Bishop Mike joined Bristol's political leaders when they boarded the Tax Justice Bus on Monday 3rd September as it stopped in the city as part of a 53-day tour of the UK and Ireland.
Brought to the city by Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty, the bright red bus was welcomed by MPs Stephen Williams and Kerry McCarthy, Bishop Mike and local Christian Aid supporters. They boarded the bus to learn how global tax dodging hurts the poor in the UK and beyond.
Tax dodging is a high-profile injustice that keeps some people poor while others get richer. It robs countries of the taxes they are owed: money that could be spent on health, education, or welfare.
"It was great to hear from Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty about how tax injustice impacts on the poorest people around the world and here in the UK," said Bishop Mike.
"It was a great opportunity to examine this important issue in more detail and see how we might respond."
The Prime Minister and Chancellor have condemned aggressive tax dodging as morally wrong.
Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty are urging David Cameron to use his global leadership to end financial secrecy, so tax dodgers have nowhere to hide.
They want people to sign a petition asking Mr Cameron to push for measures that would require:
- companies to report on profit they make and taxes they pay in every country in which they operate
- tax havens to share automatically with other countries information about the money flowing through the tax haven.