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August 2012 - Vol 4 #8 GFI Newsletter: End of Summer Update
GFI welcomes Sweet Honey in the Rock to the 2012 Fairness Award!
GFI is pleased to announce that DC's own internationally renowned a
cappella ensemble, Sweet Honey in the Rock, will bring its soulful
vocal harmonies to the Fairness Award celebration on November 13.
Founded in 1973 and rooted in a commitment to creating music from the
richness of African American legacies and traditions, Sweet Honey in
the Rock wraps its stunning voices around interpretations of Blues,
gospel, reggae, hip hop, jazz, ancient lullabies, and more.

Sweet Honey in the Rock has performed throughout the United States
and around the world, bringing songs of peace, justice, and hope. In
2009 Sweet Honey performed in a White House concert at the invitation
of President and Mrs. Obama. After receiving a Grammy Award
nomination in 2008, Sweet Honey composed original music for the Alvin
Ailey Dance Theater's 50th anniversary, performing with them across
the country. In April of this year, Sweet Honey presented the
premiere of its new work, Affirmations, in performance with the
National Symphony.

GFI is delighted to welcome Sweet Honey in the Rock members Ysaye
Maria Barnwell, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil, Carol Maillard,
Louise Robinson, and Shirley Childress Saxton (ASL Interpreter) to
the 2012 Fairness Award!

For more information on Sweet Honey in the Rock, visit their website
www.sweethoney.com -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/1629f02575/b91e6a0e30/ee82be408c .

GFI releases monotributo study in Guatemala
In the Agreement of Socio-Economic Aspects and the Agrarian Situation
(ASESA), which came into effect during the Peace Accord of 1996,
Guatemala committed to increasing its tax collection by 50% by the
year 2000 (later changed to 2002) in order to invest in programs that
furthered the peace process. Since then, the government (backed by
multiple institutions such as the IADB, ILO and CEPAL) has made
multiple attempts to put in place and adopt programs to increase and
diversify revenue without much success.

One of the recommendations of GFI's groundbreaking Roadmap to
Formalization for Guatemala was the implementation of a single tax
system, or monotributo, to integrate the informal sector into the tax
base and expand provision of basic social protections. Presented by
GFI to the Guatemalan government in 2010, the Roadmap reflected the
consensus achieved for enacting a system that would make it easier
for micro-enterprises and informal workers to pay taxes -- taxpayers
determine payment amount using a scaled chart and aren't required to
submit account books or records. Several countries in Latin America
-- Uruguay, Argentian, and Ecuador -- have recently adopted a
simplified tax system and have already seen an expanded tax base,
reduced tax evasion, and improved coverage of service.

Having been requested by the Guatemalan government to assist in
determining the best ways to implement the monotributo, GFI conducted
a study of the legality of such a system. The study, funded by the
AVINA Foundation, brought together leading lawyers and jurists in the
country and determined that the creation of a new system is well
within Guatemala's legal framework. Agreements between existing
ministries and reform of existing tax and social security laws will
ensure the execution of a system that collects adequate funds while
registering workers and providing benefits. The study report makes
the following recommendations for monotributo implementation in
Guatemala:

Option 1: Reform existing IGSS (social security) and SAT (taxation
agency) laws
- Amend Article 47 of the VAT Law to simplify the existing regime for
small contributors
- Amend Article 100 of the Constitution and Article 27 of IGSS Law,
allowing progressive coverage of services and benefits
- Reform the social security regime to allow the SAT to collect the
taxes and registration fees
Option 2: Draft and enact an agreement between the IGSS and SAT, with
prior consent of the Constitutional Court allowing SAT to collect and
redistribute payments and IGSS to manage the program

Finalizing the feasibility and implementation of the monotributo
requires a cost-analysis of the system. The initial legal findings,
however, show that Guatemala can jumpstart such a program efficiently
under its current legal structure.

SAPIN Fellowship: an opportunity to work with GFI
The SAPIN Fellowship program, created in 2010 by the family of Dr.
Shirley Sapin, honors her commitment to equality and opportunity for
all people. The Fellowship provides a stipend for an outstanding
post-secondary student to spend four months with GFI researching and
working on issues of economic development and workforce equity.
Offered twice a year, the Sapin Fellowship allows students to devote
an academic or summer semester to direct and substantive work on
programs at the heart of economic access for the working poor.
Fellows participate on all levels with GFI staff and initiatives and
are exposed to the broader international development community in the
Washington, DC area.

Dr. Shirley Sapin was a counselor and psychologist at institutions
ranging from Cleveland State University to the Island Counseling
Center of Martha's Vineyard. She spent her career working on behalf
of people struggling to realize their individual goals. Living with
her family in Hawaii during World War II, she witnessed racism
against the native Hawaiian people and vowed to commit herself to
social activism and civil rights for all people. Always devoted to
the cause of social justice, Dr. Sapin served in the 1960s as a
grassroots organizer for Voice of Women, working with the peace and
civil rights movements, for school integration, and against nuclear
testing. She later served on the boards of Big Brothers and Big
Sisters and of Habitat for Humanity.

For more information about the Sapin Fellowship, please visit
www.globalfairness.org/get-involved/sapin-fellowship -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/1629f02575/b91e6a0e30/354d7fa3a0/utm_content=hbiden%40rosemontseneca.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Text%20Version%20-%20Link%202&utm_campaign=End%20of%20Summer%20Update .

"Sustainable long-term solutions require a mentality change. If we
can see that we are all a large family living in the same world, we
realize
that the struggle of 15 million waste pickers is our struggle."

Albina Ruiz
2011 Fairness Award Honoree

Date confirmed: -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/1629f02575/b91e6a0e30/2be0a4cf13/utm_content=hbiden%40rosemontseneca.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Text%20Version%20-%20Link%203&utm_campaign=End%20of%20Summer%20Update Fairness Award 2012 -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/1629f02575/b91e6a0e30/02fdaedcec Tuesday, November 13th, 2012
6:00 to 7:00 Honoree Reception
7:00 to 8:30 Awards Ceremony

The Historic Howard Theatre
620 T Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

RSVP today:
JOIN US AT THE 2012 FAIRNESS AWARD

TICKETS:

Please RSVP by calling 202-898-9022, or email us at
rsvp@fairnessaward.org.

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