Tax is a feminist issue!

VIDEO ON DEMAND

There is a unanimous concern among activists, experts and academics on the gender bias of tax systems, and, furthermore, on how the contemporary tax reforms may increase the incidence of taxation on the poorest women. This is evident in the decrease of taxes paid by corporations globally through tax evasion/avoidance, tax shift from labour income to consumption and the increase of tax on basic goods. Until now insufficient attention has been put into how tax policies and tax reforms may interact with gendered patterns.

The Green FEMM WG has decided that Gender and Tax Justice is going to be one of the main priorities for 2016 for two main reasons: 1) the FEMM committee has agreed on our proposal to draft an Initiative Report on the topic on the second half of 2016 which will be drafted by a Green MEP; 2) and because there is a social demand shown by creation of civil society groups present all over Europe that work to raise awareness over the unequal effects of tax policies for women and man and to end with any form of gender discrimination in tax systems.

15h00

Welcome words by Molly Scott Cato, Green/EFA MEP

15h15-17h00

THE GENDER DIMENSION OF TAX JUSTICE

Moderator: Ernest Urtasun, Green/EFA MEP

• María Pazos, Mathematician and researcher, Instituto de Estudios Fiscales 
• James Browne, senior research economist, OECD 
• Liz Nelson, director at Tax Justice Network and responsible of the programme of tax justice and human rights.
• Kathleen A. Lahey, Professor at Queen’s University (Canada) and partner of the FairTax research consortium programme of the EU H2020 Programme.
• Gaëlle Garnier, EU Commission, Head of Sector, DG TAXUD 

Session of Q&A (with the participation of relevant NGOs/actors working in tax issues) 

17h00 - 18h15

END TAMPON TAX 

Moderator: Karima Delli, Green/EFA MEP

• Laura Coryton, ‘Stop Taxing Periods’ campaign 
• Juliette Melba, Spokesperson of the Collectif Georgette Sand
• Natalia Kozdra, Collectif Georgette Sand

Session of Q&A (with the participation of relevant NGOs/actors working in tax issues) 

18h15

FINAL REMARKS

• Ernest Urtasun, Green/EFA MEP