You may have heard that Luxembourg prosecutors aren't satisfied with the 12th chamber of the Criminal Court of Luxembourg's verdicts for the so-called #LuxLeaks whistleblowers Antoine Deltour and Rapahel Halet and they are appealing. That means these two men will once again face a Luxembourg court, … [Read more...]
Archives for 2016
The Bahamas tax haven – a (re-)emerging global menace?
Update: as it happens, The Economist has just published an excellent story about the Bahamas, subtitled The Bahamas Cocks a Snook at the War on Tax Dodgers. (Our only beef with that subtitle is that this is about so much more than just tax.) We've periodically remarked on the Bahamas as a secrecy … [Read more...]
Apple’s iPhone 7 launch: but what about the taxes?
Apple is launching its iPhone 7 today. In the context of the recent Apple tax scandal, and the imbroglio involving the company, the European Commission, and the U.S. Treasury, we thought we'd share some images that some of our partners have created, to celebrate the event. Before seeing the … [Read more...]
On our recent event on beneficial ownership in Buenos Aires
The Second International Conference on Beneficial Ownership Registries took place in Buenos Aires on August 31st and September 1st. The event was held again at Argentina’s Central Bank and was co-organized by the Tax Justice Network, Argentina’s General Prosecution Office (Ministerio Público … [Read more...]
UK moves forward on Country by Country reporting
They said it would never happen - but here it comes. From the UK lower house of parliament, an amendment to legislation which looks like this: This is very welcome news, even though the amendment is far from perfect. … [Read more...]
Why reregulation after the crisis is feeble: Shadow banking, offshore financial centers, and jurisdictional ‘competition’
Prof. Thomas Rixen, who has written a lot about tax 'competition' (aka tax wars) in the past, has a new article looking at similar dynamics in the area of financial regulation. Entitled Why reregulation after the crisis is feeble: Shadow banking, offshore financial centers, and jurisdictional … [Read more...]
Press Release: Has the European Commission’s Apple decision signalled the beginning of the end of tax wars?
Press release - for immediate release Has the European Commission’s Apple decision signalled the beginning of the end of tax wars? Today, the European Commission has ruled that two tax rulings issued by the Irish tax administration on the tax treatment of Apple’s corporate profits represent … [Read more...]
Second high-level symposium on beneficial ownership transparency in Buenos Aires, August 31st/September 1st
Tax Justice Network together with Argentina’s Anti-Corruption Office, Argentina's General Prosecution Office (Ministerio Público Fiscal), the Central Bank and other NGOs including Fundación SES, Red de Justicia Fiscal LAC, Latindadd and CIPCE will host a two-day event involving government and civil … [Read more...]
The UK’s North Sea oil revenues: Giving it away?
New analysis of the UK's North Sea oil and gas suggests that the combination of tax giveaways by the government, and aggressive avoidance by multinationals, means that the country may actually be subsidising the extraction of its natural resources. And this at a time of continuing 'austerity' … [Read more...]
The US Treasury just declared tax war on Europe
Update: here's our research director Alex Cobham's interview with Share Radio which goes through the key points. On this quiet August day, the US Treasury has fired the first shots of a tax war with Europe. And while it's wrapped up in a claim to defend international tax cooperation, it looks … [Read more...]
Corporate tax cuts: why the old analyses don’t stack up any more (did they ever?)
Last month Pascal Saint-Amans, head of tax for the OECD, spoke to the Wall Street Journal, in an article subtitled The argument against taxing capital income relatively more than wages is losing its force. He said: “For the past 30 years we’ve been saying don’t try to tax capital more because … [Read more...]
Our August Tax Justice Network podcast: are the big four accountancy firms really the ‘big one’?
In our August 2016 podcast: The Big Four accountancy firms: Are they in fact more like the Big One? And should they be broken up? … [Read more...]
Links Aug 19
How the multinationals do it ABC On multinationals, the Big 4 & tax havens. Interview includes TJN's Nicholas Shaxson, author of Treasure Islands: Tax Havens and the Men Who Stole the World. World's Biggest Corporations Won't Pay Taxes at the Olympics telesur Brazil will lose about a … [Read more...]
Public procurement — the next frontier for tax justice campaigning?
This guest blog by Matti Ylönen is partly based on an academic article Cities as World Political Actors: “Tax haven free cities” initiative and the politics of public procurement. Public procurement — the next frontier for tax justice campaigning? The international movement for tax justice and … [Read more...]
Will the British government target tax dodging enablers at last?
There has been much talk in Britain of new government proposals that tax advisors giving advice on tax avoidance could face large fines of up to 100% of the tax lost if their schemes are defeated in courts. We warmly welcome the principle of the thing: these players have been getting away with … [Read more...]
