CSOs HOLD SADC PEOPLE’S SUMMIT
Civil Society Organisations – CSOs in the SADC Region have converged in Lilongwe, Malawi for SADC People’s Summit. The event is being held alongside the 41st Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in August 2021. The Theme for this year’s 41st Summit is “Bolstering Productive Capacities in the Face of Covid – 19 Pandemic for Inclusive, Sustainable, Economic and Industrial Transformation”.
The People’s Summit is being held under the Theme “Elevate Justice and Peace”.
Among other issues discussed at the People’s Summit include; “tax justice” and “Aid and Debt”. Speaking at the summit, CONGOMA’s chair person, Mr. Kossam Munthali said CSOs will always keep the government in check, especially on excess and tax justice.
Gender issues were also tackled and how they relate to Tax injustice. This saw Dr. Jessie Kabwira, one of the discussants explain how tax injustice affect women and children. She pointed out that girls have to pay a lot of money to just access sanitary pads. Unfortunately for them, they have no money of their own to afford these needs of their lives.
The CSOs pointed out that Taxation is widely recognized as the most reliable, sustainable and democratic way of funding the state budget and public services, unlike Aid and loans which may provide temporary support but not sustainable solutions and that often come with conditions that create new challenges.
As a continent, Africa is losing an estimated US$88.6 billion, equivalent to 3.7% of Africa’s GDP annually in illicit financial flows. This indicates that Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) are a threat to domestic resource mobilization and there is need for African Governments to sufficiently engage in the reform of the International Taxation System through Regional Corporation at SADC and Continental level
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The CSOs also noted that Southern African countries lose approximately 42% of their GDP to IFFs while they lose 2% of their GDP to revenue loss through tax avoidance.
Specifically, Malawi is losing $87 million yearly to tax incentives, $56.7 million yearly to tax havens and $56 million yearly to Illicit Financial Flows committed by multi-national corporations and global private individuals respectively.
Archaic oppressive Double Taxation Agreements and Illicit Financial flows are detrimental to revenue mobilization efforts and adversely affect countries economic growth by draining countries of resources for development.
The CSOs are advocating for the Reforms of the International Taxation System.
The People’s Summit also discussed Extractive Sector Governance; Climate Change and Environmental Justice; Disaster Risk Management and Financing; Environmental Governance and Financing; SADC Member States Elections feedback and Regional Electoral Reforms; Conflict Militarism and Human Insecurity; Human Rights and Defenders; Civic Space, democratization and non-state actors engagement with SADC; Youth Participation; Gender Justice and Women Empowerment; WASH and COVID 19 Management; Disability Rights and Inclusion; Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; Child Rights and Welfare; Cross Border Trading; and Labour issues and informalization in the Post COVID 19 recovery, among others.
The SADC People’s Summit will run for three days starting from 17th to 19th of August 2021 at Crossroads Hotel, in Lilongwe, Malawi as part of the 41st Ordinary Summit of SADC at which Malawi assumes the Chairmanship