Tax injustice and the great heist of Lebanon

While Lebanon is going through a historical economic collapse, where an economic and political elite has failed to govern the country, the Pandora Papers exposed yet another aspect of the financial crisis. 

In October 2021, millions of leaked documents revealed the secret offshore accounts of world leaders, billionaires and celebrities, including from Arab States, enabling these latter to avoid paying tax in their country. 

While in most countries, it’s not illegal to have assets offshore, the economic implications are catastrophic for the countries missing out on tax revenues. And for governments with an already limited public investment, like in the Arab States, the lost revenue is missing sorely. 

Analysts from the Arab NGO Network for Development are following the issue of taxation in Arab countries. Among them, Naser Abdelkarim Mufrej, a PhD in Financial economics from Palestine. As well, Nizar Hassan, a Lebanese researcher and content creator, takes part in the progressive political organisation LiHaqqi and tries to organise for a more just governance of Lebanon.