This is a moment, in these strange times, to celebrate an ongoing success in the history of the tax justice movement. Automatic, multilateral exchange of information on financial accounts is the A of our ABC of tax transparency. It has been a campaign aim since our inception in the early 2000s, as … [Read more...]
Policy
Financial Secrecy Index: who are the world’s worst offenders? The Tax Justice Network podcast special, February 2020
In this special extended Taxcast, Naomi Fowler takes you on a whistle-stop guided tour on an express train around the world with some of the Tax Justice Network team, looking at the worst offenders selling secrecy services according to the latest Financial Secrecy Index results What can nations can … [Read more...]
Unitary taxation for multinational companies: what it is and why it matters
We blogged recently that the UK's main opposition party has committed to introducing unitary taxation by the end of the next parliamentary term. As we've said, it represents an important further normalisation of unitary taxation, and a potentially important step to ending the great damage done by … [Read more...]
Paradigm shifts on tax, and who are ‘the uncounted’? Tax Justice Network November 2019 podcast
This month on the Taxcast we speak to Tax Justice Network CEO Alex Cobham about his new book The Uncounted on the politics of counting. Who's missing from the stats, from the bottom to the very top? And how can we count better? Plus: For decades corporate tax cuts have been touted as the way to … [Read more...]
Taxing multinationals: a new approach
Our headline is also the title of an important new report by Public Services International, a global trade union federation, looking at the fast-changing international tax system. Co-authored by Public Services International's Daniel Bertossa and Sol Picciotto, a Tax Justice Network Senior … [Read more...]
Taxing wealth – how to triumph over injustice: Tax Justice Network October 2019 podcast
In this month's episode we speak to Gabriel Zucman about his new book with co-author Emmanuel Saez - The Triumph of Injustice: How the Rich Dodge Taxes and How to Make Them Pay. Plus, as Extinction Rebellion holds protests around the world over the climate emergency, we point the finger at the … [Read more...]
Geopolitics trumps EU tax haven blacklist
We have blogged many times about the EU and the OECD's blacklisting process. The deadline for the US to comply with the EU list transparency criteria expired on 30 June 2019. Nothing has happened so far. We're publishing here an update guest blog written by Stefan Herweg, writing in his personal … [Read more...]
We asked our stakeholders to challenge us on our work
Should we at the Tax Justice Network be doing more to engage with organisations in the global south? Should we be focusing more on high-level advocacy or talking more about progressive taxes instead of tax avoidance? These questions and more were put to us at our organisational retreat this spring … [Read more...]
Transforming local economies: the Preston Model – a Taxcast special edition, May 2019
In this special extended edition of the May 2019 Taxcast we go to Preston in the North of England to see the Preston Model in action and how they're transforming their local economy and democratising wealth. Also: we discuss dark money and the European elections - the elite interests aligning … [Read more...]
Global Asset Registry workshop – 1-2 July, Paris: submit your paper
The Global Asset Registry workshop in Paris on July 1st and 2nd, 2019 is by invitation only. We will of course share the fruits of the workshop as we develop them further, but for now participation during Day 1 is open to anyone whose paper has been accepted. You can submit your proposal and … [Read more...]
The use of banking information to tackle corruption and money laundering: a low-hanging fruit the OECD refuses to harvest
Imagine that the OECD set up a global system of rules for exchanging apples across borders, so that everyone can enjoy apples of different tastes. Apple eaters were delighted. But then someone asked if the apples could be used to make apple juice. “Stop!” the OECD said. “The apples are only … [Read more...]
Social protection rights for women vs fear of alienating private interests at the UN
Last week marked the end of the 63rd Meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW 63, March 11th-22nd 2019). More information and analysis is available here from the Global Alliance for Tax Justice, well worth a read. This series of events, meetings and deliberations is … [Read more...]
Does transparency REALLY put the rich and famous at risk?
Are the rich and famous at risk of blackmail, extortion or kidnapping if their names are disclosed in public beneficial ownership registries, as they like to argue in tax havens like Jersey? This was a question put to me last week at a conference tackling tax injustice in Nairobi, Kenya, organised … [Read more...]
How to assess the effectiveness of automatic exchange of banking information?
In December 2018 the OECD’s Global Forum published the new terms of reference to assess compliance with the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard (CRS) for automatic exchange of information. Two weeks later, the EU Commission published a report about automatic exchange of information within the EU. Both … [Read more...]
The European Union, tax evasion and closing loopholes: new report
Today, a new report commissioned by the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament and written by the Tax Justice Network's Andres Knobel demonstrates that despite progress in recent years on closing down opportunities for tax evasion, there are still significant loopholes for citizens and … [Read more...]
