Amid a global pandemic that is forcing governments around the world to launch new spending measures, IBP has released the findings of the 2019 Open Budget Survey (OBS), showing weak transparency and oversight in government spending.
By Dec 15, 2020
This is an executive summary of the findings of a series of in-depth case studies on civil society engagement in tax reform. In these cases, we look at campaigns promoted by civic actors in seven countries that either proposed and pushed for specific tax reforms or opposed reforms that had been introduced by the government.
By Dec 14, 2020
This paper synthesizes the findings from what, to our knowledge, is the first set of in-depth case studies on civil society engagement in tax reform. In these cases, we look at campaigns promoted by civic actors in seven countries that either proposed and pushed for specific tax reforms or opposed reforms that had been introduced by the government.
Dec 14, 2020
In late 2018 and early 2019, a diffuse social movement known as the Yellow Vests (gilets jaunes) organized protests in France against various regressive tax policies. The protesters eventually augmented their initial demand to repeal the fuel tax by demanding the reintroduction of wealth taxation and the organization of citizen referenda to inform future policy choices.
Dec 14, 2020
The Central American Institute for Fiscal Studies (ICEFI) took advantage of a major corruption scandal to call for new legislation to enhance accountability in the country’s revenue administration agency which was considered opaque and ineffective. As a result of the campaign, Congress eventually adopted a new law whose main innovations had been proposed by ICEFI.
Dec 14, 2020
In 2018, the Tax Justice Alliance Uganda worked to oppose two controversial and regressive new taxes, one on mobile money transactions and the other on the use of social media. Their campaign was mobilized very quickly to respond to the government’s proposed new taxes before their enactment and included public awareness campaigns including radio programs in rural areas, press conferences, social media activity, petitions to legislators and court cases.
Dec 14, 2020
In 2009, Fundar began a decade-long campaign to improve transparency around tax amnesties, calling them “fiscal privileges” and highlighting their negative impact on equity. In its campaign, Fundar deployed multiple advocacy strategies, including a long battle through the courts as well as a sustained mass media push and legislative advocacy.
Dec 14, 2020
This case study follows the Tax Justice Network Africa’s (TJNA) historic legal challenge to a double taxation agreement that Kenya’s government signed with the tax haven of Mauritius.
Dec 14, 2020
This case study follows Action for Economic Reforms’ engagement in various rounds of reform to so-called “sin taxes” – excise taxes paid on alcohol and tobacco products – and to the oil excise reforms proposed by the Duterte government.
Dec 14, 2020
This case examines efforts to introduce higher income taxes on the wealthy by different civil society coalitions in three U.S. states.
Dec 08, 2020
This report, which focuses on transparency in local government procurement, presents the findings of a survey of municipal websites. The survey, which targeted 34 selected municipalities, aimed to establish the extent to which municipal websites are transparent about the goods and services municipalities procure.
