What’s the big takeaway from the Panama Papers? That there’s a set of tax rules for the wealthy elite, and another for the rest of us. 

National governments around the world pretend there’s nothing they can do. This is nonsense. Governments have the power to legislate on tax, and the power to regulate their financial services industry. They choose to do nothing because they run scared of powerful vested interests.

But there’s one thing that scares governments more -- the people. It’s time we fired a shot of anger across the bow of world leaders and said “enough is enough”. Look at how Iceland's Prime Minister just resigned due to the public outrage, because people are tired of being ripped off by the rich and the powerful. 

Demand action: Clamp down on tax havens. Stop the abuse of our tax system.

It’s time we fired a shot of anger across the bow and said “enough is enough”. If millions of us tell Obama to clamp down on these dodgy tax havens then he’ll be left with no choice but to act, and same thing from Merkel to Cameron.

The Panama Papers is the biggest leak in history, with an unprecedented 11.5 million files revealed from the database of Mossack Fonseca. It's the world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm, right at the centre of helping the rich stop their wealth from being taxed.

Yes, offshore companies aren’t illegal. But the Papers show that the vast majority are dodgy: they are being used to hide assets from tax authorities, thwart investigations, and protect criminal behaviour. There aren’t many honourable reasons to park your cash offshore, so it’s time our governments acted. These offshore tax arrangements are destroying our society. If big companies and the wealthy aren’t paying their fair share of tax, then we don’t get basic public services and we have to pay higher levels of tax than we should!

If there’s a fight our community should be involved in, it is this. Corporations run around the world playing country off against country and it’s us, ordinary citizens, that suffer. Our community around the world is millions strong. If we act with determination and with a single loud voice we can put an end to the greed and selfishness of the rich and the powerful and make them pay their fair share.

The power is in our hands and now let’s use it.

Will you join us? Sign the petition to world leaders: regulate offshore companies now and make them pay tax.

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