I had a really interesting surgery appointment last Friday with local supporters of the ONE organisation.

 

ONE aims to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa, by raising public awareness and pressuring political leaders to support smart and effective policies.

 

The group here in Brighton is very active and I was impressed by the passion and commitment to action of those who came to last week’s surgery.

 

Following on from the appointment I'll be supporting ONE’s campaign for greater corporate transparency.

 

This includes a call for the names of ultimate beneficial owners of companies to be put into public registries.

 

“Beneficial owners” are those that may benefit from company ownership, for example, may receive income, even though legal title of the company belongs to others.

 

This creates a veil of secrecy that makes theft of assets and tax evasion more likely.

 

Greater transparency is a crucial step in allowing citizens to track resources and enabling governments to collect revenues.

 

Also, tackling tax evasion is something I’ve strongly pushed for here in the UK, through measures such as my 2011 Tax and Financial Transparency Bill.

 

I wish the ONE campaigners all the best for their endeavours in the coming months, and look forward to working with them in future.