In the last episode of Unequal India Decoded, journalist Raksha Kumar speaks to Alison Schultz,  a Research Fellow at the Tax Justice Network on the 2025 State of Tax Justice Report. India  has lost 88 billion US dollars between 2016-2021 to tax abuse by corporations and individuals.

Plus, in the regular segment on colonialism, Raksha speaks to Purendra Prasad Professor in the department of sociology at University of Hyderabad about the history of wealth inequalities in peninsular India, particularly undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Raksha Kumar tries to draw a straight line between negotiations in COP30 in South America and UN Tax Convention in Africa and tries to understand how just taxation can help fund the climate crises. Her guests are Anirban Bhattacharya of the Center for Financial Accountability who helps her draw the linkages.

Plus, in the regular segment on colonialism, Raksha speaks to Maanik Nath, Assistant Professor in Economic and Social History at Utrecht University about how credit for small farmers was tough even during the colonial period due to climate risks. He also talks about how the British created the image of the evil money lender.

Unequal India Decoded is a monthly podcast from the Tax Justice Network which dissects inequalities and offers solutions for building a fairer place for its billion and a half people. Podcast host and journalist Raksha Kumar has covered social and economic justice in India for over 15 years.

Here's our website with all the Unequal India Decoded podcasts: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/hi/production/unequal-india-decoded/

Meet Raksha Kumar, who'll dissect economic inequalities in India - one of the most unequal countries in the world - and try to offer solutions for building a fairer place for its billion and a half people. In this first episode Raksha investigates the news that India has apparently become the fourth largest economy in the world. Really? And what does that mean for the average Indian? Plus, Raksha goes to the UN's fourth financing for development conference in Seville, southern Spain and separates the silver lining from the dark clouds.

Hosted by Raksha Kumar and co-produced with Naomi Fowler, sound design by Leo Schick, featuring Deputy Associate Editor of the Indian Express Udit Misra and Jayati Ghosh Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and of The Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation

Music credit: Night in India by Elvenheim

Transcript of the show: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Transcript_Episode1.pdf (some is automated and may not be 100% accurate)

Further Reading:

Why India is the third-largest economy, not fourth or fifth, by Udit Misra https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/india-third-largest-economy-10033187/

Financing for Development for Whom? FfD4 preaches development but reeks of privilege and repression https://apwld.org/financing-for-development-for-whom-ffd4-preaches-development-but-reeks-of-privilege-and-repression/ (Asia Pacific Forum on Women Law and Development)

Our verdict on FfD4: Job not yet done https://www.eurodad.org/ffd4_job_not_yet_done from Eurodad

The "Compromiso de Sevilla': A Hope for Tax Justice—Now Governments Must Deliver https://www.icrict.com/corporate-taxation/the-compromiso-de-sevilla-a-hope-for-tax-justice-now-governments-must-deliver/ from The Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation

Trump's walkout fumble is a golden window to push ahead with a UN tax convention https://taxjustice.net/2025/02/05/trumps-walkout-fumble-is-a-golden-window-to-push-ahead-with-a-un-tax-convention/ from the Tax Justice Network

Check out our website with all our podcasts in different languages covering dofferent regions https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/