Fair Tax Week 2019 launched
We are pleased to announce that Fair Tax Week in 2019 will run from the 6–14 July 2019, incorporating Tax Justice Sunday on the 7 July. Fair Tax Week 2019 will be co-sponsored by SSE plc and Pennon Group plc.
Fair Tax Week is a UK-wide celebration of the companies and organisations that are proud to pay their fair share of corporation tax, and an opportunity to explore the positive contribution this makes to society.
Paul Monaghan, Chief Executive, Fair Tax Mark, said: “Corporation Tax is often presented as a burden, but it shouldn’t be. Not when considered against the huge array of public services it helps fund – from education, health and social care, to flood defence, roads, policing and defence. It also plays a crucial role in holding the whole tax system together – helping to counter financial inequalities and rebalance distorted economies. Which is why it’s so important that more businesses step forward and say what they pay with pride.
“During Fair Tax Week we’ll be celebrating the organisations that are proud to pay the right amount of tax for the benefit of all, and to ensure a level playing-field for business. We are delighted that Pennon Group plc and SSE plc are supporting this year’s Fair Tax Week.”
Fair Tax Week will be supported by a dedicated online platform that will detail Fair Tax events across the UK. Businesses and supporting organisations will be running events during the week, which will be uploaded to and promoted on the Fair Tax Week website.
Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Responsible Tax said: “The APPG on Responsible Tax is delighted to support Fair Tax Week and Tax Justice Sunday, together with the call for business to say what they pay in each and every country in which they operate. We hope to see Fair Tax Week and Tax Justice Sunday become an established part of the calendar, just like Fairtrade Fortnight and Living Wage Week, where organisations that do the right thing when it comes to tax are not only recognised but celebrated.”
It is estimated that£400bn of global corporate profits are shifted annually to tax havens, with corporate tax revenue losses in the UK of approximately £7bn per annum.
Susan Davy, Chief Financial Officer, Pennon Group, said: “We are delighted to co-sponsor Fair Tax Week 2019. The taxes we pay help fund vital public services, investment in people and investment in infrastructure to support future growth. The UK would not be the country it is without the tax contributions of business of all sizes, operating in all sectors. The attitude towards payment of taxes of a few companies has been a factor in a loss of public confidence in big business and we hope that Fair Tax Week can play a part in winning that trust back.”
Gregor Alexander, Finance Director, SSE said: “We’re proud to have been reaccredited with our fifth Fair Tax Mark and to see the growth of the organisation and, importantly, the tax debate, since we first achieved the independent kitemark in 2014. Utilities provide an essential service and it’s only right they hold themselves to high standards and we’re delighted to be co-sponsoring Fair Tax Week with Pennon, the most recent FTSE company to join the growing list of businesses placing importance on tax transparency.”
For more information about Fair Tax Week 2019, visit www.fairtaxweek.net/fairtaxweek2019
