Tax evasion in the world, on the part of companies or individuals, costs each year 427 billion dollars (360 billion euros) to states, for the benefit of tax havens or countries with little scrutiny, reveals this Friday the NGO Tax Justice Network.
The NGO has scrutinized tax evasion country by country in a report that it presents as the first of its kind and which attempts to shed light on financial flows known for their opacity.
The figures, unveiled as the world battles the pandemic, were compiled from multinational corporations' declarations to tax authorities, recently released by the OECD, which date back to 2016.
For individuals, the NGO relied on bank deposit data available from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) from 2018.
Companies, champions of tax evasion
The NGO considers tax evasion any financial flow abroad in order to avoid taxation, without entering into the debate as to whether it is illegal or not.
Of this sum of $ 427 billion that escapes tax, the equivalent of the annual salary of 34 million nurses, 245 billion are the work of companies and 182 billion individuals.
The report explains that multinationals move the equivalent of $ 1,380 billion in profits to tax havens, but also to several rich countries that do not always belong to blacklists like the one established by the EU.
Individuals invest a total of more than 10,000 billion in financial assets.
Newsletter "It pays me"
The newsletter that improves your purchasing power
I'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to enable you to receive our news and commercial offers.
Learn more
The regions that lose the most are the richest.
North America loses 95 billion dollars and Europe 184 billion, that is, by comparison in the midst of the pandemic, 5.7% and 12.6% respectively of their budget dedicated to health.
Latin America and Africa heavily impacted
Latin America and Africa lose less money, but the impact is much heavier, since this represents 20.4% and 52.5% of their health budget respectively.
The report also examines the countries that benefit the most from this tax evasion.
The Cayman Islands, the overseas territories of the United Kingdom, are the big winners, capturing 16.5%, ahead of the United Kingdom (10%), the Netherlands (8.5%), Luxembourg (6, 5%) and the United States (5.53%).
"Under pressure from large corporations and tax havens like the Netherlands or the United Kingdom and its network, our governments have put the desires of wealthy companies and individuals before the needs of everyone else," said Alex Cobham, director General of Tax Justice Network, quoted in a press release.
READ ALSO>
An investigation against Ikea for undue tax advantages in the Netherlands
This report, released on the eve of the virtual G20 summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, urges world leaders to allow the publication of country-by-country tax data for multinationals, while OECD figures are only released. aggregates.
Finally, the NGO pleads for more taxing companies and wealthy individuals in order to reduce the inequalities caused by the pandemic.