Charities: Tax deal 'a step in the right direction'

Campaigners have welcomed today's Lough Erne Declaration on tax, saying it was "a step in the right direction" but warned there was "major unfinished business" as leaders failed to agree a deal to tackle the chronic hunger afflicting hundreds of millions of people world wide.

Read: Cameron unveils Lough Erne tax deal to tackle evasion

Enough Food For Everyone IF spokesperson Sally Copley said:

"Today’s G8 tax deal is a step in the right direction, but it also leaves major unfinished business.

"Although the G8 has set out the right ambition on information exchange, poor countries battling hunger can’t afford to wait to be included.

"It’s progress that more tax authorities will know who owns phantom firms so they can crackdown on them, but a summit focussed on transparency can’t justify keeping this information secret.

"The public argument for a crackdown on tax dodging has been won, but the political battle remains. Future G8s and G20s must urgently finish the job.”