About Markus Meinzer
Guest Blog: Corporate profit misalignment: An analysis of German parent companies and their foreign affiliates
By Sarah Godar, Research Associate at the Berlin School of Economics and Law Despite numerous data challenges, economists have established that the multinational corporations’ reported profits are not well aligned with their economic activity across countries. However, uncertainties remain about the extent and patterns of this misalignment. In our recently published research article with Petr Janský, we analyse data on
Read the full article…Feedback to EU Commission’s roadmap to tackle tax fraud and evasion
The EU Commission has called for feedback from the public on its new roadmap for tackling tax fraud evasion. Recognising that “every year in the EU, billions of euros are lost to tax evasion”, the Commission has outlined an initial action plan, presenting key initiatives to: tackle tax fraud make compliance easier take advantage of the latest developments in technology
Read the full article…What criminal clans and German family businesses have in common
This article first appeared in Handelsblatt on 19 February 2020. Just a couple of years ago, some members of a Lebanese family were suspected of committing mafia-style crimes, including blackmail, drug-dealing, the theft of a giant gold coin (100 kg!) from Berlin’s Bode Museum, and the laundering of millions of euros through real estate investments. Remember? This story reminds the
Read the full article…Adapt or step aside: pressure on OECD to reform pre-World War II tax rules as UN convenes historic tax meeting
At the crossroads of the most fundamental global corporate tax reform since the 1920s, the United Nations will hold a special meeting on Monday 29 April on outlining fair tax rules fit for the modern digital economy. The meeting, to be attended by over 50 country delegates and over a hundred tax experts, academics and activists, comes on the heels
Read the full article…Why the German government’s blockade of corporate transparency is harming all of us
The German government is currently blocking a measure to publish country-specific balance sheet data, known as country by country reporting, in Brussels. Citizens and European politicians could use this data to free themselves from the headlock of the world’s most powerful lobbyists and tax avoiders. So far, however, the German government has failed to recognise both the inherent opportunity for
Read the full article…Register for the 4th International Conference on Beneficial Ownership Registries, Argentina
The 4th International Conference on Beneficial Ownership Registries will take place in Buenos Aires on August 8th-9th at Argentina’s Attorney General’s Office (Ministerio Público Fiscal). It is co-hosted by Tax Justice Network with Fundacion SES, Argentina’s Anti-Money Laundering Prosecutor (PROCELAC), with the support of the Financial Transparency Coalition. We blogged about this event last year here and we’ll report back
Read the full article…Why is Germany siding with the tax havens against corporate transparency?
Germany’s supposedly left-wing new finance minister, the Social Democratic Party’s Olaf Scholz, is in the process of sabotaging European efforts to make companies be more transparent about their financial affairs. Specifically, he has just indicated that he favours a procedural approach to Country-by-country reporting (CbCR, see below) that could be subject to veto by companies and by tax havens. As
Read the full article…Financial Secrecy Index updates and the importance of open data
The Tax Justice Network’s Financial Secrecy Index (FSI) latest edition was published on January 30th, 2018. As always, the FSI offers a ranking of the world’s largest contributors to global financial secrecy as well as narrative reports for most of the most famous secrecy jurisdictions, describing their “tax haven” history and summarizing the FSI findings. Furthermore, the FSI offers detailed
Read the full article…Financial Secrecy Index 2018 – Launch Date January, 30th
We are pleased to announce our final launch date for the next Financial Secrecy Index (FSI). The launch will take place on 30 January 2018 at 18.00 CET. This next FSI will be covering 112 jurisdictions up from 92 in 2015. We have substantially increased the number of Key Financial Secrecy Indicators to 20 (from 15) and implemented many changes
Read the full article…EU tax haven blacklist must not be watered down
We are reposting here an open letter sent by TJN-Germany today to Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the EU-Commission, on the forthcoming EU tax haven blacklist. It is worth noting too, that the OECD’s blacklist of June 2017 only had 1 (o-n-e!) tax haven listed: Trinidad & Tobago. All of which acts as a powerful reminder of why, at TJN, we
Read the full article…Job opening at TJN extended: Researcher (African Hub, francophone)
Update 30 October 2017: we have now successfully concluded recruitment for this job. Tax Justice Network is recruiting a francophone researcher based in francophone Africa for our Financial Secrecy and Tax Advocacy in Africa (FASTA) project, which the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) intends to support. This researcher will work closely within this project with her/his counterpart, an anglophone
Read the full article…DEADLINE EXTENDED Job opening – Head of Operations
THE DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR THIS VACANCY HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 1 OCTOBER TJN is in a period of anticipated growth and significant transition. To assist us in our ambition we are recruiting to the key post of Head of Operations. The post holder will play a central role in helping us shape new capacity for the successful delivery of
Read the full article…New Job Openings at TJN: Researcher (African Hub, franco- & anglophone)
Tax Justice Network is recruiting two Africa-based researchers for our Financial Secrecy and Tax Advocacy in Africa (FASTA) project, which the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) intends to support. TweetShare
Germany rejects beneficial ownership transparency
On 17 May 2017, the members of the Finance Committee of the Bundestag cast their votes for ultimate amendments to Germany’s anti-money laundering law. The governing conservatives CDU/CSU and Social Democrats SPD rejected amendments supported by the left and Green party that would have remedied three fundamental flaws in the law which prevent the public from accessing beneficial ownership information
Read the full article…Business leaders for a public registry of beneficial ownership in Germany
TJN proudly unveils today its first public call among business leaders in Germany in support of a fully public and effective register of beneficial ownership (BO, or the real owners of companies). So far 12 German businesses with a combined turnover of more than €500 million have signed the petition for amending the current draft law on beneficial ownership. The
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