Tackling misinformation on tax

Tax is intensely political. It's routinely misreported by media of all kinds, and often it's the subject of downright disinformation. We look at how to deal with a lack of truth telling, from the experiences of the Tax Justice Network itself and those of a retired scientist who's had a lot of success in combating it. Plus: our new Real Estate Secrecy Index - who are the world's worst offenders?

"They can't get away with this. It's a victory. It's a small victory for truth." ~ Alan Williams Key

"Misinformation, fake news goes against democratic processes. You can't have proper democracy without pushing back against misinformation in the press." ~ Mark Bou Mansour

"Real estate is not the only high value asset that you can use to hide illicit flows, but it's certainly one of the easiest and one of the most attractive." ~ Alex Cobham

Transcript of the show available here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/July-2026-script-1.pdf

Featuring:

Alan Williams Key, retired scientist, jazz musician and champion complainer to the Independent Press Standards Organisation

Alex Cobham, Chief Executive, Tax Justice Network

Mark Bou Mansour, Head of Communications, Tax Justice Network

Leo Schick, co-producer of the Taxcast, The Corruption Diaries and freelance journalist

Further reading:

Express business coverage found to have breached Editors' Code 12 times this year https://pressgazette.co.uk/the-wire/newspaper-corrections-media-mistakes-errors-legal/express-business-coverage-found-to-have-breached-editors-code-12-times-this-year/

Alan Williams Key's successful complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation about claims printed about millionaire migration from the UK https://www.ipso.co.uk/rulings/00197-25/

Millionaire "exodus" claim backtracked but media re-run story anyway https://taxjustice.net/press/millionaire-exodus-claim-backtracked-but-media-re-run-story-anyway/

Study behind millionaire exodus claims drops author and numbers after fake data accusations - Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/press/millionaire-exodus-study-drops-author-and-numbers-after-fake-data-accusations/

Introducing the Real Estate Secrecy Index - Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/2026/06/23/introducing-the-real-estate-secrecy-index/

Financial Secrecy Index https://fsi.taxjustice.net/#scoring_id=316