Taxes are the price we pay for civilization. Hospitals, schools, access to water, electricity and so much more are all financed through tax revenue. Over the last decade – several tax leaks have highlighted how the most powerful in our society have taken advantages of outdated rules and loopholes to escape that price and avoid paying taxes, undermining the social contract.

What used to be a topic reserved for scholars’ discussions and activists’ rallies is gradually becoming a political and economic priority for governments around the world. This is due to an increased recognition of the nexus between tax morale and democratic participation with social sustainability.

Following the launch of the Atlas of the Offshore World, a project by the EU Tax Observatory and Skatteforsk - Centre for Tax Research, the panelists will reflect on brand new country-by-country estimates on hidden offshore wealth and real estate. These reflections will lead to a lively discussion to get some answers to the following questions: Who are the biggest tax dodgers? Are there differences in the ways individuals and enterprises hide wealth? How much does it cost society as a whole and which countries lose the most? And, how does this affect developing countries in particular?

The conversation will end with a focus on concrete measures that governments could take to tackle tax avoidance and also comment on the role business and investors can play, while also discussing the trade-offs that emerge for them.

Panel:

Gabriel Zucman, Director of EU Tax Observatory

Knut Kjær, Founding CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management

Moderator:

Annette Alstadsæter, Director of Skatteforsk – Centre for tax research