Brexit: The Tax Justice Network backs Remain Britain likely to become a full blown tax haven in the event of a vote for leave The EU provides the best opportunity to prevent a damaging race to the bottom in international tax and regulation of the finance sector The Tax Justice Network, … [Read more...]
Archives for 2016
Finance Uncovered: new investigation into Rift Valley Railway
From Finance Uncovered, a TJN-supported journalism project: "Today, De Correspondent (Netherlands), The Daily Reporter (Kenya), The Observer (Uganda) and MO (Belgium) have published an investigation into the Rift Valley Railway, the historic railroad connecting Kampala to the port of Mombasa. … [Read more...]
More unfair tax treaties may be renegotiated
This time it's Uganda. From Martin Hearson: "The government announced in its latest budget that it has finished formulating its new tax treaty policy, and will be renegotiating treaties that don't comply. Seatini and ActionAid Uganda will no doubt chalk this up as a success." In … [Read more...]
Links Jun 21
Call for papers on “Human Rights and Tax in an Unequal World” Global Alliance for Tax Justice LATINDADD's Reports on Extractive Industry and Tax Avoidance in Latin America via Eurodad June 2016 could be a crucial moment for whistleblowers’ protection Eurodad Still Racing Toward The Bottom? … [Read more...]
Swiss whistleblower Rudolf Elmer: ‘they want to crucify me, as an example to other bankers’
Rudolf Elmer, the Swiss whistleblower who has been pursued by Swiss courts for a decade and served over half a year in prison while accused of (according to Switzerland's peculiar courts) violating the Swiss banking secrecy law, now faces two more court trials: one, on June 23rd, as part of the … [Read more...]
What might Brexit do for tax havens and tax justice?
The UK votes on Thursday in a referendum over leaving the European Union. While there are dynamics that play in different directions, such a 'Brexit' would almost certainly see the UK itself push further down the road of tax havenry, hurting its own citizens and causing wider global damage. The … [Read more...]
Links Jun 17
African Governments Should Harness Taxation Opportunities To Improve Investment In Children TJN - Africa The Panama Papers – what they mean and why they are important for Africa Financial Transparency Coalition India: Here's What PM Modi Can And Cannot Do About Offshore Black Money Huffington … [Read more...]
Links Jun 16
Why unfair tax treaties hold back developing countries The Guardian Mossack Fonseca worker arrested in Switzerland The Guardian "Employee is held on suspicion of ‘extracting confidential information’ from law firm at centre of Panama Papers". See also: Geneva Opens Criminal Probe After Mossack … [Read more...]
Are European Union finance ministers about to deliver another stitch-up on corporate tax?
Update 3, June 21. The EU Press Release is here. Scornful comments continue to circulate. Update 2: This blog is turning into a series of updates in *italics*, with the original background discussion in plain text underneath. Currently, the situation is uncertain - two hours ago, Jeroen … [Read more...]
New paper: Taxing Multinational Enterprises as Unitary Firms
A new paper by TJN Senior Adviser Sol Picciotto, for the International Center for Tax and Development (ICTD). Summary: This paper explores the issues raised for international tax rules of explicitly treating multinational enterprises (MNEs) as single or unitary firms. It first briefly explains … [Read more...]
Switzerland is handing back looted money. How big a deal is this?
In the context of a fun Twitter fight and finger-pointing between the Swiss Bankers' Association and the German Finance Ministry, there's a newish story on Quartz entitled Swiss bankers swear they are trying to help Africa get its dirty money back. It begins like this: "It irritates Valentin … [Read more...]
Guest article: transparency upside down
Jorge Gaggero, a long-time contributor to TJN, has written a guest article comparing Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranking with our Financial Secrecy Index. (Originally published at Revista Turba.) One ranking is an upside-down version of the other. Those … [Read more...]
Norway’s oil fund: a minor victory for tax ethics
*Big new update* under this guest blog. Norway's Oil fund, which says it is worth $7.1 trillion Kroner last year (about US$860 billion at current exchange rates), is so important in world markets that a cottage industry of fund-watchers has sprung up. Several civil society bodies have sought to … [Read more...]
Links Jun 14
Experts rule out ‘end’ of fiscal secrecy Buenos Aires Herald Indonesia: Measuring Tax Amnesty Kompas See also recent blog Indonesia’s corrupt tax amnesty – how many will follow? The Panama Papers - Zimbabwe Must Not Waste This Opportunity allAfrica / New Zimbabwe Why Microsoft, With $100 … [Read more...]
Links Jun 13
The myth of the offshore ANCIR "African tax havens are frequently used as cogs in the wheels of corporate, criminal and political activities that desire legal and financial veils" Australian Taxation Officer recruits executives for new 'tax avoidance taskforce' hunting tax cheats, … [Read more...]
