What’s the big takeaway from the shocking drop of the Panama Papers? That there’s a set of tax rules for the wealthy elite, and another for the rest of us.

The Panama Papers show that the vast majority of offshore companies are dodgy: they are being used to hide assets from tax authorities, thwart investigations, and protect criminal behaviour.

For us, that means we’re losing out on vital funding we need for our schools, hospitals, roads, and other public services.

But we don’t have to accept these offshore entities as real in Australia. If companies have operations in Australia, then they should be taxed like anyone else. And with the election just around the corner, now’s the time for our voices to be heard.

Sign the petition to Malcolm Turnbull: regulate offshore companies now and make them pay tax in Australia.

The Panama Papers are an unprecedented leak of 11.5 million files from the database of Mossack Fonseca. Mossack Fonseca is the world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm, which is at the centre of helping the rich stop their wealth from being taxed.

These offshore tax arrangements are destroying our society. Corporations around the world are playing countries’ different tax regimes off of each other, and it’s people like you and me who end up losing out. If big companies and the wealthy aren’t paying their fair share of tax, then we don’t get basic public services. Our healthcare and education are already suffering from cuts to the tune of billions.

The world is talking about the Panama Papers at the moment, and it’s putting huge amounts of pressure on world leaders to take action. Iceland’s Prime Minister was forced to resign due to public outrage. Obama’s said that we need international tax reform now.

This is our opportunity to reignite public anger about tax avoidance.

With the election coming up, if we put enough pressure on politicians, we can make them deliver. 

SumOfUs members all around the world are calling on their governments to clamp down on tax havens and stop companies from exploiting tax loopholes. And in Australia, already, tens of thousands of our community have called out companies like Vodafone for not paying any company tax. This public outcry led Vodafone to reach out to us to start a dialogue.

If we’re going to have real impact, we can’t just target companies -- we have to make Parliament change the law and stop companies from exploiting existing loopholes.

Will you join us? Sign the petition to Malcolm Turnbull: regulate offshore companies now and make them pay tax in Australia.

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