Global: the trillion dollar anti-corruption question

Written by David Fletcher 19 Apr 2019
Global: the trillion dollar anti-corruption question

A new report from the IMF at its spring meeting shows that curbing corruption would deliver an additional US$1 trillion in tax revenues annually across the world; money that could support much-needed investments in health, education and infrastructure. In this season of trade-war fears, threats of economic shocks and warnings of a global economic slowdown, the IMF signalled a clear ambition to take a lead on tackling corruption. Reports for over sixty member countries mention that money-laundering and bribery have more than doubled. Mentions of the term ‘corruption’ increased by over 220%. Transparency International’s report on the IMF stated, ‘It is not enough just to mention corruption. What we would like to see is the IMF also making specific, actionable, and time-bound recommendations to tackle corruption.’

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