Becoming a Tax Justice Congregation

As a way of marking their commitment to tax justice issues, we are asking congregations, of whatever denomination, to consider becoming a Tax Justice Congregation and carry out as many of the ideas below as they can. It is not suggested that all the ideas should be taken up at once! Much better would be a phased process, beginning with awareness-building and developing gradually, hoping to achieve most of the proposals eventually. We recognise that the fight for tax justice will take some time and we are in this for the long haul.

A Tax Justice Congregation/Parish/Synod will endeavour to do the following.

1. Advocate for tax justice by:
 

• appointing a tax justice champion (or champions) who will keep the issue of tax justice alive in the congregation;
• committing to learning more about tax justice, including making use of material from Church Action for Tax Justice, Christian Aid and other relevant bodies;
• including tax justice as an issue in its prayer life;
• raising tax justice as an issue within appropriate district, regional or national gatherings as this applies to their denomination;
• marking Tax Justice Sunday once per year (usually in June);
• considering supporting tax justice organisations financially.

  2. Campaign for tax justice by:
 

• writing to your local MP and government ministers to seek their support for tax justice issues (see template letters here);
• writing to your local councillors asking them to sign up to the Councils for Fair Tax declaration (you can use this template letter);
• signing and promoting any petitions promoted by CATJ and other tax justice organisations;
• encouraging the members to find out if companies in which they personally invest have positive tax policies, or are working towards the Fair Tax Mark, or if their pension funds require this of companies in which they invest.

3. Demonstrate integrity in tax justice by:
 

• investigating its own investments (if it has any), asking any companies to sign up to the Fair Tax Mark, or explain why they won’t;
• writing to their denominational pension and/or investment board encouraging them to urge the companies in which they invest to pursue the Fair Tax Mark.