Economic Campaigner of the Year Tax Research UK HSBC Scandal: why tax havens are fuelling global poverty and how you can help stop it ONE Sign the petition: ask BIS to release secret information about tax havens and expose corruption. Should the HSBC Scandal Spell the End For Trickle Down … [Read more...]
Race to the Bottom
How the ‘competitiveness’ dogma made banks corrupt
We've come across an interview in The Atlantic with Stephen Platt, an expert on financial crime prevention, contained in an article entitled How Dirty Money Gets Into Banks. As much as anything, we've taken it as an excuse to reproduce this fabulous cartoon in Britain's Private Eye magazine, which … [Read more...]
Links Feb 23
Cayman Islands Financial Services: Publication of Beneficial Ownership Consultation Submissions The Quiet Man Who Made Big Trouble for Little Luxembourg Bloomberg See also: ‘I am not a martyr’, says LuxLeaks whistleblower facing jail Financial Times (paywall), and recent blog Will Antoine … [Read more...]
Links Feb 20
Asian campaigners demand the OECD’s BEPS process do more for developing countries Global Alliance for Tax Justice India: Tax department to issue notice to HSBC on alleged money laundering The Times of India See also: India: Black money probe: Activists, experts fault government for tardy … [Read more...]
Links Feb 19
HSBC : University of Warwick - Top researchers in call for re-think over international undercutting; Expert team warns of 'race to the bottom' threatening living standards around the world 4-Traders TJN-Africa's most recent publications on Transfer Pricing in Africa: Transfer Pricing in … [Read more...]
Links Feb 18
Map: Who’s hiding the most money in secret Swiss bank accounts? Washington Post Wonkblog Tanzania: Trio to face Public Accounts Comittee on Swiss billions Tanzania Daily News / allAfrica Swiss Leaks: Billions of dollars lost annually in Africa, says ICIJ Caperi Brazil probes link between … [Read more...]
The “Miracle of Minneapolis” and a local ceasefire in tax wars
From The Atlantic in the U.S., an article entitled "The Miracle of Minneapolis" which looks at the demonstrable outperformance of this mid-sized U.S. city, in terms of being a good place to live. It's summed up in an old adage: ‘It’s really hard to get people to move to Minneapolis, and it’s … [Read more...]
Links Feb 17
Response from Eurodad to the Financing for Development Elements Paper Recent posts by The BEPS Monitoring Group (BMG): BMG: The Use of Profit Splits in the Context of Global Value Chains BMG: Transfer Pricing: Risk, Recharacterisation, and Special Measures BMG: Limitation of Interest … [Read more...]
Links Feb 13
Tax havens for despots, criminals and the Fortune 500 The Washington Post Cites Nicholas Shaxson's Treasure Islands: Tax Havens And The Men Who Stole The WorldSwiss Leaks frequently asked questions answered ICIJ Politicians, regulators face questions over HSBC cases ICIJ HSBC could face … [Read more...]
HSBC, tax evasion and the link to lax financial regulation
Two quotes of the day, both from an article by Prof. Bill Black, a former U.S. bank regulator: "Taxes were once termed the price we paid for civilization, but they now represent the price the wealthy brag to each other about refusing to pay as they pillage civilization." Quite so. And then, … [Read more...]
Links Feb 12
Tackling tax evasion: Follow the money The Economist "As countries share more information, opportunities to squirrel away cash abroad will continue to narrow". Cites TJN on the Common Reporting Standard (CRS). Private banks must be more than laundries Financial Times (paywall) See also: … [Read more...]
Links Feb 11
Era of bank secrecy still far from over for developing countries: Christian Aid Wall Street Pays Bankers to Work in Government and It Doesn't Want Anyone to Know New Republic Links on the #SwissLeaks revelations blogged earlier: Explore the Swiss Leaks Data ICIJ Includes links to related … [Read more...]
Tax transparency after #SwissLeaks
Cross-posted from Uncounted: Alex Cobham Yesterday I suggested some specific transparency measures to rebuild trust in light of #SwissLeaks. Today my colleagues at TJN pointed out that they are way ahead of me: here’s how. … [Read more...]
Links Feb 4
Multinationals channel more money through "hubs" in Singapore, Switzerland than ever before, Australian Taxation Office says The Sydney Morning Herald Boost for Juncker as possible probe by MEPs into LuxLeaks scandal now in the balance The Bureau of Investigative Journalism See also earlier … [Read more...]
Links Feb 2
Obama planning to tax US firms' foreign profits in blow to Ireland Irish Independent See also: It’s time to smell the coffee and start cooperating on international tax Tax Research UK Companies debate merits of ‘fair tax’ kitemark Financial Times (paywall) "For the UK’s second-largest energy … [Read more...]