In 2012 ActionAid published a report estimating that a huge new tax loophole deliberately created by the UK government - which it seems is bringing in precious little in terms of jobs or tax revenues - is also likely to cost developing countries some £4 billion (US$6 billion) a year. Ireland's … [Read more...]
Inequality & Democracy
Linking Finance to Human Rights: the video
From Center of Concern, a video that fits well with our tax justice and human rights programme. As they note: "Only through financial reform can human rights be sustained. The Center of Concern provides this video for your use in classes, meetings, and other community organizing … [Read more...]
Links Jun 20
Why big time tax dodgers love Mr Juncker Private Eye See also recent blog Architect behind Eurozone’s biggest tax haven wants to be EC president EU closes tax loophole for multinational firms Reuters See also: Anti-Money Laundering: Commissioner Barnier welcomes progress in Council European … [Read more...]
Army of angels needed: a Rabbi’s view on tax dodging
From the Daily Journal, an article by Rabbi Menachem Creditor in the U.S.: "I recently returned from Washington, D.C., where I joined the interfaith, bipartisan anti-poverty group Jubilee USA and other faith leaders and small-business owners from across the country to encourage our elected … [Read more...]
Links Jun 19
G8 Has Yet To Live Up To Its Promises On Tax And Transparency Financial Transparency Coalition Blog Swiss Cabinet to examine tax deductible bank fines swissinfo … [Read more...]
Links Jun 18
The True Cost of Hidden Money - A Piketty Protégé’s Theory on Tax Havens The New York Times "What’s beyond question is that there is no economic, political or moral justification for tax evasion - it exists only because of the political influence that wealth buys. A society that fails to fight … [Read more...]
Big Bills: how our central banks nurture money launderers and kleptocrats
A question for our European readers. How many of you have ever spent or even seen a 500 Euro note? No, neither have we. Which is may seem odd, given that there are some 300 billion Euros' worth of these things out there, in circulation. Which raises the question: where are they all? … [Read more...]
Links Jun 17
Editorial - Corporations and their tax shell games: Time for a global crackdown Los Angeles Times Israel to tax Google and Facebook on profits i24 A lower rate of corporation tax – that’s what Japanese companies will get for not paying it The Independent … [Read more...]
London march: Join the new Tax Dodgers’ Alliance
From UK Uncut, a march planned for this Saturday (June 21): Come and join the newly formed 'Tax Dodgers Alliance'. Big businesses and the super wealthy are welcome. Bankers, lawyers, CEOs, new money, old money... What do we have in common? We're stinking rich & we don't want to share - our cash … [Read more...]
The Offshore Wrapper: a week in tax justice
The Offshore Wrapper is written by George Turner Football: a game of two halves - corruption and scandal The World Cup of scandal and corruption rolls on. This week Global Witness has exposed the role of the Brazilian Development Bank, Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social, in … [Read more...]
Unequal Britain: tax system is much less progressive than people believe
More evidence, if this was needed, that people can be fooled most of the time by the repetitive drip, drip feed of tax nonsense coming from much of the media, some parts of academia and think-tanks, and from far too many politicians. … [Read more...]
Islands (or how to play dirty and get away with it)
We are delighted to be associated with a new play by award-winning Caroline Horton called Islands (or how to play dirty and get away with it). In Caroline's words: "Islands will be an illuminating, absurd and powerful new show about tax havens, little empires, enormous greed and the few who … [Read more...]
Cambridge University: the Chinese government connection
In March we wrote a post entitled Ukraine’s dirty money: the Cambridge University connection, which highlighted the fact that a Ukrainian oligarch who had showered money on Cambridge university to promote a "Cambridge Ukrainian Studies" department had just been arrested in Vienna on an international … [Read more...]
FIFA’s “obscene” tax abuses – part 2: the John Oliver version
We recently wrote a post entitled Brazilians will pay heavily for FIFA’s “obscene” tax abuses, which gained a fair bit of attention and once more put the spotlight once more on the monopolistic, rent-seeking world football governing body based in Zurich, Switzerland. Now U.S.-based TV funnyman … [Read more...]
How Seychelles became a paradise for dirty money and corruption
In 2012 Al Jazeera published a remarkable undercover television investigation into the Seychelles, where two African journalists posing as wealthy Zimbabweans were brazenly offered the sleaziest secrecy services. It's a classic of offshore undercover investigation, and we at TJN have referenced it … [Read more...]
