Sir, – Arthur Beesley’s article (“Scrutiny of Ireland begins to bite in Apple tax inquiry”, May 22nd) reminds us of Ireland’s role in an international system of tax avoidance.
While the current spotlight is on Ireland’s role in reducing corporate taxes earned in a handful of developed countries, multiples of that – an estimated €120 billion – are lost to developing countries each year through aggressive tax avoidance facilitated in part by financial institutions in European countries.
EU Foreign affairs and development ministers will meet this week to make an important decision on the role the EU will play in global efforts to eradicate poverty and stop climate change. This will feed into a larger process taking place at the UN, beginning this September at an event co-hosted by Ireland, to review the Millennium Development Goals.
There is a consensus across civil society in Ireland, Europe and the developing world that this UN framework must be centrally based on human rights, equality and good governance.
But it is now also clear that to end world poverty we must address tax justice. Put simply, through our role in the international tax avoidance system, Ireland and Europe are responsible for denying governments the world over of the revenues they need to tackle poverty in their own countries. – Yours, etc,
HANS ZOMER,
Director, Dóchas,
Lower Baggot Street,
Dublin 2.