Just over a year ago the British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose family has had tax haven interests for many years, tried to whitewash Britain’s Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies with a statement saying: “I do not think it is fair any longer to refer to any of the Overseas Territories … [Read more...]
Secrecy
Links Dec 15
Developing Countries Meet To Discuss BEPS Push Tax-News See also recent blog: On taxing multinationals: latest scorecard for the OECD BEPS project Some of the Rich Collect Art. Others Collect Passports. The New York Times More on economic residency... "Experts estimate that these “economic … [Read more...]
Juncker fails to endorse demands for public registries of ownership
From the blog of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism: Jean-Claude Juncker appears to have distanced himself from making registers setting out the true owners of companies and other legal entities accessible to journalists and NGOs. The EU Commission president’s carefully worded position is … [Read more...]
Links Dec 12
Corporate transparency: The openness revolution The Economist Kenya: Media, Civil Society Urged to Fight Unfair Tax allAfrica / The Sta Can Africa move away from aid to trade? Zambia Daily Mail Finance: Out of Control? Juncker fails to endorse public registers across EU revealing firms … [Read more...]
Links Dec 11
Trial Delayed as Ex-Banker Charged in Swiss Secrecy Case Collapses The Wall Street Journal Moneybeat See also Ex-HSBC Employee Falciani Said Indicted on Data Theft Bloomberg, and earlier blog Tax haven whistleblowers: where are the human rights organisations? UK territories unite against public … [Read more...]
Links Dec 10
Former Swiss Banker Collapses During WikiLeaks Data Trial Bloomberg "Elmer, 59, is accused of violating the country’s financial secrecy laws in a campaign to raise awareness of the use of Swiss bank accounts for illegal activity including tax evasion", and recent blog Show trial of Swiss … [Read more...]
Luxembourg Leaks 2: Koch Industries, Disney, Skype edition
So the next round of Luxleaks is with us. Corporate tax avoidance, as the chair of the UK's Public Accounts Committee put it, "on an industrial scale." We post an array of stories below, and will write more about this in due course. As it happens, Luxembourg is likely getting it in the neck … [Read more...]
Links Dec 9
Preventing tax evasion and fraud: the scope for automatic exchange of information is extended: Council of the European Union Directive on Administrative Cooperation has been approved by the EU Council. For background see here. Australia: Tax advocates rally behind disclosure rules The Age See … [Read more...]
Jean-Claude Juncker must push through EU directive on money-laundering
Via The Guardian, a letter co-signed by some TJNers. Update: a slightly longer list of signatories in the EU Observer, here. An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism is here, containing an underwhelming response from Juncker. Jean-Claude Juncker must push through EU … [Read more...]
Links Dec 8
Corporate tax cuts don’t work Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs ICIJ calls for immediate release of arrested Azeri reporter Khadija Ismayilova #FreeKhadija See also: Prominent Azerbaijani Journalist Sent To Two-Month Pretrial Detention Radio Free Europe, and recent … [Read more...]
Links Dec 5
EU parliament studies tax avoidance in member states Luxemburger Wort See also: Pro-Juncker coalition blocks committee of inquiry on Luxleaks EurActiv, and Juncker’s Sound of Silence Project Syndicate Malta should brace itself for tax haven clampdown Malta Today India must show valid proof … [Read more...]
Dear Bundesfinanzminister Schäuble – please don’t block public registries
European transparency and anti-corruption campaigning organisations have sent the following letter to German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble requesting that his government should support demands by the European Parliament that information about the ultimate beneficial owners (the true, … [Read more...]
The UK tax havens and broken promises
By Rosie Sharpe, Money Laundering Campaigner at Global Witness. There’s been much progress recently in requiring companies to put the names of the people who own and control them – their so-called beneficial owners – into the public domain. This is really important to tackle the devastation … [Read more...]
Links Dec 4
New Asia-Pacific taxation taskforce announced Accountants Daily Mauritius Overtakes Singapore as India’s Top Source of FDI India Briefing Putin Suggests Total Amnesty for Offshore Capital Returning to Russia Sputnik International EU Slows Macedonia Plan for Tax Haven Balkan Insight See … [Read more...]
Links Dec 3
India has Less Than 1% Info on Black Money, Lots More I Can Offer, Whistle-blower Herve Falciani to NDTV Nigerian Governor Akpabio Named In Shady Possession Of St-Kitts And Nevis Passport Sahara Reporters Several high profile African figures are "economic citizens" of tax havens Africa’s … [Read more...]
