Bill Wilson MSP

Dr Bill Wilson MSP has highlighted Public and Commercial Services Union claims that the UK is significantly damaging the public services of developing countries by fostering corporate tax dodging.

Dr Wilson said, “I lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament to draw attention to a report in the PCSU’s magazine, View, which pointed out that because many of the world’s tax havens are based in the British Isles, and the City of London supports an army of lawyers and accountants dedicated to helping people dodge tax, the UK can be considered to some extent responsible for poor public services in developing countries.

“If we attack developing countries’ tax bases, which is effectively what results from our lax tax laws and poor enforcement, we are attacking some of the poorest people on the planet.  The colossal sum involved – £250 billion lost from developing countries through tax dodging, of which the UK is responsible for a significant proportion – makes a mockery of our much-vaunted aid budget, which will increase to £7.8 billion by 2010/11.

“If we want to help the poorest on the planet we should concentrate on promoting truly fair trade and on eliminating tax avoidance and evasion.  Furthermore, as I have often pointed out, the latter would help the poorest in our country too.”

Notes to Editors

1.  Text of motion

Date of Lodging: 15th July 2010
Short Title: UK a Key Player in £250 Billion Tax Losses in the Developing World.

S3M-06738 Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP): That the Parliament notes the comments by the Deputy General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union that the public services of developing countries are suffering because of an estimated £250 billion lost to what he described as corporate tax dodging; further notes that he claimed that the United Kingdom is a key player in this because many of the world's tax havens are based in the British Isles and that the City of London supported what he described as an army of lawyers and accountants dedicated to helping people dodge tax; considers that the issue of aid is trivial in comparison; calls on the UK Government to take urgent measures to stop what is considered to be the effective plundering of the poorest countries to benefit some of the richest individuals on the planet, and is of the view that UK Government should be aware that ending tax evasion and avoidance would also benefit most citizens of the UK.

Note that this motion refers to information taken from View, April 2009. Please click here to view. 

2. Related previous releases

Please click here to view.