on “Doubling down on DRM: are we making the right bets”, which monitored previous ATI Commitments as well as “The State of DRM: What is driving DRM? And in which direction”, advocating for an efficient use of new resources in the context of the increasing attention towards DRM.
In 2020, Oxfam provided feedback to the EU on the Tax fraud and evasion - action plan on fraud/evasion and simpler taxation, reiterating the importance of mobilising additional revenues to protect the most vulnerable, finance recovery, and redistribute income. For this reason, Oxfam admonished the EU to explicitly address the fight against tax avoidance, what they believe is key to achieve fair taxation where everybody pays their fair share.
Oxfam strongly believes that DRM will play a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in the recovery from the pandemic. Oxfam views its role as a supporting organisation to represent the interests of civil society and advocate for a pro-poor approach in the work of the ATI.
Oxfam currently co-coordinates the work of the ATI Consultative Group 1 and has engaged in the analysis of the ATI Database by assessing the extent to which equity is adequately addressed and prioritised within DRM cooperation. Additionally, representatives from Oxfam have engaged in several ATI events, such as in a workshop on tax expenditures and DRM, and in a coffee break where the Fair Tax Monitor, a tool jointly developed by Oxfam and Tax Justice Network Africa, was presented.
