Roundtable Discussion on COVID-19, Tax and their Related Impacts on Gender and, in Particular, on Women

Abstract

We know that tax systems that are gender blind on paper can, in practice, exhibit a hidden, implicit bias. Wrongly stipulated, they may even exacerbate existing gender inequalities, particularly in times of crisis. With the COVID-19 pandemic, gender inequalities have surged. Healthwise, men are affected by the sickness more severely, whereas women seem to be more heavily hit socio-economically. In the heat of the pandemic, on 15 December 2020, I had the pleasure of organizing a virtual roundtable at the annual TARC conference and discussed the gender and tax dimensions of COVID-19 with participants representing an array of disciplines from countries across the world. The following is a slightly edited transcription of the roundtable, where we learnt from experiences in the U.K., Chile, Ireland, India, Denmark, and the U.S.