Alex Cobham
Chief executive @TaxJusticeNet.bsky.social (he/him). New book: 'What do we know and what should we do about... Tax justice?' (SAGE Press): uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/what-do-w…
- 'Golden passports' (paying for citizenship) are an important tool of crossborder tax abuse, as well as sanctions evasion etc., and part of Malta's corruption. Great FT digging here - hope that the wider media will now stop replaying Henley's PR guff about millionaires 'fleeing' wealth taxes etc
- “I’m very proud to have saved several countries’ economies” on.ft.com/4j3XJ2u On Henley & Partners, by Laura Dubois and me
- It's unconscionable that this genocidal Israeli action remains largely unchallenged by other states. (And transparently clear that there is no role for any 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation' to address it)
- Deliberate vandalism of the social contract, in the aim of greater inequalities. "The IRS could forego $323 billion in tax revenue over the next decade due to lower tax compliance and a decline in audits, according to an estimate from the Yale Budget Lab."
- Imagine choosing this policy direction over, say, introducing a minimal wealth tax
- NEW: Internal DWP figures show 700,000 families *already* in poverty are forecast to be hit by planned disability benefit cuts That's on top of the 250k+ who are predicted to be newly pushed into poverty by the changes By me, for the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
- [Not loaded yet]
- [Not loaded yet]
- Thanks Jan, will read with interest
- Ach, missed this - sounds great Jan, is the paper available? And might it be the basis for something at our conference in Brazil, in October? taxjustice.net/events/a-cli...
- The White House has prevented publication of information on the tax incidence of some of the beautiful new tariffs. It's almost as if they don't believe their own story that the tariffs will be paid by those nasty foreign countries... www.theguardian.com/business/liv...
- This. No one ever shifted the public narrative to force radical change by framing their message to appeal to power.
- This week, in 'Deregulate for growth!'
- "The Agriculture Department will not require poultry companies to limit salmonella bacteria in their products, halting a Biden Administration effort to prevent food poisoning from contaminated meat." www.seattletimes.com/business/usd...
- [Not loaded yet]
- 😁
- Sounds like it’s a mistake to leave public goods in the hands of billionaires who can decide at any moment they’re bored and don’t want to support them anymore bsky.app/profile/clar...
- “‘Mommy, the guy who’s been giving money to our school doesn’t want to give it to us anymore,’” he told her. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/u...
- If only there was a better way to convert excessive wealth into public goods... oh well
- "What's fundamental is to have rules which are multilaterally accepted." Where are EU, UK etc? International tax is a critical area for this. Time to choose between giving up tax sovereignty to Trump, or seeking collective progress through an ambitious UN convention taxjustice.net/reports/the-...
- This is it. We know that confidence in the social contract, founded on taxation, is a long-term process - and that tax is perhaps the single most important determinant of political representation over time. The damage done now will affect US democracy for the foreseeable future
- Exciting opportunity at a promising new entrant to the #TaxJustice world!
- 🆕 Please repost: The new🍁Canadian Tax Observatory seeks a visionary Founding CEO! 🆕 Canada’s tax system is contributing to economic inequality - help drive a national conversation on tax fairness. Learn more + apply 👇 #EconSky #TaxPolicy #TaxSky #CdnPoli
- There's an open question about whether the tariff pause *is* a scam, or merely provided the opportunity for one. But as Arthur's piece shows, there's no question at all that we've just witnessed a massive insider trading crime.
- The 'story' and its reporting is nonsense on stilts that plays to a simplistic agenda of resistance to progressive taxation. The extent of coverage internationally is a good measure of the degree of media capture - hello UK...
- Tariffs, yes, but the deliberate destruction of the US' capability to finance itself (progressively) may turn out to be the bigliest damage of the Trump administration...
- I'm somehow running the Edinburgh Marathon - in case you can help to support Medical Aid for Palestinians @medicalaidpal.bsky.social (and thank you) www.justgiving.com/page/edinbur...
- This is spot on.
- [Not loaded yet]
- [Not loaded yet]
- Congratulations Stephen, and best wishes for the consultancy!
- Anyone who ever had to clean up Comtrade data after finding unexpected results for unpopulated jurisdictions *may* experience a brief flicker of sympathy
- Who funds Tony Blair Institute?
- This. The closest example I can think of, for a peacetime act of such deliberate vandalism against a broadly effective tax authority, is Sri Lanka. There it was driven by ideological opposition to effective, progressive taxation, coupled with growing corruption as elites embedded themselves in power
- Great to talk wealth tax with BBC Scotland this morning- and a chance to highlight the important work of Tax Justice Scotland - find more at taxjustice.scot - and also @taxjusticeuk.bsky.social
- Visiting PhD fellowships with the good people at @unu-wider.bsky.social - including on tax and public finance! Please share widely www.wider.unu.edu/opportunity/...
- Damning reflection on the UK government's inhumane cuts to disability benefits - and a wider thought on how people who think they are good, can allow themselves to do great harm to others...
- It's not rocket science. Leading economists call on UK government to raise taxes to fund public spending
- Oh wow. Solidarity with @greenpeaceusa.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
- Hm. "A combination of excess cash flow and ongoing capital raising is another red flag that can signal accounting misstatements." - @mccrum.bsky.social & Stephen Morris raise some interesting questions on Tesla's accounts @alphaville.ft.com www.ft.com/content/62df...
- "A choice has been made to not launch a more fair and progressive tax system, but to ringfence the rentier class instead – as everyone downstream from asset-rich capital is pummelled." - @nesrinemalik.bsky.social on UK government's self-damaging swing to the right www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- Ireland's very exposed, as @aidanregan.bsky.social says here. Around the world, ideologues like Milei may feel inspired to new extremes by Trump, but the havens have to worry that he will eat their lunch... www.theguardian.com/business/202...
- The FBI has told Citibank to freeze the account of the NY state tax department??
- “When you hamstring the IRS, it’s just a tax cut for tax cheats.” Great reporting on the extreme act of vandalism being committed against the IRS and the US people, which will drive inequality higher and undermine the prospects of a functioning, fair state for years to come.
- “By firing us, you’re going to cut down on how much revenue the country brings in,” said an axed IRS specialist who’d been brought in to audit complex tax returns filed by large corporations and wealthy individuals. “This was not about saving money.” By @andykroll.bsky.social
- Hello fascism. Now excising research with nasty words, from: advocacy socioeconomic structural to: gender race and ethnicity women
- "The global trend of International Cooperation and Assistance is being driven away from the wellbeing of people and international human rights law commitments and financial obligations, particularly harming women and girls..." - UN experts and special rapporteurs
- If you only read one statement on International Women's Day, read this one
- "Only through a renewed commitment to international cooperation and assistance can we make substantial progress towards a fairer and more just world for future generations." www.ohchr.org/sites/defaul...
- Joint oped from Ramaphosa, Lula, Sanchez, after their participation at the Vatican event on #TaxJustice: "FfD4 will be a defining moment to secure commitments for stronger international financial cooperation for sustainable dev't, including through better taxation..." geopolitique.eu/en/2025/03/0...
- Great piece, and very disturbing. Key point in the graphic...
- Even for this White House, the false narrative that allowing more corruption in US markets is a win for US small businesses is a shocker. This is just opening the door further for tax abuse and other crimes, to benefit the dishonest few
- Tomorrow's excellent Guardian leader, on moving ahead without the United States - the new Tax Justice Network report www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- New @taxjusticenet.bsky.social report: The international tax consequences of President Trump The choice between subjugation to the US, or the pursuit of cooperation at the UN, could not be clearer. taxjustice.net/reports/the-...
- Seeking (and likely) to do permanent damage to the ability of the US state to function for its people. Tax is our social superpower, central to our ability to organise ourselves to live better, healthier, happier lives together. This is an attack on the many by the few.
- Tax is our social superpower. And letting an oligarch strip the data from your tax authority is - how democracy dies? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
- Powerful stories and testimonies of the continued abuse - including through policy - of disabled people in Scotland. And yes, it's very likely worse where you are... (I had the pleasure to work with Tressa Burke, quoted at length, as commissioners on the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Commission)
- From the @icrict.bsky.social/PASS event at the Vatican - the momentum for global tax justice via the UN convention is becoming irresistible. The @taxjusticenet.bsky.social press release is here: taxjustice.net/press/govern...
- [Not loaded yet]
- [Not loaded yet]
- Thanks! I had forgotten all about the starter pack, must be lots of updates to do - will get on it
- Join us @icrict.bsky.social on the livestream this Thursday - you won't believe who is talking #TaxJustice at the Vatican! #TaxThePower
- [Not loaded yet]
-
View full threadThe committee has agreed the report on the session, and is now discussing secretariat ideas for the structure of the negotiations (time did not allow this to be completed this week), which will now be agreed by the Bureau in the next weeks.
- The Chair has gavelled the meeting to a close, and UN DESA is thanking delegates and looking forward to working together to make the process a success. Drinks in the delegate lounge to follow for those in NY...
