#stopVATcarousel.

On our website we have already mentioned the VAT Fraud and VAT Gap and touched upon the steps which allow Poland to effectively deal with the issue. We felt that the latter topic could be a great project for our YOUNG Foundation.

Task:

In an approachable, light, and possibly comic way inform the public about VAT crimes and make it aware of how Poland is successfully battling the issue.

That’s how the #stopVATcarousel project came to life.

The project targeted a foreign audience. We drew attention to the fact that the money from VAT Fraud (meaning OUR money, which we pay in taxes imposed on everyday products) is used to finance terrorism, run the weapons black-market, drug smuggling, etc.

Our outdoor campaign was located within the most strategic European cities (London, Brussels, Madrid) and advertised the fact that terrorism is financed by VAT fraud. The posters were linked with the website which in simple terms explained the mechanism behind VAT carousels as well as its influence on our safety. It emphasised the leading role of Poland in solving the issue.

A member of British aristocracy, who is fond of Polish people and Poland, Sir Alexander Francis Shaw, the heir apparent to Baron Craigmyle, the grandson of the philanthropist and the Chairman of the British Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Lord Thomas Craigmyle, was invited to participate in the project. With a delightful British sense of humour he explains to the viewers what are VAT carousels all about and they influence our daily lives. And in doing so he is not picky with his words. Check it out at www.stopvatcarousel.pl or on YouTube.