Source: Oxfam petition against fiscal paradise shielding
In one of my previous posts I used some charts to underline the worldwide increase of social inequality. A plague which is growing exponentially, an ever radicalizing gap between the wealthiest classes and the poor ones.
Why - despite all the apparent benefits granted by the recent technological progresses - the poor is becoming just poorer and the rich richer?
So far, the enormous potential of internet and the sharing economy have not been able to translate in a distributed wealth, and this is a fact we can check in our daily lives.
The following video, is part of a campaign from OXFAM UK which tackles the globally growing problem of tax avoidance and dodging.
I would just add that Money Laundering is NOT an elegant financial practice but a sinkhole within today's society.
This fancy name hides the worst criminal businesses, from drug to weapon tafficking, to pedophile rings.
Tax dodging, in the same way, is a plague we all should be aware of. When companies and wealthy individuals don't pay their fair share of taxes, those resources are drained away from the weaker parts of the society, it's something that impacts in our lives much more than what we think.
When I hear that these are white collars crimes or practices, I say that their collars are dirty of blood.
If we just try to fight problems one after the other, without reaching their source and tackling the true cancer within this globalised economy, it won't be different from trying to emptying the sea by filling a bucket of water and pour it on the sand.
Tools like Steemit may be used not only as a voice but also as a powerful weapon in order to make human rights prevail over the financial drift and perversion we are witnessing.
Some relevant links:
Sign this petition to push for Chancellor Philip Hammond to activate Public Country-By-Country Reporting – a change in the rules that would force multinational corporations to be upfront and honest about the taxes they pay, in all the countries they operate in.
Tax avoidance may be legal but it’s bankrupting our social order (source: theguardian.com).
Paradise Papers: Everything you need to know about the leak (source: bbc.com)
And, last but not least, let's all welcome @steemaid with the support and heart that only Steemians are able to show! A very much expected initiative by @sammarkjames. Here's his introductory article: https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@steemaid/introducing-steemaid-a-charity-powered-by-steem#@sammarkjames/
Awakening. Awareneness. Action.
F3nix
I think a lot of us are talking about it - just our voices are not loud. Mostly, because they aren't backed up by bags and bags of money!!
This is not new. We just had the illusion that "modern" life would be different. The church has been exploiting people for a couple of thousand years and so have the kings and queens.
We thought that people like Marx and Engles or Che Guevara would change the world. One kind, the ones like Che, got killed, often by the Secret Service of the US and other nations. The others never attempted to live that equality themselves and their ideology led to nothing but mass murder and state capitalism - still money in the hands of a few.
Arggghhh - you got me started. The incredible injustice we are living now and have lived for centuries does make me sick. That we have food which gets destroyed and tons of people starving. Sucks!!
And the leaders we have here, in Russia, in many African countries....... Can't even wrap my mind around it!!
And Apple has - what is it - 260 billion - stashed away. A number way too big to even wrap my head around. This "it is never enough" attitude is beyond comprehension.
Charity is good, but not the answer. I think having lots of small businesses again to fill the needs lets us be more independent of the "big" guys and actually allows people to make a living....
How in the world did cute little Lemon girl get you going on how much the world sucks?
And money laundering stinks!!!!
I agree that injustice has been a constant in mankind, however I tend to make a difference due to the hyperbolic progress we enjoyed just in these few decades. I want to explain a bit clearer: there's no alibi anymore, everyone can know and learn if they want. Internet took these excuses away from us, and just left each one of us with a big responsibility. With great tools comes a great responsibility in how to use them. And this is the point, noone can say "I coudn't know" nowadays. That's why it's important to raise our level of awareness and pass to the action. But why I write such things? I didn't put any puppy / boob / funny story here...so this article is going to be neglected as it's to be ;-P Thank you sincerely Marianne for your contribution..you're someone with a heart.
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Ahh such truth in one small piece. The middle class has shrunk so far as to be unrecognizable. I struggle to remain solvent working full time. One financial hit can sink my boat easily... $500 in the savings bank is expected... $5 is my reality. No end is in sight. Good article.
Thank you @wandrnrose7 for your contribution to my post :-) I wanted to keep it short and to the point. The video talks by itself I guess. On the theme, this could be controversial due to the many defenders of self-determining and of having a world the most possible tax-free. I believe instead in the necessity for a country to take care of the poor and disadvantaged and find ways to distribute wealth and ensure minimal standards for everyone. I am not against taxes if I know that they will be destined for the good of society (look at the Scandinavian countries models, like Norway). We could debate a lot. People here is in favour of crypto, I am too and an enthusiast of its technology but.. how can this economical decentralised and anarchic model cope with the necessity of governmental structures, like the social welfare, equally important for ensuring a distributed wealth?
So agree. I have this discussion over and over again with my self-proclaimed anarchists or libertarian friends. Their argument is that people will because they are good and want to. My answer is - have you lived under a rock all your life? Am not seeing it, not now, not ever. Sure, there have always been some who took care of others. But they are in such a minority that we look at them as Saints - even if we are not religious...
I don't have a very high opinion of human nature honestly..usually when resources are scarce - and that's the moment when your true nature comes out - we are greedy / never contented / selfish beings. No..I call myself an anarchist, but anarchy doesn't mean disorganisation..this is a misunderstanding. As much as decentralisation doesn't mean bsence of rules..let's look at how an ethereum smart contract works for instance..well, if the cryptomovement becomes mainstream, there will always be the need IMO of a "social moderator" that will regulate certain dynamics in the way that disvantaged people can be safeguarded too in their fundamental rights. Peace and love sister ;-)
You are welcome. It's certainly a need to change the current construct. I hope some smart people come to agreement to lift the poor.
smart and not we should all feel the need for a change. This globalised capitalistic model is not sustainable, it's never been..everything that implies a constant growth in order to survive cannot be anything but unbalanced JMHO
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