Time is right for G20 to act

#975 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 12 Oct 2014.

Over the last 18 months, thousands of citizens in over 100 nations have signed a petition to world leaders, who will gather at the G20 Summit in Brisbane next month, asking them to take action on tax reform.

Dr Mark Zirnsak, from the Uniting Church’s Tax Justice Network, says that in a world in which governments face competitive pressures to assist tax dodgers, ordinary citizens are increasingly calling on their governments to work together to end corruption for the greater good.

Governments are not corporations competing with each other. They have a role to work together for the benefit of all. Addressing these problems will help developing countries build the resources and services that will allow them to address poverty.

Many leaders seem ready to take action on tax reform. We need to encourage them to be bold and follow through, and take steps to combat corruption and protect the poor.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.