Democracy is at stake, pleads OECD's Angel Gurria

OECD secretary-general Angel Gurria. (Lefteris Pitarakis/Getty Images)

It's not often you hear passionate statements about tax.

But Angel Gurría, head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development which has just released a report looking at corporate tax avoidance had this to say to The Guardian: 

"Citizens are already losing faith in their banks and the financial system. If big corporations fail to pay tax ... it will undermine democracy. This is about the survival of democracy." 

Hamida Ghafour is a foreign affairs reporter at The Star.  She has lived and worked in the Middle East and Asia for more than 10 years and is author of a book on Afghanistan. Follow her on Twitter @HamidaGhafour