argia.eus
INPRIMATU
Elimination of banks and secret taxes
Juan Mari Arregi 2013ko apirilaren 18a

As this crisis is aggravated by popular sectors and workers themselves, more and more data on the size of tax havens, such as the caves of robbers. 90% of the companies listed in the IBEX in the Spanish State have subsidiaries in these caves. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (CIVAL) revealed data from over 130,000 politicians and entrepreneurs around the world who use tax havens to do business or hide money. The prestigious research study Tax Justice Network estimates that between 21 and 32 trillion dollars (24 trillion euros) were in tax havens in 2011. It would be a quarter of the world ' s wealth, and in essence it has been deposited there by large banks and multinationals. In the Spanish State, tax fraud is between 20 and 25% of GDP, i.e. between EUR 200,000 and EUR 250,000 million of GDP of one trillion. If the average tax burden were applied to this figure, some EUR 75,000 million would be obtained.
Why don't governments agree to remove these burglar caves? The G20 Summit, held in London in 2009, stated that "the time of secret banks is over." However, these offshore havens are stronger than ever. That is where capitalism protects its friends while leading millions of people to misery, unemployment and suicide. It is time for bank and tax secrets to be erased. Governments can do so by amending the laws if they so wish. But as managers of capitalism, they don't want to. In the Basque Country, our forced haciendas should abolish these secret banks and taxes and publish the names of the great fraudsters. They are really responsible for labour and social cuts. That would be one of the objectives of the mobilizations of citizens and workers.