Aboard the papal plane, 13 November, 2025 / 3:06 pm (ACI Africa).
The National Coordinator for Human Rights and Citizenship of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST) has called on African Churches to raise their voices in defense of tax justice, warning that unjust taxation systems are deepening inequality and poverty across the continent.
In an interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of the Third Session of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for a Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, underway in Nairobi, Kenya, António Filipe Augusto emphasized that the Church has a decisive role to play as the moral conscience of the people.
“My appeal to the Church is to raise her voice against evil and to advocate for justice. This injustice must end. The Church must speak up—not only here at this convention but permanently—so that there is accountability both in the collection and use of taxes,” he told ACI Africa on Wednesday, November 12.
He lamented that in many African countries, “the poor pay taxes on everything, but the destination of the money collected is often unknown.”
“Instead of being invested in schools, hospitals, and social services, the money disappears. Much of it remains in the hands of tax collectors, while politicians use it for other purposes,” Mr. Augusto added.
