Ecuador’s initiative against tax havens receives support in the World Social Forum
held in Montreal, Canada
Thursday, 08/18/2016 - 11:30:20 AM
Quito, Aug 18 (Andes) .- The Ethics Pact proposal led by Ecuador banning tax havens
seeking a national and international crusade, was warmly welcomed within the XV World
Social Forum held in Montreal, Canada, between August 9 and 14.
During this meeting, thousands of activists and intellectuals from around the world
discussed collective proposals to build a better and a more social justice world, said a
source from the Foreign Ministry.
One of the analysis issues at the World Social Forum was how to coordinate efforts to
combat this practice that this Andean nation considers as illegitimate and harmful for
development.
Ricardo Fuentes, executive director of Oxfam in Mexico, stressed that “tax havens are not
only illegitimate, but they are an aberration against the rule of law and common sense of
citizenship."
In this regard, Alain Denault, from the University of Quebec, a specialist in this subject,
presented concrete proposals to build a national and international legislation and
mechanisms to combat the laws of exception.
When asked about the struggle of the Ecuadorian government against tax havens, the expert
said that "the radical proposal led by Rafael Correa, both from the State as well as with the
initiative of the upcoming referendum, allow revealing the warm proposals promised by
some Western politicians. That represents a political will to move the political cursor and
advance this struggle to a global level ".
Each participant at the working tables about tax justice considered an advance the struggle
undertaken by Ecuador, where the government of the Citizen Revolution comes into
convergence with the demands of social movements.
Erika Dayle, prosecution lawyer and consultant to the UN on tax havens, said that "the
referendum in Ecuador is an important step towards transparency" and emphasized that
through this referendum, democracy issues are highlighted by not allowing that “the
economic elite run the country ".
In the General Assembly of the World Social Forum, where the proposals prepared
throughout the week were presented and where a struggle agenda is elaborated, Ecuador's
proposal was mentioned and applauded by all participants.
This forum is a proof that the agenda of social movements and a progressive states are not
always exclusive, but can be brought together to achieve Peoples ‘good living.
Ecuador will present its proposal to the General Assembly of the UN, in September and
will call for a referendum in February 2017 so that citizens who aim public office may not
practice this, if they own property or “offshore” capital.
The referendum includes a transitory which mentions if a citizen elected has goods and tax
havens; they have a term of up to one year to return their resources to the country.
Among the participants at the World Social Forum in Montreal, the Ethics Pact proposed
by the Ecuadorian president was highlighted, and that this was the only one in the world
that signed a letter along with 300 economists of the world against tax havens.
The position of President Correa and his initiative for the referendum was recognized in
this meeting held in Canada, as an example of democracy, by calling its citizens to the polls
to decide on such an important issue for his country and to humanity in the current
international economic situation.
Bertita Caceres, (daughter of the social activist Bertha Caceres, recently murdered), ruled
by an Ethics Pact as soon as possible by rejecting the existence of tax havens anywhere in
the world , "so that people decide on their property and their economy."
For Boaventura de Sousa Santos, professor at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, said that
Ecuador´s struggle is also for the progressive Europeans especially during this time and it is
very important to go ahead with this.
"We welcome the initiative and hope to succeed," he said, adding that it has been calculated
that "if a small part of this money to pay taxes in our countries, all social policies,
education, health, transport, would be rescued ".
"The problem is that the very rich people do not pay taxes, because they take their wealth
out of the country," he said.
Meanwhile, Cuca Hernandez of ATTAC-Spain (Association for the Taxation of Financial
Transactions for Citizens Aid) movement said that "a democratic government cannot have a
public servant who is fighting against the government interests it represents, "and that
having offshore accounts, evades taxes and tax commitments.
"It is an anti-democratic way to fight the society it represents, which seems that they are
taking too long to create the rules to prevent public officials with accounts in tax havens,"
he said.
For Francisco Torrealba, assembly member for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela,
expressed support Ecuador on behalf of the so-called “bloque de la Patria” with this
initiative that aims to combat this form of corruption that allows people who have a lot of
money to take it out the country, and then present themselves as an electoral option. "
"The public interest and citizens will have to be above the personal interests of the
capitalists who have political aspirations," he said.
Maite Mola, Vice President of the European Left Party and MEP, said that this is an
ongoing debate within the left in Europe, where important political and cultural figures of
these countries "take the money they earn and then send them to other countries for not
paying taxes.”
"With that what they are getting is that in Europe in particular, also in Spain, where the
royal crown is also involved, what they will do is dismantle public services, that we do not
have an end, no education, therefore a fundamental struggle is to end those places where
the rich take their money and do not pay taxes so that others, the poor, middle class citizens
can live better.”
"The proposal made by Rafael Correa seems very important for us especially to make a
query whether it is possible that a person who aims to political choices may have money in
a tax haven," he said in assessing the proposed referendum in Ecuador, which he said, this
does not exist in Europe.
"All our support for Rafael Correa, the people of Ecuador, as this is an example for
democracy, for Europe and for the rest of the world," he said.
Maria Elena Saludas, ATTAC-Argentina, said that she supports the Ecuadorian proposal to
end the impunity of tax havens. "You have to fight in the framework of the United Nations,
but also country by country, and even continentally to have enough forces to eradicate
them," she said.
Translation of : http://www.andes.info.ec/es/noticias/iniciativa-ecuador-contra-paraisosfiscales-recibe-respaldo-foro-social-mundial-montreal