Tax advice bus comes to Colchester (From Gazette)

Tax advice bus comes to Colchester

11:36am Thursday 20th September 2012 in News

A BUS full of volunteers has advised on how tax dodging affects the poor.

The Tax Justice Bus stopped off in Colchester on Monday, on day 25 of its 53-day tour of the UK and Ireland.

A prayer service was also held at Colchester Baptist Church, where Saviour Mwambwa, a Christian Aid partner from Zambia, and Rev Richard Jordan from Church Action on Poverty, shared stories of how tax dodging hurts the poor.

The pair also encouraged Colchester churches to get on board with the campaign.

The Rt Revd Christopher Morgan, Bishop of Colchester, said: “I actively support this significant campaign.

“I believe that justice belongs with reconciliation and healing as Christian categories that need to be honoured by both Christian people and Christian communities.”

The organisation is pushing for a change to the tax system and has launched a petition, called Tick for Tax Justice, which calls for Prime Minister David Cameron to change the law so that companies would have to report on the profits they make and taxes they pay in every country in which they operate.

Rosie Venner, regional co-ordinator for Christian Aid in Essex, added tax dodging costs developing countries $160billion a year, which is one-and-a-half times the total global aid budget.

To find out more, go to church-poverty.org.uk/taxbus.