Arnold Merkies is the coordinator of the Dutch branch of the Tax Justice Network, a coalition of organisations that wants to raise awareness among politicians and the public about the negative consequences of tax evasion with the aim of creating a fairer tax system.

Before joining SOMO, Arnold was a member of the Dutch parliament as a spokesman on financial affairs. In this role he initiated many debates on regulating the financial sector and on fighting tax evasion & avoidance. Before his political career, Arnold worked for several ICT companies.

Arnold studied economics at the University of Amsterdam.