The launch of Westminster Against Dirty Money
Adam Hug (Westminster Leader), Joe Powell (Kensington Against Dirty Money co-founder), Mary Pater (Fair Tax Foundation) and Rose Zussman (Transparency International UK) at the launch
Last week, Westminster City Council took some major steps forward in their efforts to tackle dirty money and tax abuse in the borough. Westminster shares many of the challenges that we have in Kensington and Chelsea, with a high number of anonymous foreign owned properties and investigations showing significant corrupt wealth in luxury property. There is also a well publicised problem with business rates evasion by some US-style candy stores and souvenir shops operating on Oxford Street.
The steps Westminster have taken include:
Launching a draft charter on tackling dirty money, which Kensington Against Dirty Money has had the opportunity to comment on.
Joining the Councils for Fair Tax Declaration, which aims to ensure local procurement does not go to companies using tax havens.
Advocating for national policy that will help councils address dirty money issues locally.
We are proud of the impact our campaign is having in showing why people care about this issue and what practical steps can be done to address it. Kensington Against Dirty Money now looks forward to seeing similar action from RBKC as soon as possible, so collectively we can tighten the net and prevent dirty money driving up inequality and hollowing out our communities.
