Oblates Call for Tax transparency at Amazon the new frontier in corporate governance
Peace, Justice, and the Integrity of Creation
Fr. Séamus P. Finn, OMI
Our resolution with Amazon on tax transparency and accountability, which can be seen on the Amazon Proxy and is ITEM #12 on the agenda, is getting great attention across the world (nice article in Danish press a couple of days ago) as we work to recruit other shareholders to vote for the resolution when they receive their Amazon proxies.
It is most encouraging to receive support from some of the biggest pension funds in the world and of course from our own faith based investors at ICCR.
Building coalitions with other faith traditions and with men and women of goodwill and their institutions and organizations has been an important priority of Catholic Social Teaching and was especially highlighted by Pope John XXIII in the late 50s.
After many years of trying, this is the first time that the resolution on tax transparency and accountability has ever made it into the proxy statement of a public company in the United States. As we know, tax evasion and tax strategies are a huge part of corporate planning strategies and deprive governments and citizens throughout the world of much needed revenue to fund such essential necessities as healthcare, food support, education and safety.
Please check to see if you own Amazon shares or it is in your Pension fund, Mutual fund or Trust fund or join this world wide campaign to build a tax system that is equitable and makes everyone pay their fair share.