Achieving Economic Justice through People-Centered Reform

As global inequality continues to soar and fiscal injustice deepens the divide between rich and poor, urgent action is needed to shift the course. At Oxfam Denmark, we are committed to promoting economic justice by challenging the systems that concentrate wealth and power, and by enabling civil society to be a driving force for change.

By influencing policies on taxation, debt, and public spending, we aim to advance a human economy that prioritizes people and the planet over profit.

Mobilizing Civil Society to Drive Reform

We work hand in hand with grassroots movements, youth groups, women’s networks, and local communities to amplify their voices in public discourse. Through partnerships, training, and advocacy, we help build their capacity to challenge economic injustice, advocate for alternatives to austerity, and demand accountability from decision-makers. Civil society must play a central role in shaping a fairer economy, that serves the many, not the few.

Advocating for Progressive and Gender-Just Fiscal Policies

Oxfam Denmark promotes fair taxation systems that are progressive, transparent, and gender responsive. We advocate for domestic resource mobilization strategies that close tax loopholes, curb illicit financial flows, and ensure that corporations and wealthy individuals contribute their fair share.

These resources should be reinvested in quality public services – education, healthcare, social protection – and in a green, inclusive transition that benefits the most vulnerable.

Holding Power to Account and Enabling Sustainable Solutions

We engage with governments, financial institutions, and the private sector to demand responsible investment practices that align with the Sustainable Development Goals. Our approach centers on transparency, ethical business conduct, and human rights.

By supporting investigative journalism and fostering public awareness, we strengthen democratic oversight and help citizens demand economic systems that are just, inclusive, and sustainable for generations to come.

 Decades of progress on extreme poverty are now in reverse and millions of people are facing impossible rises in the cost of simply staying alive.

Gabriela Bucher
Executive Director, Oxfam International

Join us in the fight for Economic Justice

Oxfam Denmark annually supports and strengthens civil society organizations and social movements worldwide to push governments for more inclusive and progressive tax systems and economic policies. You can support Oxfam Denmark’ collaboration with investigative journalists and independent media to uncover the negative consequences of economic inequality and create public awareness.

Your support can also strengthen Oxfam Denmarks’ work with youth and women’s movements in Africa and Latin America in their fight for progressive economic policies and taxation.

How Oxfam Denmark Works with Tax Justice

Tax is one of the most powerful tools for redistributing global wealth and securing long-term financing for essential public services such as education, healthcare, and sustainable development. Yet, today, the 100 wealthiest individuals in the world own a staggering DKK 10 trillion (EUR 1.3 trillion), while over one billion people live in poverty.

Much of the world’s wealth is generated in low-income countries rich in natural resources like oil, gas, and minerals. However, these resources often benefit only a small elite or multinational corporations, rather than the people living in poverty in those countries.

The issue is not a lack of resources, but a skewed and unjust distribution. And because these systems are man-made, they can be changed. That is the mission of Oxfam Denmark’s tax justice work.

Curbing Capital Flight and Corporate Tax Avoidance

For every Danish krone given in development aid, ten kroner are lost through illicit capital flight, often enabled by aggressive tax planning by multinational corporations. Oxfam Denmark works to increase transparency in corporate financial reporting so that companies are taxed where their profits are truly generated. We engage in policy dialogue both in Denmark and internationally, advocating for laws such as the EU directive on country-by-country reporting, that expose how much oil and mining companies pay in tax in developing countries.

We also advocate for global political solutions to close down tax havens, which enable not just corporations, but also corrupt politicians, drug traffickers, and terrorists to hide wealth and avoid taxation. Oxfam Denmark urges the Danish government to take a leadership role in the global fight against tax secrecy and impunity.

Supporting Fair National Tax Systems and Pro-Poor Spending

In many low-income countries, taxes on natural resource extraction are far too low. Corporations extract enormous value from the earth while contributing minimally to the societies around them.

Oxfam Denmark works to strengthen national tax authorities, promote transparency in extractive industry contracts, and build civil society capacity to push for fair taxation. Our efforts have contributed to Ghana implementing smarter taxation on gold exports, and we continue to analyze extractive laws and contracts across Africa and Latin America.

Beyond fair taxation, it is vital that tax revenues are used to reduce inequality. Oxfam Denmark supports anti-corruption efforts and civil society involvement in decisions on how public funds are spent, ensuring, for example, that mining revenues reach the poorest communities in Sierra Leone.

We also advocate for the introduction of a financial transaction tax (FTT) to curb speculative trading and generate new revenue to address global challenges like climate change and poverty. Oxfam Denmark is pushing for Denmark to support an FTT and other innovative international tax mechanisms that promote development, justice, and sustainability.