The release of the Paradise Papers exposing tax avoidance scams worth billions of dollars has clearly put the onus on governments to respond to end such scandals, Oxfam Australia says.
Chief executive Helen Szoke says the leak of more than 13 million files revealed the extent to which the super-rich are getting away with rorting the system to hide their wealth and avoid paying taxes in places like Australia.
She said multinationals were part of the problem, forcing governments to balance their budgets by raising taxes on ordinary people and cutting vital services.
"Stopping the tax scandals is not impossible if the political will is there," she said in a statement on Wednesday.
Oxfam has offered a five-point plan to the Australian government to end such scandals.
"The government must put the interests of the public over the demands of the super-rich and big business. It is now time to act," Dr Szoke said.
OXFAM'S FIVE-POINT PLAN:
* Agree on a global blacklist of tax havens and implement strong counter-measures including sanctions to limit their use.
* End corporate tax secrecy by ensuring all multinational companies make financial reports publicly available for every country where they operate.
* Centralised public register of the individuals who own and benefit from shell companies, trusts and foundations.
* Make sure tax treaties do not exploit developing countries' tax bases.
* Create a global tax body to agree on tax reforms that are needed to ensure the tax system works for everyone.
