London’s Trafalgar Square has been turned into a ‘tropical tax haven’ as part of a protest coinciding with the city’s anti-corruption summit in a bid to highlight Britain’s role in the shadowy world of tax avoidance.
The demonstration saw a group of suit-wearing ‘bankers’ relaxing on a fake beach, complete with deck chairs, lobsters and palm trees.
Activists were seen fanning themselves with wads of cash while enjoying “Swindle Sundaes.”
The protest was organized by Oxfam, ActionAid and Christian Aid.
One activist told RT’s sister company Ruptly: “A lot of the world’s biggest tax havens do have direct links with the UK, and if the UK wants to, they could force them to become far more transparent to make it much harder for people to hide their money there.”
Tax havens and tax avoidance have become big talking points on the international agenda after the Panama Papers leak revealed the vast scale of offshore firms working through a single law firm, Mossack Fonseca.
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.”