The former independent candidate has been appointed executive director of Tax Justice UK, which pushes for bolder policies such as a wealth tax and closing corporate loopholes, reports Marco Marcelline
The former independent candidate Faiza Shaheen is set to head an organisation advocating for progressive tax reform.
The left-winger has been appointed executive director of Tax Justice UK, which pushes for bolder policies such as a wealth tax and closing corporate loopholes.
Shaheen was controversially deselected as Labour’s Chingford and Woodford Green candidate in May last year, just six weeks before the 2024 general election.
Shaheen promptly resigned from the party and stood as an independent candidate against Labour and incumbent Iain Duncan Smith. She eventually came just 79 votes behind the second-placed Labour candidate Shama Tatler.
Duncan Smith retained his seat with 17,281 votes. Shaheen had previously come within 2,000 votes of unseating him as a Labour candidate in 2019.
The economist was most recently a visiting professor-in-practice in the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics.
Before that, Faiza took up a post as programme director on inequality at New York University. Through the job she ended up authoring an inequality policy report in 2021 that was launched by then New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Spanish premier Pedro Sanchez.
In a public statement announcing the appointment, Shaheen said: “Throughout my career I’ve seen how tax, and tax policy sits at the heart of increasing or reducing the divides in society and our economic system. I am delighted to be taking up this role and utilising my experience to tackle some of the most profound challenges of our time, from extreme concentrated wealth to the climate crisis.
“Tax Justice UK is an organisation I’ve long admired, and having already met the team, I know I’m joining an extremely talented and dedicated group. I’ll be looking to hit the ground running and ensure taxing the wealth of the ultra-rich is at the top of political and media debate in the months to come.”
Christine Oram, chair of the board of trustees at Tax Justice UK said: “We’re excited to appoint Faiza [as our new executive director] who brings stature, expertise and experience and we’re confident in her ability to drive the organisation, and its impact, to even greater heights. There is real momentum behind the calls for wealth taxation, and Faiza’s strategic vision and knowledge will be crucial to achieving real change to win tax justice, for the benefit of everyone.”
“The board also gives great thanks to Aleema Shivji who has been an exemplary interim executive director at Tax Justice UK – whose great efforts have helped to keep the ship on course while continuing to build momentum.”
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