Update: Colombia and Panama reach agreement on information-sharing. Panama, the secret garden of the Colombian oligarchy This guest blog is written by a political news writer in Colombia, who wishes to remain anonymous. As everywhere else in the world, the disclosure of the Mossack Fonseca … [Read more...]
Archives for 2016
BEPS Monitoring Group on curbing tax treaty abuses
From the BEPS Monitoring Group, a TJN-backed civil society organisation tasked with monitoring the OECD's so-called "Base Erosion and Profit Shifting" (BEPS) proposals to crack down on international corporate tax avoidance. The (wonkish but important) submission here concerns so-called "non-CIV" … [Read more...]
Links Apr 22
‘Global tax collaboration platform’ yet another distracting measure Global Alliance for Tax Justice "An inclusive UN global tax body is the only real solution to broken international system" Measuring illicit flows in the SDGs Deliver2030.org By TJN's research director @alexcobham LuxLeaks … [Read more...]
Tax Justice Network April 2016 Podcast: a #PanamaPapers special
In the April 2016 Taxcast: in this month's extended podcast we discuss the biggest offshore leak in history, the #PanamaPapers: could it provide an opportunity for nations to expand their secrecy market share? Once again, all eyes are on Trusts... Also, as the #LuxLeaks whistleblower Antoine … [Read more...]
Links Apr 21
Event on 26 April: S&D Conference: Together for Tax Justice: Why EU tax policy matters for developing countries Developing countries left out of global tax decisions Eco-Business An obvious solution for offshore: Transparency Economía Crítica (In Spanish) UK’s Chancellor Osborne … [Read more...]
Guest blog: have universities gone offshore with finance theory and teaching?
HAVE UNIVERSITIES GONE OFFSHORE WITH THEIR FINANCE THEORIES AND TEACHING? Dr. Atul K. Shah, Suffolk Business School, University Campus Suffolk Twitter @atulkshah Offshore is not just about secrecy or taxation. It forces us to reflect on the nature of knowledge, truth and expertise. Accounting … [Read more...]
A graphical assault on supply-side tax cuts and tax ‘competitiveness’
From Fools' Gold: Fools' Gold [and TJN] author Nicholas Shaxson has just had a piece in the Washington Post entitled Five Myths about Tax Havens in which Myth 5 goes like this: "5. Cutting corporate taxes helps nations compete with tax havens. Reducing corporate taxes to attract wealth back … [Read more...]
Links Apr 19
Winners announced of 2016 Tax Justice and Human Rights Essay Competition See our blog post on the competition here. Friedrich List and the pre-history of Modern-Day Competitiveness Thinking Fools' Gold - rethinking competition How Ghana started but failed to remain a tax haven Ghana … [Read more...]
How the OECD had a ‘bad Panama Papers’ – and why it matters
This is a long read, with three main components. First, we examine the OECD's position as an international tax organisation - and the gradual weakening of its preeminence. Second, we consider two specific aspects of the OECD's work as a watchdog for noncooperative jurisdictions, as they have played … [Read more...]
Irish Times: US taxpayers growing tired of Ireland’s one big idea
That one big idea isn't corporate tax avoidance - though one might be forgiven for thinking so. It's Foreign Direct Investment, or FDI. As we've shown, FDI into Ireland, and the so-called "Celtic Tiger, was primarily not driven by tax and corporate tax avoidance. Really, it wasn't. Now Fintan … [Read more...]
Luxleaks whistleblowers on trial in a week, face 10 years in jail
This is one of the clearest cases of tax justice versus tax haven 'justice.' From Change.org via the Support Antoine Deltour campaign: a call to get involved in support of the main #Luxleaks whistleblower, Antoine Deltour, and two others accused with him. Please share this: the case has seen … [Read more...]
Links Apr 18
Press release: The world needs a United Nations Global Tax Body now Global Alliance for Tax Justice "The most equitable way to create a fairer global tax system." Oxfam report: The IFC and tax havens Global Alliance forTax Justice "51 of the 68 companies that were lent money by the World … [Read more...]
Five myths about tax havens
TJN's Nicholas Shaxson has an article in the Washington Post entitled Five Myths about Tax havens. The myths go like this: Tax havens protect vulnerable people against despotic governments, unjust laws and political turmoil. Tax havens are good for high-tax nations. Besides … [Read more...]
Panama makes a concession – and G20 offers some buzzwords
From the Buenos Aires Herald, on Friday: "Panama has caved into the broad front of criticism over its banking practices and has decided to adopt international tax reporting standards, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) chief José Ángel Gurría said yesterday, calling … [Read more...]
Three things the heads of the World Bank and IMF got wrong about an intergovernmental tax body
On Sunday, the International Monetary Fund will host a major event on tax. The IMF, of course, would love to take some of the OECD’s space as the go-to organisation on tax for the G8 (G7) and G20 groups of countries. Earlier this week, a UK member of parliament asked both Christine Lagarde and … [Read more...]
