Save the Children welcomes the Prime Minister’s focus on tackling corruption
Responding to Prime Minister David Cameronsannouncement in Singaporethat the UK Government will step up its efforts to tackle corruption and promote greater transparency,Brendan Cox, Director of Policy, Advocacy Campaigns at Save the Childrensaid:
“Corruption robs developing countries of the revenues they need to build decent public infrastructure and provide vital services like health and education - that’s why the Prime Minister’s promise to do more to tackle corruption and increase transparency is a very welcome step in the right direction."
Earlier this year, Save the Children’s report Making a Killing: How tax scams are robbing poor countries of lifesaving healthcare showed how the 75 countries where most of the world’s child and maternal mortality occurs lost $78 billion to tax avoidance. The $15 billion is lost in Sub-Saharan Africa due to trade misinvoicing is the equivalent to the cost of 1.8 million health workers.
Save the Children welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitments to stop the UK becoming a safe haven for corrupt money from around the world, including making British companies declare the identities of their owners and tackling the lack of transparency and shell companies that are used to launder money.
Brendan Cox added: “The Prime Minister must now use the full force of the law to ensure companies and individuals are held to these standards. Government must also now deliver on commitments made last year to make the UK’s Overseas Territories reveal the beneficial owners of companies registered in their jurisdictions. Only if these promises become reality will developing countries be able to harness all the tax revenues they are due, to build stronger economies and robust essential services for their citizens."
