In March we wrote a post entitled Ukraine’s dirty money: the Cambridge University connection, which highlighted the fact that a Ukrainian oligarch who had showered money on Cambridge university to promote a "Cambridge Ukrainian Studies" department had just been arrested in Vienna on an international … [Read more...]
Archives for 2014
Euro Commission probes corporate tax arrangements of Apple, Starbucks and Fiat
From Europa.eu "The European Commission has opened three in-depth investigations to examine whether decisions by tax authorities in Ireland, The Netherlands and Luxembourg with regard to the corporate income tax to be paid by Apple, Starbucks and Fiat Finance and Trade, respectively, comply with … [Read more...]
FIFA’s “obscene” tax abuses – part 2: the John Oliver version
We recently wrote a post entitled Brazilians will pay heavily for FIFA’s “obscene” tax abuses, which gained a fair bit of attention and once more put the spotlight once more on the monopolistic, rent-seeking world football governing body based in Zurich, Switzerland. Now U.S.-based TV funnyman … [Read more...]
Reuters report: the UK’s “new” corporate tax policies have failed
That's the impression you get from reading the latest story by Tom Bergin of Reuters, who has done a detailed and excellent exploration of the UK's recent moves to become more of a tax haven for multinational corporations. The harm inflicted on taxpayers elsewhere? Enormous. Just look at the … [Read more...]
How Seychelles became a paradise for dirty money and corruption
In 2012 Al Jazeera published a remarkable undercover television investigation into the Seychelles, where two African journalists posing as wealthy Zimbabweans were brazenly offered the sleaziest secrecy services. It's a classic of offshore undercover investigation, and we at TJN have referenced it … [Read more...]
The Offshore Wrapper: a week in tax justice
The Offshore Wrapper is written by George Turner The Togo triangle: where stolen Nigerian oil disappears Nigeria: the land of lost opportunity. Billions of dollars from oil revenue has literally been siphoned out of the country. The story – and corruption - has run for decades. … [Read more...]
Quote of the day: on corporate tax policy making
From Martin Hearson: “What my clients are concerned about,” said my friend, “is political interference in corporate tax policymaking.” I found this quite startling. Is it possible that businesses consider corporate tax policy to be a matter for private negotiations between them and the government, … [Read more...]
Tax dodging and the birth of the British Empire
As we've documented, the United Kingdom plays a central - if not the central - role in the modern global system of offshore tax havens, or secrecy jurisdictions. Now here's a post from ActionAid, looking at (yet) another aspect of all this. Cross-posted, with permission. Tax dodging and the … [Read more...]
Tax, corporate responsibility and human rights: new paper
From the Boston University Law Review, a paper by Jasmine Fisher entitled Fairer Shores: tax havens, tax avoidance and corporate social responsibility. Its introduction contains this: "The doctrine of corporate social responsibility provides a logical rationale for multinational corporations to … [Read more...]
Alliance Boots: tax cheats
BOOTS AVOIDING TAXES RISKS PUBLIC HEALTH JOIN WAR ON WANT, UNITE, MEDACT AND CHANGE TO WIN TO PROTEST BOOTS’ TAX AVOIDANCE AND ITS IMPACTS ON PUBLIC HEALTH … [Read more...]
Tax Justice Focus – the Human Rights edition
The latest edition of our newsletter Tax Justice Focus focuses on the theme of tax justice and human rights, perhaps the fastest-growing area of interest in the rapidly expanding global tax justice community. Click here for the full edition of Tax Justice Focus, the Human Rights edition. You … [Read more...]
Links Jun 6
EU to Decide Next Week on Irish, Dutch Tax-Breaks Probe Bloomberg UK fails to block proceeds of corrupt Nigerian oil deal Global Witness See also: UK leads charge in some key battles against corruption – now others must follow Global Witness … [Read more...]
The Price of Offshore Revisited – new material
We published a long rebuttal yesterday to an attack on TJN by two U.S. academics, supported by the lobbying arm of the British tax haven of Jersey, which has publicised it at a conference in London today. The attack focused quite heavily on our 2012 report The Price of Offshore Revisited, which … [Read more...]
Links Jun 5
The World's Movement Toward Tax Transparency Bloomberg BNA Even the Weak Anti-Abuse Measures Contemplated by OECD Are Too Much for Republican Tax Writers Citizens for Tax Justice See also: Republicans Join Business in Warning on Global Tax Talks Bloomberg, and addressing spin in Developing … [Read more...]
Links Jun 4
Anonymous Shell Companies Are Part of the Problem, Too: Often Used to Inject Dark Money Into Campaigns FACT Coalition New Zealand: the Shell Company Incorporation Franchises (V) (and Panama and Switzerland) naked capitalism … [Read more...]
