National NGOs
War on Want
The problem
The causes of poverty can be deeply embedded in the systems and laws that are used to govern a country. Often the poorest people have no idea about how super-rich individuals and companies manage to amass and retain their wealth.
A recent headline in the Guardian read:
Trusts keep wealth in the hands of the few. It鈥檚 time to stop this tax abuse.
The article claims that the Duke of Westminster left a fortune of 拢9.9 billion to his son but he will not pay the tax that everyone else would normally have to pay.
It criticises the way in which the wealthy elite are seemingly able to pay less tax than ordinary people.
The NGO
War on Want is an NGO created 65 years ago that is dedicated to an international struggle against poverty. It states that by cracking down on tax dodging, countries could fund a transformation in public services and avoid harsh cuts which punish the poorest.
Action: Tax Transparency Now
War on Want鈥檚 Tax Transparency Now campaign is an online petitionA formal written request, signed by many people, to an authority requesting them to take action on a particular matter. that aims to raise enough support to help persuade the government to change laws that allow big companies and wealthy individuals to pay less tax than they should.
This is an example of how NGOs try to prevent social injustice from happening by challenging governments and persuading them to act in different ways.