Anti-corruption summit: Protesters turn London's Trafalgar Square into 'tropical tax haven'
Demonstrators have transformed London's Trafalgar Square into a 'tropical tax haven' in an effort to urge governments to do more to tackle tax avoidance. It comes as the UK capital hosts the Anti-Corruption Summit 2016.
The protest, organised by Oxfam, Action Aid and Christian Aid, saw the iconic landmark taken over by a fake beach, complete with deck chairs, lobsters and palm trees. A number of people dressed in suits fanned themselves with wads of cash on the makeshift beach on Thursday (12 May 2016).
Sally Copely of Oxfam said, "We just think this has got to the point where ending tax havens has to be done. They serve no useful economic purpose. All they do is allow large institutions and teams of tax accountants and lawyers to actually really pit themselves against the poorest countries who just don't have the resources to fight that".
She added that she believes it is British Prime Minister David Cameron's "moral responsibility" to tackle the issue of tax havens. Cameron has been hosting the anti-corruption summit in London, with US Secretary of State John Kerry and Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari also in attendance.
The issue has been back in the public eye since the leak of the Panama Papers earlier this year. It saw thousands of documents from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca released to the public, highlighting a number of cases of high-profile tax havens around the world.
David McNair, policy director at the One charity, said at the protest, "We have seen again and again how places like the British Virgin Islands are used to launder money and we need to crack down on that through transparency of companies and trusts. The prime minister has the power to do this and we are calling on him to take the opportunity now today".
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