Last year we posted a presentation by Matti Ylönen looking at the politics of the international tax system. Now he has written us a guest blog, based on his paper co-authored with Teivo Teivainen, which was a co-winner of the Amartya Sen Prize in October 2015. Taxing corporations: the Politics … [Read more...]
Corporate Tax
Google, Facebook and a gradual realignment to the post-BEPS landscape
Last week we wrote an article entitled Facebook ‘to pay more UK tax’. Let’s not get carried away, analysing an announcement by Facebook that it will restructure its operations so as to pay more tax in the UK. This follows earlier news (on which we also commented) that Google had reached a deal with … [Read more...]
Links Mar 4
AEoI as the new global standard: OECD Standard and EU Tax Cooperation, Keynote presentation at 2nd Turkish-German Biennial on International Tax Law, by TJN's Markus Meinzer, Istanbul Switzerland's Financial Secrecy Brought Under Human Rights Spotlight Center for Economic and Social … [Read more...]
US Fortune 500 cos hold $2.4trn offshore, dodging up to $695bn in tax
From Citizens for Tax Justice, a major new report: "A diverse array of companies are using offshore tax havens. . . All told, American Fortune 500 corporations are avoiding up to $695 billion in U.S. federal income taxes by holding $2.4 trillion of “permanently reinvested” profits offshore. In … [Read more...]
Facebook ‘to pay more UK tax’. Let’s not get carried away
Update: see Prem Sikka's article "Facebook looks set to pay more UK tax but it might not be as much as you think." The UK seems to be a bit of a canary in the mine on international corporation tax at the moment. This is because the British public is very, very exercised about these issues. The … [Read more...]
Will the US Implement Country by Country Reporting?
The BEPS Monitoring Group, an expert body (backed by TJN and others) that works on international corporate tax issues, has published its comments on draft US Treasury Regulations on Country by Country Reporting (CbCR, for an explanation for newcomers, see here). Given the large number of … [Read more...]
US official on the influence of NGOs on taxing multinationals
Tax Justice Network vs. Tim Worstall: a debate on corporate tax
Tim Worstall, a British commentator who has launched a number of vitriolic and personalised public attacks on TJN and TJN staff members in the the past, has been in debate with TJN's Research Director, Alex Cobham, on the subject of corporate tax. (For a flavour of the extraordinary level of … [Read more...]
Links Mar 1
Withdrawal Symptoms: Why tax cuts aren't the best way to incentivise work The Equality Trust Global elite continues to make billions from rigged economic system, Forbes rich list shows Oxfam America How curious $3.3 million tax holiday to Shell, Total, Eni, is killing Nigerians – Report … [Read more...]
Links Feb 29
Tackle Tax Evasion to Fuel Africa's Development allAfrica / The Point (Banjul) Bangladesh: MNCs abuse relaxed taxation to deprive government of crucial revenue Dhaka Tribune India To Introduce Patent Box Regime, Country-by-Country Reporting Tax-News Pakistan: Government can negotiate with … [Read more...]
Should we be giving tax breaks to tobacco companies?
From Citizens for Tax Justice in the U.S., a post that begins by discussing federal tax breaks for manufacturing corporations. And they ask: "Tobacco companies “manufacture” cigarettes—but do Americans, or lawmakers, really think it’s a good idea for the federal government to subsidise this … [Read more...]
Links Feb 26
We're letting oil, gas and minerals firms off far too lightly on tax The Guardian See also: EITI: Just a whitewash mechanism for extractive companies? (in Spanish) TJN Latin America & Caribbean Questions on Panama company and New Zealand trust set-up for Malta's energy minister Malta … [Read more...]
Belgian tax treaties cost developing countries millions every year
New report 11.11.11: Belgian tax treaties cost developing countries millions every year A guest blog by Jan van de Poel As a consequence of dozens of unbalanced tax treaties, negotiated by the Belgian government, developing countries miss out on at least 35 million Euros on tax revenues each … [Read more...]
Pfizer: tax dodger, price gouger
A new report from Americans for Tax Fairness concludes: "In addition to dodging its fair share of taxes, Pfizer—maker of Celebrex, Lipitor, Lyrica, and Viagra, among many other health-care products—has also been aggressively raising prescription drug prices, thereby straining patients and our … [Read more...]
Links Feb 25
Oil, gas and mining transparency initiative facing crisis of relevance and legitimacy Oxfam How North Korea Funnels Cash Into the Country Bloomberg Indonesia's wealth managers bank on tax amnesty for take-off Reuters Nigeria's parliament orders tax payments from oil traders Reuters … [Read more...]
