Antony Jenkins

Group Chief Executive

Barclays

1 Churchill Place

London

E14  5HP

Date: 18^th March 2014.

Ref: OTH.C0080.AR.18.03.14.

Dear Antony,

I have recently been contacted my constituents about the activities of Barclays Bank in Africa, and I share their concerns.  In their letters to me, my constituents have highlighted the report by ActionAid UK, which has shown that Barclays has been openly promoting the use of tax havens by large businesses working in, and investing in, Africa.

It is of huge concern that Barclays’ promotion of tax havens undermines the efforts of African governments to raise the money they need to pay for vital services such as health and education, and to end their dependency on aid.  Promoting tax havens goes against your commitments to ensure that Barclays acts as a “force for good” in Africa.

I therefore call on you to take urgent action to:

• Close down the bank’s Offshore Corporate Division.
• Commit to transparency by making a detailed tax strategy public and prove that any remaining activities in tax havens are not linked to tax avoidance.
• Prove that Barclays intends to play a positive role in Africa on tax by demonstrating that it is pursuing a constructive and fully transparent relationship with the relevant tax authorities and supports the development of strong local tax collection systems and strong on-shore finance sectors in the African countries in which it operates.

The case for action is irrefutable: three times more is lost to tax havens than is received in aid by countries in the Global South, and it is estimated that the lost tax revenue is enough to eliminate extreme poverty across the globe twice over.

Additionally, I would also like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the new Fair Tax Mark, the world’s first independent accreditation scheme to certify that a company is making a genuine effort to be open and transparent about its tax affairs, and to pay the right amount of corporation tax at the right time and in the right place. I would like to know whether Barclays is considering working towards accreditation - and if not, why not.

I look forward to hearing back from you about the concerns raised and the measures you intend to take to improve Barclays’ activities in Africa.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion