The Taxcast - SoundSage

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Tax is intensely political. It's routinely misreported by media of all kinds, and often it's the subject of downright disinformation. We look at how to deal with a lack of truth telling, from the experiences of the Tax Justice Network itself and those of a retired scientist who's had a lot of success in combating it. Plus: our new Real Estate Secrecy Index - who are the world's worst offenders?

"They can't get away with this. It's a victory. It's a small victory for truth." ~ Alan Williams Key

"Misinformation, fake news goes against democratic processes. You can't have proper democracy without pushing back against misinformation in the press." ~ Mark Bou Mansour

"Real estate is not the only high value asset that you can use to hide illicit flows, but it's certainly one of the easiest and one of the most attractive." ~ Alex Cobham

Transcript of the show available here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/July-2026-script-1.pdf

Featuring:

Alan Williams Key, retired scientist, jazz musician and champion complainer to the Independent Press Standards Organisation

Alex Cobham, Chief Executive, Tax Justice Network

Mark Bou Mansour, Head of Communications, Tax Justice Network

Leo Schick, co-producer of the Taxcast, The Corruption Diaries and freelance journalist

Further reading:

Express business coverage found to have breached Editors' Code 12 times this year https://pressgazette.co.uk/the-wire/newspaper-corrections-media-mistakes-errors-legal/express-business-coverage-found-to-have-breached-editors-code-12-times-this-year/

Alan Williams Key's successful complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation about claims printed about millionaire migration from the UK https://www.ipso.co.uk/rulings/00197-25/

Millionaire "exodus" claim backtracked but media re-run story anyway https://taxjustice.net/press/millionaire-exodus-claim-backtracked-but-media-re-run-story-anyway/

Study behind millionaire exodus claims drops author and numbers after fake data accusations - Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/press/millionaire-exodus-study-drops-author-and-numbers-after-fake-data-accusations/

Introducing the Real Estate Secrecy Index - Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/2026/06/23/introducing-the-real-estate-secrecy-index/

Financial Secrecy Index https://fsi.taxjustice.net/#scoring_id=316

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Despite the loud protests and misinformation, despite the Trump administration cutting taxes like there's no tomorrow, there's a wealth tax wave that's rising across US states...we look at the most successful models and what they tell us about the future.

"It's really a matter of the politicians catching up to where the people already are" ~ William Rice, Americans for Tax Fairness

Guests: William Rice, Americans for Tax Fairness and Evan Walker of Washington State Budget and Policy Center

Hosted by Naomi Fowler, co-produced wsith Leo Schick for the Tax Justice Network.

Transcript of the podcast: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Taxcast_June_26_transcript.pdf

Further Reading:

Washington's new Millionaires Tax offers big support to people throughout the state https://budgetandpolicy.org/schmudget/washingtons-new-millionaires-tax-offers-big-support-to-people-throughout-the-state/

Historic new policy – now signed into law – has been decades in the making! https://budgetandpolicy.org/schmudget/millionaires-tax/

Maine enacts millionaire tax in historic win for working families https://www.mecep.org/news/maine-enacts-millionaire-tax-in-historic-win-for-working-families/

Washington state's 'historic' millionaire tax takes aim at super-rich https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/31/washington-state-millionaire-tax-wealth

The party of the rich just taxed the rich in WA. Can that hold? https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/the-party-of-the-rich-just-taxed-the-rich-in-wa-can-that-hold/

Study behind millionaire exodus claims drops author and numbers after fake data accusations https://taxjustice.net/press/millionaire-exodus-study-drops-author-and-numbers-after-fake-data-accusations/

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We look at a worrying law in Malta rushed through Parliament at unprecedented speed that doesn't just decriminalise tax abuse but 'connected breaches' too:

"They've allowed the same culture to start being fomented that led to the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia." ~ Maltese journalist Julian Bonnici

Plus: the role of Britain in the tax affairs of oil companies reaping rich rewards from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, abuse of power in the US and...we have some good news from California.

Transcript of the podcast: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Transcript_Taxcast_May_26.pdf

Further Reading:

How Britain is shielding big oil's Iran war windfall, Adam Ramsay https://abolishwestminster.substack.com/p/revealed-how-britain-is-shielding

$30m an hour: big oil reaping huge war windfall from consumers, analysis finds https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/15/big-oil-huge-war-windfall-consumers

How Trump's IRS settlement could block tax audits of him, his family and their businesses https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0pk2e22jro

Trump's investigation compensation fund draws ire of Republicans - 'Stupid on stilts' https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx21d41p6dzo

How crypto billionaires are trying to buy a Senate seat in Alabama https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/05/crypto-alabama-senate-coinbase-ripple-andreessen/

Congress Must Address Illicit Finance Gaps in Crypto Legislation Before Committee Markup https://us.transparency.org/resource/january-coalition-letter-congress-must-address-illicit-finance-gaps-in-crypto-legislation-before-committee-markup/

Committee-Approved Crypto Bill Leaves Dangerous Loopholes for Corrupt and Other Dirty Money https://us.transparency.org/news/committee-approved-crypto-bill-leaves-dangerous-loopholes-for-corrupt-and-other-dirty-money/

US drops fraud charges after billionaire Adani pledges $10bn investment https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/5/18/us-drops-fraud-charges-after-billionaire-adani-pledges-10bn-investment

A Five-Year Prison Sentence for a Public Hero https://prospect.org/2024/05/21/2024-05-21-five-year-sentence-public-hero-charles-littlejohn/

The Secret IRS Files Archives https://www.propublica.org/series/the-secret-irs-files

Bill 142: The Law Allowing Tax Crime, Fraud And Money Laundering To Be Settled Out Of Court – Amphora Media https://www.amphora.media/2026/03/bill-142-tax-crime-money-laundering-fraud-malta-law

Aron Mifsud Bonnici Avoids Prosecution After Settlement in €1.6 Million Tax Evasion and Money Laundering Case https://www.amphora.media/2026/03/aron-mifsud-bonnici-tax-evasion-money-laundering-settlement-malta

California steps up for tax fairness - Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/2026/05/27/california-steps-up-for-tax-fairness/

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Private Equity has gone under the radar for a very long time so – what is it, how's it affecting our lives? Our tax systems, and financial transparency are crucial for reining in damaging economic activity, something you see a lot of with Private Equity. In this joint podcast with the brilliant Byline Times podcast and its host Adrian Goldberg, the Taxcast's Naomi Fowler talks to Hettie O'Brien who's written The Asset Class: How Private Equity Turned Capitalism Against Itself and Alex Cobham of the Tax Justice Network.

A transcript of the show is available here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Taxcast_Byline_PE.pdf

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A tiny group of very wealthy people are burning through carbon like there'll be no tomorrow. Taxcast host Naomi Fowler talks to economist Tasnia Hussain about the most effective ways to tax emissions and address carbon inequality. Plus: we bring you the highlights of the ongoing historic effort at the UN to overturn a century of global tax rule setting largely by former imperial powers at the OECD to suit them and their multinationals.

With economist Tasnia Hussain, University of Toronto, also featuring Navid Hanif (UN Assistant Secretary-General), Ryad Selmani from Terre Solidaire, UN representative for Jamaica, UN represntative from the Youth Forum, and private jet and carbon emissions tracker Jack Sweeney and his lawyer (interviewed on TV). Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network.

Transcript of the show: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Taxcast_March_26_Transcript.pdf (May not be 100% accurate)

Further resources:

Want to cut emissions? Young advocate says tax the rich — and what they own https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/19/opinion/carbon-emissions-taxation-billionaires

Optimal Carbon Policy under Carbon Inequality https://tasniahussain.github.io/assets/Optimal_Carbon_Policy.pdf

From Taylor's Jet to Taxation for Climate Rescue: Tasnia Hussain https://newsletter.economics.utoronto.ca/from-taylors-jet-to-taxation-for-climate-rescue-tasnia-hussain/

OECD collapse will lock in countries' tax losses to US firms https://taxjustice.net/press/oecd-collapse-will-lock-in-countries-tax-losses-to-us-firms/

US will be exempt from global tax deal targeting profits of large multinationals https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/06/us-exemption-oecd-global-tax-deal-multinational-companies

Washington's Proposed Millionaires Tax, FAQs: https://budgetandpolicy.org/resources-tools/2026/03/Updated-3-3-BPC-Millionaires-Tax-FAQ.pdf

Washington state's 'historic' millionaire tax takes aim at super-rich – will it succeed? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/31/washington-state-millionaire-tax-wealth

The party of the rich just taxed the rich in WA. Can that hold? https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/the-party-of-the-rich-just-taxed-the-rich-in-wa-can-that-hold/

Previous Taxcasts: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/episode/134-who-owns-the-climate-crisis/ Who Owns the Climate Crisis? and The Millionaire Exodus Myth https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/episode/155-millionaire-migration-myth/

Our podcast website with all our podcasts is https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

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Britain has turned its capital into a global money laundering machine. The pavements of central London are home to a soaring number of rough sleepers, yet its streets are lined with empty mansions. Who owns these houses? Often, no one knows – because the wealthiest people in the world have built the perfect system to hide their assets. In this explosive new podcast series Death in Westminster Professor Kojo Koram (author of Uncommon Wealth: Britain And The Aftermath Of Empire) and Dr Dalia Gebrial (Novara Live co-host) will uncover how secret offshore billions are ruining Britain. Produced by Planet B Productions and released by Novara Media in March 2026. Available wherever you get your podcasts. More details here: https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/

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"Tax is one of the smartest investments you can make." That's Professor Chris Harrop's promise to companies, and his new tax funded impact model proves it by helping quantify how paying tax is not only good for their businesses, but for the economies they're operating in, and of course for people and society.

Plus: Why have OECD countries just bent the knee to Donald Trump and given up their sovereign rights to tax US businesses operating within their own borders? Naomi Fowler speaks with Zorka Millin of the FACT Coalition about how US companies now have an exemption from the global minimum corporate tax. Also, Zorka discusses some progress on the Corporate Transparency Act's rollercoaster journey in the US towards setting up a beneficial ownership register - a court ruling has pushed things a little further forward, which is good news since the United States is the world's biggest financial secrecy offender. Now some of the watering down of the act needs to be reversed...

And finally, the UK has strengthened its whistleblower reward scheme, lawyer Mary Inman of Whistleblower Partners tells us more.

Featuring:

Zorka Millin of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition, Chris Harrop, Professor of Sustainable Business at the Huddersfield University Business School in the UK, non-executive director with the Fair Tax Foundation, a founding partner of the Human Centre, and lawyer Mary Inman of Whistleblower Partners. Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler with Leo Schick.

Transcript of the show: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Taxcast_January_26_Transcript.pdf

Further Reading:

OECD collapse will lock in countries' tax losses to US firms - Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/press/oecd-collapse-will-lock-in-countries-tax-losses-to-us-firms/

The OECD's "Side-by-Side" System Preserves, But Weakens, the Global Minimum Tax https://thefactcoalition.org/policy-brief-oecd-side-by-side-system/

U.S. Court of Appeals Upholds Landmark Anti-Money Laundering Law https://thefactcoalition.org/court-upholds-landmark-anti-money-laundering-law/ A new ESG metric: Tax Funded Impact – How fiscal multipliers turn fair tax into tangible social value https://fairtaxmark.net/a-new-esg-metric-tax-funded-impact-how-fiscal-multipliers-turn-fair-tax-into-tangible-social-value/ Lawyer Mary Inman writes on the UK's strengthened whistleblower reward scheme: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mary-inman-81229_whistleblowers-activity-7399741339099197440-aGq3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAAA404Bhqfzti-v3tZUVu1UF__9Eyi8fKs

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The Corruption Diaries is a journey through the eyes of anti-corruption veterans with their unique perspectives on combating one of the most compelling ethical challenges of our time.

In Series Two: Richard Allen's passion was alternative music and he set up in the music business with his own record label, managing and touring with bands like Porcupine Tree. But a tax loophole took all of that away from him and he unexpectedly became a campaigner, taking on tax dodgers and the British authorities from his garden shed. Produced by Leo Schick and hosted by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network.

Our podcast website is available here where you can also listen to Series One featuring white collar crime lawyer Jack Blum https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/the-corruption-diaries/

The Corruption Diaries is available wherever you get your podcasts.

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Countries can either capitulate to President Trump's tax bullying. Or come together to fight for the sovereign right to tax multinationals fairly. In this episode host Naomi Fowler explores whether US economic policy is actually good for the US economy and its people. We've done some number crunching looking at what really happened after Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It tells us a lot about the state of tax justice, its real effects on people, and the misguided exercise of power.

Transcript of the show: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Transcript_Taxcast_Nov_25.pdf

Featuring:

The Tax Justice Network's Mark Bou Mansour, Alison Schultz and Sergio Chaparro-Hernandez. Produced and hosted by Naomi Fowler.

Further Reading:

$475bn lost to US-backed global gag order shielding corporate tax cheaters, Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/press/475bn-lost-to-us-backed-global-gag-order-shielding-corporate-tax-cheaters/

UN tax convention: Everything you need to know about current negotiations on the biggest shakeup in history to global tax rules. https://taxjustice.net/topics/un-tax-convention/

Our website with all our podcasts is available here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

Get the Taxcast as soon as it comes out by subscribing by email to naomi@taxjustice.net

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When tax officials and law enforcement do manage to recover assets and money from criminals, what happens next? How are those seizures used to benefit taxpayers and society? We think there are lots of missed opportunities here and the Taxcast goes to West Yorkshire in the North of England to see social reuse of seized assets in action. It's pretty heartening.

Plus: President Donald Trump has pardoned convicted money launderer Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire founder of the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance. We speak to Scott Greytak of Transparency International US about what this means for the financial integrity of the US financial system and the ramifications for the rest of the world.

A transcript of the show is available here:

https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Taxcast_Transcript_Oct_25.pdf

Produced and hosted by Naomi Fowler and Leo Schick.

Featuring:

Scott Greytak of Transparency International US

Dr. Amber Phillips, University of Bristol, Senior Criminology lecturer

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire

Alison Lowe, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime

Tasha Dyson, Fusion Housing

Derek Jones, All Saints Landmark Centre

Tony Macaluso, Chapel FM Art Centre

Nigel Crowther, senior financial investigator, West Yorkshire Police

Alysha, Dance United

Further reading:

Trump's crypto pardon delivers immediate payback: https://popular.info/p/update-trumps-crypto-pardon-delivers

From Crime to Community: The Social Reuse of Confiscated Assets in Italy, Spain and Romania https://www.scena9.ro/en/article/crime-community-social-reuse-confiscated-assets-italy-spain-romania

Website with all our podcasts: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/

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We look at the outsized influence of a small and secretive Catholic institution, Opus Dei, from Spain's dictator Franco, right up to the present day. And the bank it secretly controlled for sixty years:

"This sounds a bit like a bit of conspiracy theory but trust me, it's very real. It's in almost every major city around the world and it's quite ruthless. It's close to the Trump regime because they share a lot of common ground." ~ Gareth Gore, journalist and author

Plus: in the latest twist in the epic battle to end anonymous ownership in the United States, the US's financial regulator FinCEN has announced that only 'foreign businesses' with 'foreign owners' will now be required to report ownership information to the federal government. It's announced plans to actually delete ownership information that ‘US companies’ have already submitted. We look at the options to stop the US sliding even further into a corruption abyss:

"The US is making a commitment to stay at the back of the pack compared to the rest of the world." ~ Erica Hanichak, FACT Coalition

Co-produced by host Naomi Fowler and Leo Schick.

Transcript of the show: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Taxcast_Sept_25_Transcript-1.pdf (may not be 100% accurate)

Further Reading:

Opus: the Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking and Right Wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church by Gareth Gore https://bookshop.org/p/books/opus-the-cult-of-dark-money-human-trafficking-and-right-wing-conspiracy-inside-the-catholic-church-gareth-gore/7b5e7a3a10fa7fa5?ean=9781668016169&digital=t

Treasury Reopens the Floodgates to Dirty Money in the U.S., FACT Coalition https://thefactcoalition.org/treasury-reopens-the-floodgates-to-dirty-money-cta/

FinCEN plans to delete data on U.S. companies from beneficial ownership database, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists https://www.icij.org/news/2025/09/fincen-plans-to-delete-data-on-u-s-companies-from-beneficial-ownership-database/

‘I became like a slave’: why 43 women are suing the secretive Opus Dei Catholic group in Argentina, the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/apr/14/argentina-human-rights-women-opus-dei-catholic-church-exploitation-abuse-celibacy-trafficking-allegations

Press statement on a judicial process in Argentina, Opus Dei https://opusdei.org/en-uk/article/press-statement-on-a-judicial-process-in-argentina/

Website with more information and more Tax Justice Network podcasts https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

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The persecution of anyone suspected of being an undocumented immigrant in the United States is not only taking the form of armed, masked ICE agents. Tax is being weaponised against them too. An estimated 10.9 million undocumented immigrants are the powerhouse of the United States economy, and also an exploitable workforce with minimal rights. It turns out that they're paying a higher effective tax rate than 55 mega-corporations and several billionaires:

There's something very wrong with our tax system, that people with that much wealth could be paying a lower tax rate than undocumented immigrants who are generally working in low paying jobs.

A nation that's focused on persecuting and purging specific groups of people is not a healthy one. And as people are being ripped out of their communities, we look at the data that show how devastating it is for the economy and public services too.

Plus: bullying at home, bullying abroad: President Trump is deploying tariffs and threats of tariffs against countries who have the audacity to want to tax US multinationals fairly on the business they do in their countries. We look at the options for nations to stand together and resist.

The US administration wants US multinationals to be more able to continue to commit corporate tax abuse than everybody else.

Featuring:

Alex Cobham, Tax Justice Network

Lauren Loricchio, investigations editor, Tax Notes

William Rice, policy consultant, Americans for Tax Fairness

Delia Catalina Ramírez, Congresswoman, Illinois, District 3

Co-produced by host Naomi Fowler and Leo Schick.

Transcript (some is automated and may not be 100% accurate) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Transcript_July_25.pdf

Further reading:

Information Sharing Deal Complicates Immigrant Return Filing, Lauren Loricchio, Tax Notes https://www.taxnotes.com/featured-news/information-sharing-deal-complicates-immigrant-return-filing/2025/05/28/7sc72

What a 3.5% tax on remittances could do to the developing world, Jesse Chase-Lubitz, Devex https://www.devex.com/news/what-a-3-5-tax-on-remittances-could-do-to-the-developing-world-110206

Undocumented Workers Pay Higher Effective Tax Rate than 55 Mega Corporations and Several Billionaires, Americans for Tax Fairness study https://americansfortaxfairness.org/undocumented-workers-pay-higher-effective-tax-rate-55-mega-corporations-several-billionaires/

Report: Report: How Undocumented Immigrants Contribute to Our Economy & Pay Higher Tax Rates Than Many Major Corporations, Americans for Tax Fairness https://americansfortaxfairness.org/undocumented-immigrants-contribute-economy/

ICE Agents Deserve No Privacy, the Intercept: "Armed gangs of officers, often masked and anonymous" https://theintercept.com/2025/07/01/masked-ice-agents-victimization-accountability/

We’re Now at the Stage Where Criminals Are Impersonating ICE Agents, This is what happens when federal authorities are allowed to seize people without identifying themselves, The New Republic https://newrepublic.com/post/196360/man-impersonates-ice-agent-robs-immigrant-pennsylvania

Tax Payments by Undocumented Immigrants, Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy https://itep.org/undocumented-immigrants-taxes-2024/

Our website with all our podcasts is https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/ where you can also subscribe and get an email every time the Taxcast drops!

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Millionaires are not fleeing countries to escape taxes. The Tax Justice Network has analysed these claims and found it's questionable data published by a firm that helps the super-rich buy their way out of rules that apply to everybody else. In fact, things are changing for people in the business of helping to sell passports and residency. Some doors are closing... Plus, we look at the latest results from the Financial Secrecy Index - what are the latest global trends and have you heard of an anocracy?!

Transcript of the show: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/June-2025-Taxcast-script_-millionaire-exodus-myth.pdf

Further reading:

Millionaire exodus did not occur, study reveals, Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/press/millionaire-exodus-did-not-occur-study-reveals/

Millionaire “exodus” claim backtracked but media re-run story anyway, Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/press/millionaire-exodus-claim-backtracked-but-media-re-run-story-anyway/

The ‘Millionaire Exodus’ the UK Media Told You About Never Actually Happened, Byline Times https://bylinetimes.com/2025/06/10/the-millionaire-exodus-the-uk-media-told-you-about-never-actually-happened/

Citizenship must not be up for sale, speech by the Vice-President of the European Commission, EU Justice Commissioner https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_14_18

EU Court Rules Malta's Golden Passport Program is Illegal, OCCRP https://www.occrp.org/en/news/eu-court-rules-maltas-golden-passport-program-is-illegal

Influencer Andrew Tate got Vanuatu Passport Around Time of Arrest on Rape Charges https://www.occrp.org/en/news/exclusive-alleged-rapist-influencer-andrew-tate-got-vanuatu-passport-around-time-of-2022-arrest

Vanuatu: Council of the EU ends visa exemption https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/12/12/vanuatu-council-ends-visa-exemption/

Logged Pushbacks to Libya from Malta’s SAR Zone Triple Since 2020, Over 5,000 People Forced Back https://www.amphora.media/2025/06/logged-pushbacks-to-libya-from-maltas-sar-zone-triple-since-2020-over-5000-people-forced-back

Malta Migration Archive https://maltamigrationarchive.org/

Times of Malta Editorial: A shameful abdication of duty https://timesofmalta.com/article/editorial-a-shameful-abdication-duty.1107005

£160 billion could have been raised for the UK’s public finances over the past three decades if UK tax residents on the annual rich lists had been asked to pay a two per cent wealth tax on their assets over £10 million - equivalent to the cost of building 80 new hospitals in that period. (Patriotic Millionaires UK) https://patrioticmillionaires.uk/latest-news/special-report-on-the-sunday-times-rich-list-the-missing-billions?mc_cid=2f5977ff81

Family statement: Robert Agius and Jamie Vella sentenced. Despite her murderers' attempts to silence her, Daphne's legacy endures. (Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation) https://www.daphne.foundation/en/2025/06/10/sentence-complicity

Vanuatu, Financial Secrecy Index country profile, Tax Justice Network https://fsi.taxjustice.net/country-detail/#jurisdiction_id=VU&scoring_id=268

Reporting from the Passport Papers, Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation https://www.daphne.foundation/passport-papers/

Passport Papers: Henley and Partners’ leaked documents show most applicants are from countries where dual citizenship is not permitted https://theshiftnews.com/2021/04/22/passport-papers-henley-and-partners-leaked-documents-show-most-applicants-are-from-countries-where-dual-citizenship-is-not-permitted/

The Passport King who Markets Citizenship for Cash, a Daphne Project investigation, OCCRP https://www.occrp.org/en/project/the-daphne-project/the-passport-king-who-markets-citizenship-for-cash

Why rich foreigners may not rush to buy Trump's $5 million 'gold card' visas, Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-gold-card-visa-demand-rich-immigrants-green-card-lutnick-2025-5

The Taxcast website with all the Tax Justice Network podcasts in five different languages are available at https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

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The life-changing, life-saving, transformational nature of tax - for people and planet. Ireland's got a tax windfall of about €14 billion - that's roughly $15 billion. What are they going to do with it..?

"This is the kind of moment that doesn't come around often and we really need to seize it. Or if we let the opportunity slip through our fingers, it's going to have impacts for future generations." ~ Mansi Rawat, Social Justice Ireland

We don't do enough about blue sky thinking on how tax can transform our lives. This is our chance to unlock our imaginations. It's also time for Ireland to rethink its tax haven model and for many countries, not just Ireland, to ask who its economy is serving.

The Taxcast is produced by Naomi Fowler and Leo Schick of the Tax Justice Network.

Further reading:

Here's the transcript of the show (some is automated and may not be 100% accurate:

https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Taxcast-May-2025-Transcript.pdf

Pope Francis, 1936-2025 (Tax Justice Network) https://taxjustice.net/2025/04/24/pope-francis-1936-2025/

Top EU court rules Apple owes Ireland over $14B in back taxes https://www.icij.org/investigations/paradise-papers/top-eu-court-rules-apple-owes-ireland-over-14b-in-back-taxes/

EU’s Apple ‘victory’ highlights the failure of international tax rules (Tax Justice Network) https://taxjustice.net/press/eus-apple-victory-highlights-the-failure-of-international-tax-rules/

A response to the European court’s bad Apple ruling, (Alex Cobham, Tax Justice Network) https://taxjustice.net/2020/07/15/a-response-to-the-european-courts-bad-apple-ruling/

Tax Haven Ireland, a book by Brian O'Boyle and Kieran Allen https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745345314/tax-haven-ireland/

Previous Taxcast episode featuring Brian O'Boyle and Kieran Allen talking about their book Tax Haven Ireland. https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/episode/116-tax-haven-ireland/

Budget Analysis by Social Justice Ireland (they have also written about managing the windfall gains) https://www.socialjustice.ie/system/files/file-uploads/2024-10/Budget%202025%20Analysis%20and%20Critique%20%281%29.pdf

People Before Profit calls for Apple taxes to fund State construction firm, RTE https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2024/1104/1479063-pbp-state-construction/

Our podcast website with all our podcasts: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

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The Taxcast looks at the battle for freedom of the press in Switzerland and the implications for the rest of the world. Investigative journalists like Bastian Obermayer risks arrest, fines and imprisonment if he sets foot in Switzerland again, and Swiss journalists are having to turn away strong public interest stories - for fear of not just rich and powerful people coming after them, but also the Swiss state. Switzerland's always been famous for its banking secrecy laws and it's never been the friendliest place for investigative journalists. Now the situation threatens to get even worse.

Featuring:

Bastian Obermayer, one of the Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalists who broke the Panama Papers story and many other groundbreaking scandals.
Swiss investigative journalist, Oliver Zihlmann, co-head of the Investigative Unit at Tamedia, the leading publishing and broadcast media company in Switzerland.
Policy and advocacy manager at Reporters Without Borders Switzerland, Valentin Rubin
Hosted by Naomi Fowler and co-produced with Leo Schick.

Transcript of the show available here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Criminalising-Journalists_-Script.pdf

Further reading:

Suisse Secrets https://www.occrp.org/en/project/suisse-secrets

Bastian Obermayer: 'In Switzerland, I face prison – for exposing wrongdoing.' https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bastian-obermayer-9ba8805b_we-investigate-corruption-swiss-law-calls-activity-7316409781127159808-EgfS/

US overtakes Switzerland in global ranking of financial secrecy hotbeds https://taxjustice.net/press/financial-secrecy-index-2020-reports-progress-on-global-transparency-but-backsliding-from-us-cayman-and-uk-prompts-call-for-sanctions/

Tax Justice Network's Financial Secrecy Index https://fsi.taxjustice.net/

Swiss Government Motions for Press Freedom in Country’s Finance Sector https://www.occrp.org/en/news/swiss-government-motions-for-press-freedom-in-countrys-finance-sector

Swiss parliamentarians refuse to overhaul banking secrecy laws https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/swiss-banking-secrecy-law-clashes-with-freedom-of-speech/47365724

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How easy is it to get filthy rich selling arms to anyone who'll pay? There may be sanctions, there may be laws, but even though he's the FBI's most wanted fugitive, a Chinese arms dealer and manufacturer has evaded arrest for two decades. Who could be better to investigate one of the world’s most dangerous men and tell this story than Panama Papers journalists? Taxcast host Naomi Fowler speaks to Frederik Obermaier about the book The Chinese Phantom: the Hunt for the World's most Dangerous Arms Dealer. What does it tell us about sanctions and financial secrecy at a time of rising autocracy and global insecurity? Also in this episode: the latest on efforts by powerful people to block the US's Corporate Transparency Act which was supposed to set up a register of the real owners of companies; And, in the UK - a new whistleblower incentive scheme - the tax authority HMRC will give whistleblowers who bring actionable information a cut of between 10 and 25% of any fine that HMRC imposes. Also, as the British government announces welfare cuts affecting the poorest people in the country, there are calls for a windfall tax on banks and a 2% wealth tax on assets above £10 million instead. Featuring: Panama Papers journalist Frederik Obermaier, Whistleblower lawyer Mary Inman, Erica Hanichak of the FACT Coalition, Hannah Dewhirst of Positive Money, Professor Prem Sikka. Produced by Naomi Fowler and Leo Schick of the Tax Justice Network. Transcript of the show: (some may be automated) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/March_25_Transcript-1.pdf Further reading: The Chinese Phantom, the Hunt for the World's Most Dangerous Arms Dealer. (Available in English and in German) https://www.kiwi-verlag.de/verlag/rights/book/bastian-obermayer-frederik-obermaier-die-jagd-auf-das-chinesische-phantom-9783462001396 Also available here but please try to use a local bookshop! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chinese-Phantom-worlds-dangerous-dealer/dp/1915590698 Tax abuse whistleblowers will earn a share of HMRC proceeds, says UK Finance Minister https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/26/tax-avoidance-whistleblowers-will-earn-share-of-any-hmrc-proceeds-rachel-reeves-confirms Windfall tax on bank profits in the UK could raise £15bn https://positivemoney.org/press-release/windfall-tax-on-bank-profits-could-raise-ps15bn/ How to raise £60 billion for public services: ten tax reforms from Tax Justice UK https://taxjustice.uk/blog/how-to-raise-60-billion-for-public-services-our-ten-tax-reforms/ Millionaires urge MPs “tax us, the super-rich” to avoid cuts and invest in Britain https://patrioticmillionaires.uk/latest-news/millionaires-urge-mps-tax-us-the-super-rich-to-avoid-cuts-and-invest-in-britain All our podcasts are available on our podcast website https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

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Listen to the Taxcast wherever you get your podcasts. You can subscribe by email and get lots of resources and further reading on our website here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/

The Tax Justice Network has monthly podcasts in different languages focused on different regions of the world, all available here https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/ Also available there is our series The Corruption Diaries; a journey through the eyes of anti-corruption veterans, with unique perspectives on combating some of the most compelling ethical challenges of our time.

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The rollercoaster story of the battle in the US (the world's biggest global financial secrecy offender) over the implementation of a beneficial ownership register, the attempts to stop it and the (many) lessons learned from the UK's registers. The US's Corporate Transparency Act seemed to be on track. Until it wasn't... "Everything is bigger in Texas, that's what they like to say! And as we've learned, even court orders are bigger in Texas."

Meanwhile, we take a look at UK company registration progress, since the days when "you could just set up a company for 12 pounds and say you were Mickey Mouse with a shareholder Donald Duck and no one asked any questions." (Spoiler alert: there's still a long way to go)

Guests include: Zorka Milin and Ian Gary of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition, Cynthia O'Murchu Financial Times Investigative Reporter, Graham Barrow, financial crime sleuth and podcaster, the Dark Money Files, campaigner and author Oliver Bullough

Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler, co-produced by Leo Schick.

Transcript of this episode: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Transcript_Feb_25.pdf

Further reading:

What is beneficial ownership? https://taxjustice.net/faq/what-is-beneficial-ownership/

How to fix beneficial ownership frameworks, so they actually work https://taxjustice.net/2023/12/20/new-report-on-how-to-fix-beneficial-ownership-frameworks-so-they-actually-work/

Ownership Transparency https://thefactcoalition.org/issues/ownership-transparency/

Beneficial ownership registration around the world, 2022: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/State-of-Play-of-Beneficial-Ownership-2022-Tax-Justice-Network.pdf

US Judge Lifts Last Beneficial Ownership Roadblock https://lnkd.in/gNYN6nrg

Biden’s DOJ just asked the Supreme Court to do a huge favor for Donald Trump https://www.vox.com/scotus/393540/supreme-court-garland-texas-top-cop-shop-nationwide-injunction

Supreme Court Allows Enforcement of Major Anti-Corruption Law to Resume, FACT Coalition: https://thefactcoalition.org/supreme-court-allows-enforcement-of-major-anti-corruption-law-to-resume/

US company database remains on hold, despite Supreme Court decision https://www.icij.org/investigations/fincen-files/us-company-database-remains-on-hold-despite-supreme-court-decision/

Supreme Mess: The Beneficial Ownership Interest Reporting Controversy Lands At The U.S. Supreme Court https://www.forbes.com/sites/jayadkisson/2025/01/15/supreme-mess-the-beneficial-owne[…]interest-reporting-controversy-lands-at-the-us-supreme-court/

The Corporate Transparency Act is Constitutional, Government and “Friend of the Court” Briefs Make Clear https://thefactcoalition.org/the-corporate-transparency-act-is-constitutional/

How overseas territories are being used to bypass UK transparency rules https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/how-overseas-territories-are-being-used-to-bypass-uk-transparency-rules/

Owners of 53,000 properties still unknown https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/owners-of-53000-properties-still-unknown/5115054.article

Who paid £139 million for a Regent’s Park mansion? Nobody knows. https://www.the-londoner.co.uk/the-regents-park-mansion-mystery/

How Do Judges Become Judges? Here Are Five Main Ways (US) https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/how-judges-become-judges/

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We look at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism story about a Syrian kleptocrat and alleged war criminal, and the British Crown Dependency of Guernsey. It throws up all kinds of questions about policing compliance, enforcement and the need for public beneficial ownership registers, with good quality information.

Also, on day one of his presidency, Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the OECD's global minimum tax deal. So what now? We'll talk to the Tax Justice Network's Alex Cobham.

Featuring:

Reporter at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Ed Siddons

Guernsey-based investigative and podcast journalist, Rob Byrne

Alex Cobham of the Tax Justice Network

Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler, Tax Justice Network

Transcript of the show is here (some is automated) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jan_25_Taxcast_Transcript.pdf

Further reading:

‘Butcher of Hama’: Assad’s uncle used Guernsey fund manager to stash millions looted from Syria (Bureau of Investigative Journalism) https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2024-12-16/butcher-of-hama-assads-uncle-used-guernsey-fund-manager-to-stash-millions-looted-from-syria/

Guernsey, country profile, Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/country-profiles/guernsey/

Guernsey Financial Services Commission notice regarding Ginette Blondel https://www.gfsc.gg/news/ms-ginette-louise-blondel

The Guernsey finance worker, the alleged war criminal and a £210k fine - Bailiwick Express News Jersey https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/news/focus-210k-fine-working-alleged-war-criminal-without-licence/

Sentencing of Bashar Assad’s Uncle in France Exposes Bank’s AML Failure https://www.moneylaundering.com/news/exclusive-sentencing-of-bashar-assads-uncle-in-france-exposes-banks-aml-failure/

Assad uncle used Guernsey adviser to secretly manage vast wealth https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/16/assad-uncle-used-guernsey-adviser-to-secretly-manage-vast-wealth

Former Syrian Vice President Rifaat al-Assad will stand trial in Switzerland on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity https://trialinternational.org/latest-post/former-syrian-vice-president-rifaat-al-assad-will-stand-trial-in-switzerland-on-charges-of-war-crimes-and-crimes-against-humanity/

When will the British government impose public registries on its tax havens? Tax Justice Network blog from 2019 https://taxjustice.net/2019/03/04/when-will-the-british-government-impose-public-registries-on-its-tax-havens/

"The three Crown Dependencies have committed to introducing public registers. Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man have private registers. However, in response to the 2022 ECJ ruling, in December 2022 the three governments said they would wait for legal advice before taking further steps." https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2023-0220/ (House of Commons Library)

Dear European Court of Justice, you were played, Tax Justice Network blog on 2022 European Court of Justice ruling https://taxjustice.net/2022/12/05/dear-european-court-of-justice-you-were-played/

Officer: GINETTE LOUISE BLONDEL, Data from Paradise Papers - Malta corporate registry https://offshoreleaks.icij.org/nodes/56057386 Guernsey FSC Prohibitions and Disqualified Directors https://www.opensanctions.org/datasets/gg_disqualified_directors/ Trump demands countries surrender tax sovereignty at economic gunpoint, Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/press/trump-demands-countries-surrender-tax-sovereignty-at-economic-gunpoint/ Countries should stand up to President Trump’s tax threat and continue working together to deliver a progressive global tax reform. https://www.icrict.com/non-classe/countries-should-stand-up-to-president-trumps-tax-threat-and-continue-working-together-to-deliver-a-progressive-global-tax-reform/ Our website with all our podcasts is https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

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A world where someone pays $6.2 million for a banana duct-taped to a wall is a world that needs wealth taxes. But when wealth taxes are considered by politicians and governments, unsubstantiated spin and myth making dominates the debate. (If you can call it a debate). We look at the Tax Justice Network's modest wealth tax proposal which could help governments increase their national budgets by 7 percent a year, a potential global revenue of more than 2 trillion US dollars annually. And we discuss what research really says about so-called 'tax flight' by the very wealthy because of tax reforms. Will they really leave in droves?

Featuring:

Mark Bou Mansour, Tax Justice Network

Alison Schultz, Tax Justice Network

Victoria Gronwald of the London School of Economics. She's co-author of their report, Tax Flight. Britain's wealthiest and their attachment to place.

Various AI-voiced excerpts from interviews with High Net Worth Individuals from the LSE report.

Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler, Tax Justice Network

Transcript of the show is here (some is automated) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/6m-banana-transcript_Dec_24.pdf

Further reading:

Texas Judge Wrongly Halts Enforcement of Landmark Anti-Money Laundering Law https://thefactcoalition.org/texas-cta-injunction/

An update from FACT Coalition in the US on the US Treasury appeal against the Texas Judge’s Nationwide Injunction Against Corporate Transparency Act https://thefactcoalition.org/just-the-facts-12-12-24/

The Guy Who Bought (and Ate) That Banana Art https://slate.com/technology/2024/12/justin-sun-banana-art-crypto-billionaire-criminal-comedian-maurizio-cattelan.html

Countries can raise $2 trillion by copying Spain’s wealth tax, study finds https://taxjustice.net/press/countries-can-raise-2-trillion-by-copying-spains-wealth-tax-study-finds/

Tax flight? Britain’s wealthiest and their attachment to place, LSE report https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/121396/

Infographic: The extreme wealth of the superrich is making our economies insecure https://taxjustice.net/2024/08/19/infographic-the-extreme-wealth-of-the-superrich-is-making-our-economies-insecure/

Wiki: How to tax the superrich (with pictures) https://taxjustice.net/2024/08/19/wiki-how-to-tax-the-superrich-with-pictures/

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What are the implications of Donald Trump's election victory for tax justice and the anti-corruption fight in the US and globally? We see a moment of clarity... Host Naomi Fowler talks to Alex Cobham of the Tax Justice Network based in Europe and Zorka Milin of the FACT Coalition in Washington, US.

We also have two very good pieces of news: one is the latest vote at the UN as countries vote overwhelmingly to take negotiations on the UN Tax Convention to the next step, leaving the blocker nations in a tiny minority. And the second piece of good news is that despite huge lobbying to try to stop them, Australian politicians have shown how politicians really can act in the public interest - they've just passed legislation that means all major multinationals operating in Australia will now have to publish country by country reporting data on the scale of their activities, including profits declared and tax paid in a list of jurisdictions deemed as 'high risk.' It's not only good for Australia, it's going to shed light on what multinationals are doing in some other jurisdictions, which will help them tax fairly too.

Transcript: (some is automated) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Transcript_Taxcast-November-2024.pdf

Further reading:

The world is losing half a trillion to tax abuse, largely due to 8 countries blocking UN tax reform https://taxjustice.net/press/world-losing-half-a-trillion-to-tax-abuse-largely-due-to-8-countries-blocking-un-tax-reform-annual-report-finds/

UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to begin historic, global tax overhaul (US and UK left isolated as only 9 countries now oppose progress) https://taxjustice.net/press/united-nations-general-assembly-votes-overwhelmingly-to-begin-historic-global-tax-overhaul/

UN recording of the historic vote https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1b/k1bnm64xzs and UN summary of the vote https://press.un.org/en/2024/gaef3614.doc.htm

The Tax Justice Network rolling blog on UN tax negotiations: https://taxjustice.net/2024/04/25/%f0%9f%94%b4live-un-tax-negotiations/

Australia's historic Country By Country Reporting bill passes https://taxjustice.net/press/tax-justice-network-hails-world-leading-australian-legislation-on-corporate-tax-transparency/

Find all our podcasts and further information on https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

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Campaigning for change can feel like banging your head against a brick wall sometimes, but change is coming. On the Taxcast this month host Naomi Fowler talks us through three big tax justice wins:

First, the draft UN convention - showing exactly why the United Nations is so much better and more democratic a place for the world to truly reform international tax rules.

Second, the Financial Action Task force has announced important changes which indicate a shift away from the colonial mindset that established a system that's not working because it fails to hold the really big offender nations to account.

And third, the Australian government seems to be holding its nerve against major lobbying pressure and is getting closer to implementing its world leading country by country reporting legislation, which is superior to the one the European Union uses and the OECD advocates. It'll cast light on the genuine activities of multinationals for other nations as well, so they can tax them more fairly too.

Featuring:

Alex Cobham and Florencia Lorenzo of the Tax Justice Network

Mark Zirnsak of Tax Justice Network Australia

Further reading:

Transcript of the show (some is automated) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Transcript_Taxcast_Oct_24.pdf

UN convention draft resolution https://undocs.org/A/C.2/79/L.8

FATF changes its grey listing criteria to further focus on risk https://www.fatf-gafi.org/en/publications/Fatfgeneral/FATF-grey-listing-criteria.html

Bahamas attorney general leads Global South's push for UN tax cooperation deal https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/world/bahamas-ag-leads-global-south-push-for-un-tax-cooperation-deal.phtml

Ten Truths about Tax Havens: Inclusion and the "Liberia" Problem https://brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/faculty/1287/

Global civil society calls on Australian senators to hold firm and deliver corporate tax transparency https://taxjustice.net/press/global-civil-society-calls-on-australian-senators-to-hold-firm-and-deliver-corporate-tax-transparency/

Our website with further information is here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/

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Are banks claims about their financing of fossil fuel companies true, or are they green laundering? The Tax Justice Network has been following the money, and our investigations show how financial secrecy is allowing banks to hide the true scale of their backing for activities that are accelerating the climate crisis. It's an international scandal.

Plus: the judgment is final: Apple must now pay back taxes in Ireland of 13 billion euros, over 14 billion dollars. It's a big win for the European Commission. We discuss the implications.

Featuring: Margrethe Vestager, EU Competition Commissioner, Tax Justice Network researchers and co-suthors of the report How “greenlaundering” conceals the full scale of fossil fuel financing Franziska Mager and Alison Shultz, economist Joseph Stiglitz of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation, Tove Ryding, tax coordinator at the European Network on Debt and Development, Eurodad in Europe, and Zorka Milin, former tax lawyer and policy director at the FACT Coalition in the United States, Will Crisp of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Produced and hosted by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network.

Transcript of the show: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Taxcast_Sept_24_Transcript.pdf

Further reading:

Our tax problem is more than just one rotten apple https://www.eurodad.org/our_tax_problem_is_more_than_just_one_rotten_apple

EU’s Apple ‘victory’ highlights the failure of international tax rules https://taxjustice.net/press/eus-apple-victory-highlights-the-failure-of-international-tax-rules/

The UN adopts ambitious mandate for three legally binding global tax deals https://www.eurodad.org/after_landslide_vote_un_adopts_ambitious_mandate_for_three_legally_binding_global_tax_deals

90 NGOs Call on Congress to End the Corporate Tax Preference for Shifting Jobs & Profits Offshore https://thefactcoalition.org/90-ngos-call-on-congress-to-end-the-corporate-tax-preference-for-shifting-jobs-profits-offshore/

How “greenlaundering” conceals the full scale of fossil fuel financing https://taxjustice.net/2024/09/11/how-greenlaundering-conceals-the-full-scale-of-fossil-fuel-financing/

Citigroup helped funnel $3.5bn to UAE state oil company https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2024-09-13/citigroup-helped-funnel-3bn-to-uae-state-oil-company/

Our podcast website with all our podcasts https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

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There are some massive heists happening that many of us have never heard of. Taxcast host Naomi Fowler talks to investigative journalist and author Geoff White about how crypto and the tech industry are impacting money laundering, and challenging national and international security. The rights and responsibilities for the tech and crypto industry, and 'freedom of speech' defences are being tested in court. The outcomes will have profound effects on all of us.

"625 million is a serious contender for the biggest theft of all time. In terms of money stolen from one victim in one go, it's hard to find a case bigger than that. I think people should know about this case, but the subsequent freedom of speech epic battle, the sort of battle royale that's now going on, I think it's really important."

Plus: a short news round-up of news including Trump's tax plans should he become US president and wealth taxes move centre-stage.

Further Reading:

OECD tax reforms risk violating human rights law, UN experts warn in special intervention:

https://taxjustice.net/press/oecd-tax-reforms-risk-violating-human-rights-law-un-experts-warn-in-special-intervention/

Formal letter from UN Human Rights experts to the OECD raising human rights concerns over tax reforms: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=28676

Litany of failure: new briefing sets out OECD’s manifold shortcomings in international tax talks: https://taxjustice.net/2024/05/28/litany-of-failure-new-briefing-sets-out-oecds-manifold-shortcomings-in-international-tax-talks/

The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America by Andrew W. Kahrl: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-black-tax-150-years-of-theft-exploitation-and-dispossession-in-america-andrew-w-kahrl/7592145?ean=9780226730592

The living new deal: a website with a collection of all the public infrastructure, bridges, roads, swimming pools, community centres etc that were built during the 1930s and 40s: https://livingnewdeal.org/

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Souls of Black Folk, by W. E. B. Du Bois: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/408/408-h/408-h.htm

All our podcasts are available with more information on https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/ and you can find all our other podcasts (all separate monthly productions in Arabic, French, Portuguese and Spanish) here https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

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In this episode: we bring you stories on how we've all been cheated, and look at some of the actors involved in the corruption of tax policy making in Australia; the consequences have rippled out to affect the rest of the world. Two of the OECD's top people seem to be compromised on matters of tax and the public interest. So what does that say about their motivations? What does it say about the motivations of the organizations they work for? Should an organisation like the OECD be so strongly connected to the big four accountancy firms? And should governments? How do we protect ourselves from the forces seeking to obstruct tax justice in the world?

Plus, we'll bring you the latest updates on historic negotiations between nations on a UN Tax Convention from a Tax Justice Network colleague who was in the room and gives us his impressions.

"There is a South cooperation and a South-South pushback against the developed countries. And that is a remarkable moment and it will change the tax world. There is no ignoring this anymore by the OECD countries."

"We need to see global cooperation from governments, clearly these tax advisor firms are operating across borders, they collaborate so I think we need to see tax authorities and governments doing similar."

Further resources:

Transcript of this epsiode (some is automated, so not 100% accurate) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Transcript_Taxcast-May-2024_-the-corrupting-of-tax-justice.pdf

The People vs Microsoft (previous Taxcast #137) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/episode/137-the-people-vs-microsoft/

PwC: a calculated breach of trust (Australian) Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee report https://apo.org.au/node/323246

Live rolling Tax Justice Network blog with regular updates on progress on negotiations at the UN https://taxjustice.net/2024/04/25/%f0%9f%94%b4live-un-tax-negotiations/

What happened at the first round of UN tax negotiations and what’s next? https://taxjustice.net/2024/05/17/what-happened-at-the-first-round-of-un-tax-negotiations-and-whats-next/

Litany of failure: new briefing sets out OECD’s manifold shortcomings in international tax talks https://taxjustice.net/2024/05/28/litany-of-failure-new-briefing-sets-out-oecds-manifold-shortcomings-in-international-tax-talks/

Our website with all previous Taxcasts https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/

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"This will supersede them all." Offshore specialist and human rights lawyer Paul Beckett of Corlett Bolton & Co sounds the alarm on the fast development of 'blockchain havens.'

The Tax Justice Network's Bob Michel speaks about the challenges regulators, anti-corruption campaigners and poorer nations face.

A transcript of the podcast is available here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Blockchain-havens-transcript-2.pdf

Further reading:

The War on Dirty Money, by Tristram Hicks and Nicholas Gilmour

Dirty Money: Tristram Hicks on Substack

UN agrees plan for wealth tax law blueprint https://taxjustice.net/press/un-agrees-plan-for-wealth-tax-law-blueprint/

The Tax Justice Network hails a breakthrough in corporate tax transparency https://taxjustice.net/press/tax-justice-network-hails-a-major-breakthrough-in-corporate-tax-transparency/

The country by country reporting path to global justice https://taxjustice.net/events/the-country-by-country-path-to-global-justice/

The FT confirms the OECD lobbied against Australian tax transparency https://taxjustice.net/press/ft-confirms-oecd-lobbied-against-australian-tax-transparency/

The investor case for public country by country tax reporting https://thefactcoalition.org/report/a-material-concern-the-investor-case-for-public-country-by-country-tax-reporting/

Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 https://www.ukciu.gov.uk/(xwxqxm55yk5tzxbr0dznv2en)/Information/info.aspx?InfoSection=Legislation

HMRC/UK tax authority staff paying for themselves many times over https://www.taxjustice.uk/tax-takes-6.html

Our website with all our podcasts is https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

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While we wait for a global tax body at the United Nations, what are the ways forward for nations desperate to tax multinationals fairly? We talk unitary taxation in a special extended interview with Emeritus Law Professor, coordinator of the BEPS Monitoring Group and Tax Justice Network special advisor Sol Picciotto.

Plus: the return of our analysis slot - Taxcast host Naomi Fowler talks to Zorka Milin of the FACT Coalition about the US's new beneficial ownership registry and its shortcomings; and a tale of two crimes: the punishment of a whistleblower versus a magic circle lawyer in a $6000 suit.

Transcript available here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Feb-2024-Taxcast-Transcript.pdf

Guests:

Alison Shultz, Tax Justice Network
Zorka Milin, FACT Coalition
Sol Picciotto, veteran tax justice champion, emeritus professor of law, coordinator of the BEPS Monitoring Group which analyzes efforts to tackle profit shifting by multinationals, and Tax Justice Network senior advisor
Produced and presented by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network.

Further reading:

Beneficial Ownership Reporting Begins Under Corporate Transparency Act: https://thefactcoalition.org/u-s-beneficial-ownership-reporting-begins-groundbreaking-anti-bribery-bill-signed-into-law-just-the-facts-1-8-24/

Roadmap to Effective Beneficial Ownership Transparency (Tax Justice Network) https://taxjustice.net/2023/02/07/roadmap-to-effective-beneficial-ownership-transparency-rebot/

Charles Littlejohn pleads guilty to one count of disclosing tax return information https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68131435

The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax (ProPublica) https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax

Former Freshfields partner sentenced to jail for German tax fraud https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/ex-freshfields-partner-gets-35-year-sentence-german-tax-fraud-2024-01-30/

Ex-Freshfields lawyer convicted over tax fraud received €2mn severance pay (FT paywall) https://www.ft.com/content/28fc06cb-b9db-4af4-a854-297c3ba5b4e4

Beyond the Two Pillar Proposals. A Simplified Approach for Taxing Multinationals https://www.southcentre.int/tax-cooperation-policy-brief-no-36-26-october-2023/

BEPS Monitoring Group: https://www.bepsmonitoringgroup.org/

Our website with further information and more podcasts: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/

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On the Taxcast this month: People power for tax justice is on the rise like never before. We kick off 2024 with inspiring stories on campaigns for tax reform from around the world: strategies, successes, limitations, and what we can learn from the first in-depth studies of their kind by International Budget Partnership.

Plus: Malawian poet and Senior Tax Investigations Officer Robert Chiwamba pays tribute to tax collectors everywhere. You can watch him perform We Will Count Them here.

Transcript of the show: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Taxcast_transcript_Jan_2024.pdf (Some is automated)

Guests:

Robert Chiwamba, Malawian poet and Senior Tax Investigations Officer (his youtube site is here, WATCH him performing his poem We Will Count Them https://youtu.be/V95_Yd8Dfhs )

Greg Leroy of Good Jobs First

Paolo de Renzio, formerly Senior Research Fellow with the International Budget Partnership, now Senior Lecturer at the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration of Fundação Getúlio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro.

Produced and presented by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network.

Further reading:

A Taxing Journey: How Civic Actors Influence Tax Policy (open access – free pdf from International Budget Partnership https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?docid=b-9781350344648 and a summary paper on that work here: https://internationalbudget.org/publications/a-taxing-journey-how-civic-actors-influence-tax-policy/

Beneficial Ownership reporting begins in the US: https://thefactcoalition.org/u-s-beneficial-ownership-reporting-begins-groundbreaking-anti-bribery-bill-signed-into-law-just-the-facts-1-8-24/

Proud to Pay More: 260+ millionaires and billionaires from 17 countries ask governments to tax them more https://proudtopaymore.org/

The EU Court ruling on Beneficial Ownership registries in 2022 https://taxjustice.net/press/eu-court-returns-eu-to-dark-ages-of-dirty-money/

A Tax Justice Network report on how to fix beneficial ownership frameworks https://taxjustice.net/2023/12/20/new-report-on-how-to-fix-beneficial-ownership-frameworks-so-they-actually-work/

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In this brand new Tax Justice Network weekly podcast we take listeners on a journey through the eyes of anti-corruption veterans who were on the frontline of events that have defined our world today, with stories and perspectives on reform you won't hear anywhere else.

In Series 1 we sit down with leading white collar crime lawyer and senior Tax Justice Network adviser Jack Blum who tells us about his life's work during a period of huge geopolitical change and transformed global tax and financial systems. From the BCCI scandal, to Panamanian dictator Noriega’s cocaine trafficking, to Lockheed Aircraft’s overseas bribes - Jack was there.

Every Wednesday we'll release a new episode. Don't miss it! Subscribe on your podcast app: https://pod.link/1721797109

The Corruption Diaries is produced by Naomi Fowler and Jo Barratt of the Tax Justice Network. Interviews with Jack Blum were recorded over several days at Jack’s home in Maryland by journalist Zoe Sullivan.

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In an extended Taxcast edition this month, a century of tax rule setting by the former imperial powers has been overturned: we look at the UN vote on global tax reform. Taxcast host Naomi Fowler follows events at the UN, the failed efforts to block it and explores what it all means with Alex Cobham of the Tax Justice Network.

Featuring:

Alex Cobham of the Tax Justice Network

UN representatives from Nigeria, South Africa, the Bahamas, the UK, the US, Spain, Russian Federation, Cameroon.

Hosted by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network, produced by Naomi Fowler and Jo Barratt.

Transcript available here: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/TRANSCRIPT_Taxcast_Dec_23.pdf

"If the time of crisis imposes the time of change, then it's time for cooperation to take precedence over competition. It's time for international solidarity to take precedence over particular and selfish interest in the short term. African people are tired of numbers about assistance for development. They do not request more assistance. They request every partner running business, the physical or digital, individuals and companies making profit should pay the right price, the fair and just percentage in terms of tax. Then we could keep our promise to transforming our world, to ensuring the world we want, the future we want is a reality."

~ UN Representative from Cameroon

"It's a century waiting to have a globally inclusive body to set tax rules to throw over the decisions made by the League of Nations in the 1920s and 30s that we're all stuck with the consequences of today. We don't actually need tax rules that were set by the imperial powers, honestly, we can do better."

~ Alex Cobham, Tax Justice Network

Further reading:

The UN adopts plans for historic tax reform, Tax Justice Network

“No” voters on UN tax reform enable 75% of global tax abuse, Tax Justice Network

Follow developments on tax reform at the UN on the Tax Justice Network's live blog: Road to UN vote on global tax reform

Decolonising the International Tax System from Fadhel Kaboub's blog

A new UN Tax convention – how will it change global tax governance? From Martin Hearson

You can WATCH the vote at the UN here (the discussion on tax matters starts around 35 minutes)

More Taxcasts on https://www.thetaxcast.com

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On the Taxcast this month, the story of what happened when the US tax authorities, the IRS, decided to crack down on Microsoft, one of the world's biggest tech companies. Worthy of a thriller movie with its twists and turns, there are many lessons for governments worldwide. And it's not over yet.

Featuring:

Zorka Milin of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition
Paul Kiel of ProPublica
Samantha Jacoby of the Centre on Budget and Policy Priorities
Andrew Leigh, MP and Australian Treasury
Alex Cobham of the Tax Justice Network
Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network

Transcript (some is automated) https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Transcript_Taxcast_Nov_23.pdf

Further reading:

How a slick accounting maneuver led to a $29 billion tax bill for Microsoft https://fortune.com/2023/10/13/microsoft-back-taxes-irs-29-billion-propublica/

The IRS Decided to Get Tough Against Microsoft. Microsoft Got Tougher https://www.propublica.org/article/the-irs-decided-to-get-tough-against-microsoft-microsoft-got-tougher

What the Microsoft Tax Case Shows Us About Tax Transparency https://thefactcoalition.org/what-the-microsoft-tax-case-shows-us-about-tax-transparency/#:~:text=They%20had%20negotiated%20a%2015,Puerto%20Rico%20and%20the%20US.

FT confirms OECD lobbied against Australian tax transparency https://taxjustice.net/press/ft-confirms-oecd-lobbied-against-australian-tax-transparency/#:~:text=The%20law%20requires%20multinationals%20operating,tool%20for%20accountability%20and%20deterrence.

Microsoft, Cisco Shareholder Votes Demonstrate Increasing Investor Demand for Tax and Offshore Transparency https://thefactcoalition.org/microsoft-cisco-shareholder-votes-demonstrate-increasing-investor-demand-for-tax-and-offshore-transparency/

KPMG's pitch to Microsoft: 'Planning Alternatives in Puerto Rico' https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6556275-KPMG-2004-Pitch-to-Microsoft.html and Microsoft 2003 Memo on Puerto Rico Factory https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6556274-Microsoft-2003-Memo-on-Puerto-Rico-Factory.html

Bipartisan Senate Action Passes Minimal Test for IRS Funding While Multiple House Republican Bills Fail https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/bipartisan-senate-action-passes-minimal-test-for-irs-funding-while-multiple

Revenue From BBB’s IRS Enforcement Funding Would Support Investments https://www.cbpp.org/blog/revenue-from-bbbs-irs-enforcement-funding-would-support-investments

UN adopts plans for historic tax reform https://taxjustice.net/press/un-adopts-plans-for-historic-tax-reform/

“No” voters on UN tax reform enable 75% of global tax abuse https://taxjustice.net/press/no-voters-on-un-tax-reform-enable-75-of-global-tax-abuse/

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The US government has spent an estimated $1 trillion on their ‘war on drugs.’ But over 50 years later, the cross-border flows of illegal drugs, arms and money have increased. In the second part of a two part series, we look at the failed so-called ‘war on drugs’ - the movement to decriminalise, regulate and tax - opportunities, challenges for lower income nations, and the role of tax justice.

Featuring:

Associate Professor of International and Organised Crime at Bristol Law School, Dr Mary Young

Zara Snapp, co-founder of Instituto RIA

Sergio Chaparro Hernandez of the Tax Justice Network

Martin Drewry of Health Poverty Action

Max Gallien of the International Centre for Tax and Development and the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex

Eric Gutierrez, of the International Centre of Human Rights and Drug Policy

Taxcast host Naomi Fowler, co-produced with Jo Barratt of the Tax Justice Network

A transcript of the show available here: (some is automated) https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/The-Taxcast_Transcript_Oct_23.pdf

Further reading:

Invest in Justice, Jamaica Case Study https://www.investinjustice.net

Cannabis taxation – A new revenue source for development? https://www.ictd.ac/blog/cannabis-taxation-revenue-development/ Max Gallien and Giovanni Occhiali

Diverse models of legalisation https://newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/high-income

Inside Mexico’s war on drugs: Conversations with ‘el narco’ https://theconversation.com/inside-mexicos-war-on-drugs-conversations-with-el-narco-129865

Poverty, gender and violence in the narratives of former narcos: accounting for drug trafficking violence in Mexico (Karina Garcia-Reyes) https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/193726176/Final_Copy_2018_11_06_Garcia_K_G_PhD_Redacted.pdf

Debunking the Narco Myth: https://www.mexicoviolence.org/post/debunking-the-narco-myth

A world fit for money laundering: The Atlantic alliance’s undermining of organised crime control: Young, Mary Alice; Woodiwiss, Michael https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/5935899

Organised crime and security threats in Caribbean Small Island Developing States: A Critical analysis of US assumptions and policies: Young, Mary; Woodiwiss, Michael https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/849208

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The US government has spent an estimated $1 trillion on their 'war on drugs.' But, over more than 50 years, the cross-border flows of illegal drugs, arms and money have increased. It's a mess. And it didn't need to be this way. We look at the failed so-called 'war on drugs' and how to stop wasting precious lives. In part one of a two part series, we start with the supposed 'goodies' and the 'baddies.'

Featuring:

Criminology lecturer Karina Garcia-Reyes of the University of the West of England, author of Morir Es Un Alivio (Dying is a Relief) Las Reveladoras Historias De 12 Ex-narcos Que Lograron Escapar Del Crimen Organizado. Available in Spanish here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Morir-alivio-Dying-Relief-Reveladoras/dp/6070777298/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SC60TMBCGZVM&keywords=morir+es+un+alivio&qid=1674560099&sprefix=morir+es+un+alivio%2Caps%2C64&sr=8-1

Eric Gutierrez, of the International Centre of Human Rights and Drug Policy https://www.hr-dp.org/contents/1620

Associate Professor of International and Organised Crime at Bristol Law School, Dr Mary Young https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mary-Young-13

Further Reading:

Inside Mexico’s war on drugs: Conversations with ‘el narco’ https://theconversation.com/inside-mexicos-war-on-drugs-conversations-with-el-narco-129865

Debunking the Narco Myth https://www.mexicoviolence.org/post/debunking-the-narco-myth

A world fit for money laundering: The Atlantic alliance’s undermining of organised crime control: Young, Mary Alice; Woodiwiss, Michael https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/5935899

More podcasts are available on our website https://www.thetaxcast.com where you can also subscribe.

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We're experiencing the hottest global temperatures ever recorded. For millions of us, the climate crisis is already hitting hard. And we need to know, we must know - WHO are the beneficial owners of the climate crisis? It's surprisingly difficult to find out...

Featuring:
Franziska Mager, Senior Researcher and Advocacy Lead (Climate & Inequalities), Tax Justice Network
Dario Kenner, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Sussex and author of the book Carbon Inequality
Victor Galaz of the Stockholm Resilience Centre
Peter Ringstad of Tax Justice Norway
Andres Knobel, Lead Researcher (Beneficial Ownership), Tax Justice Network
George Monbiot, Environmental campaigner and journalist
Kenya's President William Ruto
Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network

Transcript of the show (some is automated) https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Transcript_Taxcast_July_23.pdf

All the Taxcasts are available here where you can also subscribe: https://www.thetaxcast.com

Further reading:

Beneficial ownership and fossil fuels: lifting the lid on who benefits: https://taxjustice.net/2023/06/30/beneficial-ownership-and-fossil-fuels-lifting-the-lid-on-who-benefits/

Delivering climate justice using the principles of tax justice: a guide for climate justice advocates https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Policy-brief-climate-justice_2206.pdf

Carbon Majors Report: https://cdn.cdp.net/cdp-production/cms/reports/documents/000/002/327/original/Carbon-Majors-Report-2017.pdf

Links to Dario Kenner's work: The Polluter Elite Database: https://whygreeneconomy.org/the-polluter-elite-database/
Carbon Inequality: the role of the richest in climate change https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/carbon-inequality-the-role-of-the-richest-in-climate-change-dario-kenner/2920056?ean=9780367727666
Lobbying and other tactics of big oil companies to delay the transition away from fossil fuels https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102049

Why we need to look at how global oil and gas industry lobbies G20 governments and how this is slowing progress https://www.climatechangenews.com/2021/11/16/oil-gas-avoided-censure-glasgow-26th-time-lets-not-make-27/
Post-war reconstruction involved taxing the richest: https://theconversation.com/post-war-reconstruction-involved-taxing-richest-it-could-be-a-model-for-building-a-low-carbon-economy-137717

White knights, or horsemen of the apocalypse? Prospects for Big Oil to align emissions with a 1.5 °C pathway https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629621001420

Carbon Billionaires, Oxfam report: https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/carbon-billionaires-the-investment-emissions-of-the-worlds-richest-people-621446/

Cereal crops decimated by Europe's heatwave https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/sourcing/cereal-crops-decimated-by-europes-heatwave/681361.article

"I thought fossil fuel firms could change. I was wrong" https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/7/6/i-thought-fossil-fuel-firms-could-change-i-was-wrong

Stockholm Resilience Centre, the hidden environmental consequences of tax havens https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2018-08-13-the-hidden-environmental-consequences-of-tax-havens.html

New study raises red flags on tax haven role in environmental destruction https://www.icij.org/inside-icij/2018/08/new-study-raises-red-flags-on-tax-haven-role-in-environmental-destruction/

New data exposes the links between tax havens, deforestation and illegal fishing https://www.su.se/english/archive-news/research-news-archive/new-data-exposes-the-links-between-tax-havens-deforestation-and-illegal-fishing-1.396018

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In this episode Naomi Fowler looks at how the very wealthy shape the world, why the rest of us really, really can't afford them. And, how it never ends just with the pet mansions and the cashmere-lined private jets, as the fascinating story of the EU Court of Justice ruling (reversing progress on public registers of beneficial owners of companies) demonstrates...But, there's plenty we can do about it!

Featuring:

Florencia Lorenzo of the Tax Justice Network
Mark Bou Mansour of the Tax Justice Network
Brooke Harrington, Professor of economic sociology and wealth manager anthropologist
Luc Caregari, journalist at https://www.reporter.lu in Luxembourg
Also featuring: spoiled dogs, private jet business colleagues, a disillusioned youtube jet entrepreneur, a new jet owner and his excited friend, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton (plus her dogs and a reporter), a millionaire who's ditching his jet, author of 'How Bad Are Bananas?' Professor Mike Berners Lee, Dun & Bradstreet youtube briefing
Produced and hosted by Naomi Fowler, Tax Justice Network

Here's a transcript of the show (some is automated) https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/The-Taxcast_transcript_June_2023.pdf

Further reading:

Monopoly capitalism: What is it and how do we fight it? https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Monopoly-capitalism-primer-WEB-FINAL.pdf
The 5 'R's of tax: https://taxjustice.net/faq/what-are-the-four-rs-of-tax/ Actually the fifth one needs adding (Reparations, or Repair)
Resisting Monopoly Capitalism (Global Justice Now event in London, March 2023) Opening plenary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MszQ-aj_0a8
Resisting Monopoly Capitalism - Closing plenary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXbOzYKGizA
Pharmanomics: How Big Pharma Destroys Global Health (published October 2023) https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3036-pharmanomics
How Monopoly Threatens Democracy and Security, an Open Markets Institute and Balanced Economy Project event
Corporate taxation to curb monopoly power: a brief history and a proposal https://taxjustice.net/2022/11/02/corporate-taxation-to-curb-monopoly-power-a-brief-history-and-a-proposal/
Tax havens meet monopoly power: why national competitiveness harms competition https://taxjustice.net/2021/08/12/tax-havens-meet-monopoly-power-why-national-competitiveness-harms-competition/
If tax havens scare you, monopolies should too. And vice versa. https://taxjustice.net/2019/11/01/if-tax-havens-scare-you-monopolies-should-too-and-vice-versa/
How local, state, and federal tax policies in the us undermine small business and fuel corporate concentration https://taxjustice.net/2022/11/01/us-tax-monopoly/
Reframing tax policy to reset the rules of the monopoly game https://taxjustice.net/2022/10/27/reframing-tax-policy-to-reset-the-rules-of-the-monopoly-game/
To tackle corruption, start with monopoly power https://thecounterbalance.substack.com/p/to-tackle-corruption-start-with-monopoly
Nick Shaxson: Leaving the Tax Justice Network (setting up the Balanced Economy Project - the journey) https://taxjustice.net/2023/05/19/nick-shaxson-leaving-the-tax-justice-network/

For more information and podcasts go to our website: https://www.thetaxcast.com

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It's horrific that there are so many people across the world who still don’t have access to ‘survival rights.’ Things like basic sanitation, clean water, quality education, decent healthcare so that mothers can survive childbirth - and so their children can even survive their childhood! This is where tax justice gets the most urgent, because tax literally saves lives. And we're going to prove it to you.

In this Taxcast edition, host Naomi Fowler talks to people who’ve looked at new data that demonstrates this. We wish every CEO, every company board member, every shareholder and every government minister in the world would read this report. Then look us in the eye and tell us why they’re not moving every muscle in their body to do what is in their power to protect people, mothers and children. Because when they don’t, they do have blood on their hands.

A transcript of the show is available here: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Taxcast_April-2023_Transcript.pdf

Featuring:

Eilish Hannah, University of St Andrews
Alex Cobham, Tax Justice Network
Rachel Etter-Phoya, Tax Justice Network
Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler, Tax Justice Network

More information and further reading available on our website https://www.thetaxcast.com

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After 30 years on the run, Italy's most wanted fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro of the Cosa Nostra has been arrested in Sicily. We look at the costs of organised crime, both economic and societal, the contagion that financial secrecy facilitates, and how to reverse the rot.

Secrecy jurisdictions and tax havens have made it possible for mafiosi to progress from crossing physical borders with bank notes stuffed in suitcases, to being able to pour unlimited amounts of money into the financial system. Dirty money in, ‘clean’ money out. That money destabilises economies and corrupts democracies, while organised crime toxifies societies. The problem is that financial secrecy and tax havens are also the friend of commerce, multinationals and wealthy, powerful people worldwide...

Featuring:

Professor of Criminology, Federico Varese

Journalist, Stefano Vergine

Surgeon in Malta and opinon piece writer, Kevin Cassar

Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network

Transcript available here: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Taxcast_Transcript_Feb_2023.pdf (Some is automated)

Our website (with links to further reading) is available here: https://www.thetaxcast.com

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In this extended special episode of the Taxcast, we look at the 'Desai Leaks' - the story you probably never heard of: it goes back decades and looks at a key player in the making of tax haven Mauritius that's been hurting Indians and Africans ever since.

We speak with a whistleblower and the journalist who broke the story. Is the Indian government investigating? What does the story tell us about the global economy?

Transcript available here (some is automated) https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-Taxcast-Transcript-Jan-2023.pdf

Our website is https:///www.thetaxcast.com

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There's been a shift in global power, a tax justice milestone, and the powerful nations couldn't stop it...

In this episode, Naomi Fowler gives you a fly-on-the-wall take on what happened at the United Nations on November 24th 2022. We look at the power plays around a fundamental global power shift - the beginning of the end of the OECD’s 60 year reign as the world’s leading rule-maker on global tax.

Featuring:

Alex Cobham of the Tax Justice Network

Rachel Etter-Phoya of the Tax Justice Network

The UN Chairperson, UN Secretary and UN representatives of Nigeria, South Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Liechtenstein, Republic of Korea, and Eritrea.

Produced and hosted by the Tax Justice Network's Naomi Fowler.

Transcript (some is automated) https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Taxcast_Transcript_Dec_22.pdf

WATCH this historic UN meeting here (starts about 20 minutes in): https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1b/k1bummpe5z

Further reading:

https://taxjustice.net/2022/11/22/%f0%9f%94%b4-live-blog-un-vote-on-new-tax-leadership-role/

https://taxjustice.net/2022/12/15/un-resolution-for-an-intergovernmental-tax-framework-what-does-it-mean-and-whats-next/

https://taxjustice.net/press/un-adopts-historic-decision-to-take-on-new-tax-leadership/

https://taxjustice.net/press/un-secretary-general-signals-support-for-un-tax-convention/

Our podcast website is https://www.thetaxcast.com

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In this episode, Taxcast host Naomi Fowler discusses sovereignty, the 'boomerang effect' and the relevance of the 'Third World Movement' today to our global economic system, with Dr Kojo Koram, author of Uncommon Wealth: Britain and the Aftermath of Empire. "Decolonisation, from the 1950s and 1970s, was quite simply the greatest multiplication of democratic power that the world has ever seen"

Plus, we look at two big failures this month:

the collapse of crypto exchange company FTX (secrecy jurisdictions, enablers, investigations...)
the Tax Justice Network writes an open letter to alert the G20 to the failings of the OECD as global tax rule-setter, as they miss another deadline.

A transcript of the podcast is available here: (Some is automated) https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/The-Taxcast-transcript-Nov-22-1.pdf

"The kind of loss of feeling of control in the United Kingdom, that loss of feeling of sovereignty, that loss of feeling of democratic accountability is connected to the erosion of sovereignty and erosion of democratic accountability that was allowed to happen to the former colonies of particularly the British Empire but all empires. What happens in the colonies doesn't simply stay there, but it comes back on the homeland and it starts to impact how its economy, its society, and its politics operates. And I think that's a lot of what we see in Britain right up until today.”

Featuring:

Dr Kojo Koram of Birkbeck, University of London and author of Uncommon Wealth: Britain and the Aftermath of Empire.
Alex Cobham, Tax Justice Network
Professor Nouriel Roubini speaking in the UAE
Taxcast host and producer, Naomi Fowler, Tax Justice Network

Further reading:

Kojo Koram's book Uncommon Wealth: Britain and the Aftermath of Empire is published by John Murray Press: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/uncommon-wealth-britain-and-the-aftermath-of-empire/9781529338621
Governments can recover billions from tax havens by publishing withheld transparency data https://taxjustice.net/press/governments-can-recover-billions-from-tax-havens-by-publishing-withheld-transparency-data/
UN Secretary General signals support for UN tax convention: https://taxjustice.net/press/un-secretary-general-signals-support-for-un-tax-convention/
Tax Justice Network's Open letter to G20 on OECD failure to deliver on G20 mandates https://taxjustice.net/2022/11/15/open-letter-to-g20-oecd-failure-to-deliver-on-g20-mandates/
Why Didn't the Government Stop the Crypto Scam? by Matt Stoller: https://mattstoller.substack.com/p/why-didnt-the-government-stop-the
The World Series of Crypto Rackets, by Judd Legum: https://t.co/wEh4TihGYz
Seven politicians are returning FTX's tainted money — others are keeping quiet, by Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby: https://popular.info/p/seven-politicians-are-returning-ftxs

WATCH ~ BOOMERANG: Empire and Britain's economy (featuring Kojo Koram): https://youtu.be/kmOK4tNc31A

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In this episode: Nelson Mandela famously said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Yet millions of children in the world still don’t even get to walk through the school door. This month on the Taxcast host Naomi Fowler looks at education and tax justice. The challenges, and the ways forward.

Plus, we explore two important developments which really pushes forward steps towards a UN Tax Convention: the economic commission for Africa, the declaration of their finance ministers calling for the UN to begin negotiations on the convention (that's more than a quarter of the member countries of the United Nations) plus the head of the United Nations has pledged his support for negotiations. How will wealthier nations, who are too often the world's worst offenders for draining tax revenue from other nations, now respond?

Transcript: (some is automated) https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/The-Taxcast_Oct_22_Transcript.pdf

For more information and more Taxcasts, go to https://www.thetaxcast.com

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Transcript: (some is automated) https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/The-Taxcast_Oct_22_Transcript.pdf

For more information and more Taxcasts, go to https://www.thetaxcast.com

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In this episode, Taxcast host and producer Naomi Fowler explores tax as a tool for racial justice and the launch of a new report by Decolonising Economics.

"There's a real opportunity for mobilising towards transformative policies that'll work not just for racialised communities in the UK but for everyone feeling the pains of this economic system"

~ Guppi Bola, Decolonising Economics, author of the report “Tax as a Tool for Racial Justice”.

Transcript of the show: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/The-Taxcast.-Sept-2022-Transcript.pdf

Links to past Taxcasts on reparational and tax justice, plus a video of the launch of new report: Tax as a Tool for Racial Justice and other useful resources available here: https://taxjustice.net/2022/09/19/tax-as-a-tool-for-racial-justice-new-report-launched/

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In this episode Taxcast host Naomi Fowler investigates the phenomenon of pop-up sweet shops on Oxford Street and the missing millions in taxes owed. The trail leads to the disgrace that is the UK's company registration process, making the UK Crime Central for any crook who comes along. It's not just the UK that exposes its citizens to risks, it hurts people across the world too.

Transcript of the show is available here: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/The-Taxcast-Transcript-July-2022.pdf

Taxcast website with more Taxcasts: https://www.thetaxcast.com

"It is ridiculous that you have to take more identification to get a library card to borrow a book than you do to create a limited liability company, which potentially is a cost to the taxpayer if you go bust, it is bonkers and it should stop" Graham Barrow of The Dark Money Files podcast.

"I came across a situation where for tax avoidance reasons, thousands of companies were being set up at the same time, with the same individual as the director. And in some cases there was 2000 companies being set up in the same day with the same individual as a director, and it wasn't raising any flag. You hear it all the time, you know, 'oh well, we'll learn the lessons,' but we never really seem to learn the lessons. The next scandal is a variation on a theme of the previous scandal.” ~ former tax inspector Ray McCann

"How did the UK end up at the centre of so many crimes? It's incredibly easy - go online, go onto the Companies House website - that's our company registry - pay 12 pounds and you too can have a shell company. I registered one myself - it took me less than 24 hours to receive the deeds showing I owned the company. I called it Crooked Crook Crook which I thought was pretty funny, but it turned out that actually I was being fairly unimaginative by the standards of international criminals." ~ journalist and anti-corruption campaigner, Oliver Bullough

Further reading:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/272258/percentage-of-shareholders-in-the-total-population-of-selected-countries/

https://www.businessinsider.com/no-the-average-stock-holding-period-is-not-11-seconds-2010-10?r=US&IR=T

The Taxcast in 2014 covering Google's annual shareholder meeting tax transparency challenge: https://youtu.be/lFSfWvdedt4?t=1226

Amazon’s Tribulations And The Future Of Tax Transparency, Nana Ama Sarfo https://www.forbes.com/sites/taxnotes/2022/05/31/amazons-tribulations-and-the-future-of-tax-transparency/

https://www.globalreporting.org/

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Which nations are the world's biggest financial secrecy offenders? And what does it tell us about the world, about politics and about democracy? How high does your country rank in facilitating global corruption?

In this episode Taxcast host Naomi Fowler explores the shocking results of the Tax Justice Network's Financial Secrecy Index 2022.

Guests:

Alex Cobham, head of the Tax Justice Network

Ryan Gurule, of the FACT Coalition

Read all about the Financial Secrecy Index here: https://fsi.taxjustice.net/

Our website with more podcasts is here: https://www.thetaxcast.com/

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On the Taxcast we ask - do politicians believe in the societies they serve or not? Are they really a part of them, or do they live in a parallel world with different rules to ordinary people? The so-called 'NonDom' scandal goes all the way to Downing Street, the heart of the British government and the UK Chancellor/Finance Minister whose wife is taking advantage of an archaic tax status that leads to reduced taxes on her inherited fortune - just as her husband raises taxes on everyone else.

In this episode Taxcast host Naomi Fowler explores the results of revealing new work on the data with economist Arun Advani of Warwick University: and co-author of a new report "The UK’s ‘non-doms’: Who are they, what do they do, and where do they live?'

Economist John Christensen speaks on the breaking of the social contract and the need for a new set of governing principles to re-establish fairness for all regardless of wealth in all nations.

Transcript of the podcast (some is automated)

Further reading:

Why has no progress been made on an international financial registry? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/16/russia-rich-wealthy-western-elites-thomas-piketty

The ‘Wild West’ of Scottish Limited Partnerships, covered on the Taxcast: https://taxjustice.net/2016/01/22/the-january-2016-tax-justice-network-podcast/

The resource curse and the finance curse, hand in hand with ‘Butler Britain’ (and other tax havens and secrecy jurisdictions.) Includes the Taxcast interview with Daria Kaleniuk of Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Action Centre: https://taxjustice.net/2022/03/03/ukraine-russia-the-finance-curse-and-the-resource-curse-goes-hand-in-hand-with-financial-secrecy/

10 measures to expose sanctioned Russian oligarchs' hidden assets: https://taxjustice.net/press/10-measures-to-expose-sanctioned-russian-oligarchs-hidden-assets/

Our website: https://www.thetaxcast.com

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In this episode we bring you the story of a pensioner robbed of his dream retirement and his fight for justice in multiple jurisidctions. Tax havens and secrecy jurisdictions don't just hurt us because they're places of impunity for the rich and for criminals. Quite ordinary people can get caught up in them too. And when thngs go bad, it becomes clear how toxic these places are, and that you may not get the help from regulators and law enforcement that you really need.

Plus, we share the news of a great loss to Malawi and to the world of tax official Mr Alinafe Bonongwe, who was taken from us for doing his job bravely and in the public interest. You can read more about him here: https://taxjustice.net/2022/02/17/in-honour-of-a-tax-collector-taken-from-us-in-the-line-of-duty/ May he rest in peace.

Here's the transcript of the show: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Taxcast_Feb_22_TRANSCRIPT.pdf

And here's our website with more Taxcasts: https:///www.thetaxcast.com

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In the first Taxcast for 2022, Naomi Fowler talks with tax justice and anti-corruption campaigners and experts in Europe, Africa, the US and Latin America. What are our hopes and fears for 2022? And what should we be looking out for?

The transcript of the show is available here: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/The-Taxcast-Jan-22-Transcript.pdf

Further information:

Paper questioning the legal validity of the IMF’s Stand-By Arrangement with Argentina by Kariina Patricio Ferreira Lima:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4004595

The Tax Justice Network's monthly podcast for French-speaking Africans is available here: https://www.thetaxcast.com/?lang=fr

A previous Taxcast which includes more information on Kenya's Financial Transaction Tax https://taxjustice.net/2020/12/17/taxing-wall-street-the-tax-justice-network-december-2020-podcast/

The ‘cowboy cocktail’ in Wyoming story from the ICIJ

Our website with more Taxcasts and information is here: https://www.thetaxcast.com

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In edition 117 we take you to the tax haven of Jersey off the coast of France and the intruiging story of the discovery of 333 boxes of incriminating evidence of fraud. Those boxes have revealed some ugly truths about this small island tax haven that affect us all.

The transcript is available here (some is automated and may not be 100% accurate): https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/The-Taxcast_transcript_edition-117.pdf

You can hear the Taxcast edition on rising inequality and dysfunction in Jersey here: https://taxjustice.net/2019/04/26/inequality-and-dysfunction-in-the-tax-haven-of-jersey-a-taxcast-special-edition/

You can also read more about this story on the following links:

https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b1qwpnk6j1zv70/The-Heiress-the-Queen-and-the-Trillion-Dollar-Tax-Shelter

https://eic.network/blog/huge-new-tax-haven-leak-reveals-specialist-money-laundering-company

https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2020-10-05/lost-trust-leaked-files-expose-jerseys-inaction-on-fraud-scandal

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In this episode: Ireland only has 0.1% of the world’s population, but they became one of the biggest tax havens on the planet. What’s that meant for Irish people, and their road ahead? Naomi Fowler speaks with authors of a new book Tax Haven Ireland.

There's a special deal for Taxcast listeners for the paperback or the ebook version, wherever you are in the world. Go to the publisher’s website, PLuto Books: https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745345314/tax-haven-ireland/ and enter the code TAX40.

Also: we discuss the latest Tax Justice Network's annual State of Tax Justice report. You can check out how your country threatens others, and/or how it suffers at the hands of other offender nations here: https://taxjustice.net/reports/the-state-of-tax-justice-2021/

Transcript of the show: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/TaxcastTranscript_Nov_21.pdf

You can read more about the finance curse here: https://taxjustice.net/topics/the-finance-curse/

The true costs of the City of London (How the City of London is making us poorer) https://taxjustice.net/2018/10/05/how-the-city-of-london-makes-us-all-poorer-infographic/

The true costs of the US finance sector is available here: Overcharged: The High Cost of High Finance https://rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/overcharged-the-high-cost-of-high-finance/

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In this episode Taxcast host Naomi Fowler discusses degrowth, rethinking economies and value in part 2 of her conversation with economic anthropologist Jason Hickel.

Plus: the Pandora Papers - 3 things the latest offshore leak is showing us.

Why some countries rejected the OECD's 15% minimum global corporate tax deal

And, as COP26 begins in Scotland, it's the 'last chance saloon' to take meaningful action to minimise ecological disaster - can politicians learn from nations leading the way with good policies on energy?

A transcript is available here: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/The-Taxcast-Oct-21.pdf

You can find out more about Jason Hickel's books, Less Is More and The Divide here: https://www.jasonhickel.org/

Our website is here with more Taxcasts: https://www.thetaxcast.com

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In this episode, Naomi Fowler explores degrowth and how we liberate ourselves from ‘growthism’ with economic anthropologist Jason Hickel. (The full converation will be released soon as a Taxcast Extra, the full thing is too good to miss!)

Plus: there can be no liberation without tackling monopoly power, or the role of finance sectors and States, investing in death and destruction across the world.

Here's our website with more Taxcasts: https://www.thetaxcast.com

The transcript is available here https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Transcript_September_21_Taxcast.pdf

The People's Agreement of Cochabamba is here: https://www.climateemergencyinstitute.com/uploads/Peoples_climate_agreement.pdf

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This month Naomi Fowler speaks with Paul Caruana Galizia, one of the sons of Malta’s incredible investigative journalist and anti-corruption champion Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was assassinated in 2017. Paul Caruana Galizia discusses his mother's legacy, the capture of Malta through an aggressive, over-sized finance sector with financial secrecy at its heart, and his hopes for the future.

The transcript is available here: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/The-Taxcast-July-21-Transcript.pdf

As mentioned in the show, here's a video of the story of the 'firestarters of the tax justice movement' from the tax haven of Jersey: https://youtu.be/VXeLGd7ejAw

The Taxcast special on the tax haven of Jersey: https://www.taxjustice.net/2019/04/26/inequality-and-dysfunction-in-the-tax-haven-of-jersey-a-taxcast-special-edition/

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation: https://www.daphne.foundation

Here's our website with more Taxcasts: https://www.thetaxcast.com

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We’ve had the honour before on the Taxcast of speaking with law Professor Dorothy Brown in Part 1 of the Whiteness of Wealth Taxcast Extra. She’s been doing trailblazing work on systemic racism and tax justice in the United States for many years. She’s author of the seminal book ‘The Whiteness of Wealth: how the US tax system impoverishes black Americans – and how we can fix it’.

In this Taxcast Extra, you can hear Professor Brown’s keynote speech which she gave to the Tax Justice Network’s annual conference. A transcript of her edited keynote speech is available here https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/TranscriptTaxcastEXtra150721.pdf

You can also hear Professor Brown in conversation with Taxcast host Naomi Fowler and polticial economist Keval Bharadia in Part 1 of the Whiteness of Wealth, in this Taxcast Extra.

You may also be interested to hear Taxcast episodes 102 and 103 where we looked at just some of the complex issues around tax and race in the US and the UK context, the roots of structural racism and the lived experiences of people of colour today as citizens, taxpayers and economic actors.

For more Taxcasts and more information, go to our website on https://www.thetaxcast.com

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This month Taxcast host Naomi Fowler talks to millionaire and wealth tax campaigner Djaffar Shalchi of Millionaires for Humanity about his experience of moving from Iran at an early age to grow up in Denmark, and how highly he values the high tax Scandinavian society, as an entrepreneur, and as a human being. He also talks about his campaign for a 1% wealth tax on the world’s top 1%.

Plus: US President Biden drops his proposal for a minimum global corporate tax rate from 21% to 'at least 15%.'

However, so far the US administration is sticking to its plan to invest $80 billion in its tax authority, the IRS. Tax collectors will be able to refocus on the wealthiest and on corporate profits. Tax collectors could pull in an additional $700 billion over the next decade.

And also, how degrowth must begin with the very wealthy.

The transcript is available here: https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/The-Taxcast-Transcript-112.pdf

For more information on the Taxcast, the website is here: https://www.thetaxcast.com

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In this Taxcast Extra Naomi Fowler speaks to Jim Henry, economist, lawyer, investigative journalist and Tax Justice Network senior advisor about the campaign to persuade New York State (which is broke) to reinstate its (tiny) Stock Transfer Tax. It would have created an important precedent for the world but for now, Wall Street has escaped. At the same time, in Hong Kong they have raised their Stock Transfer Tax in an example of “tax competition in reverse,“ or a “race to the top.”

The transcript of this podcast is available here (some is automated and may not be 100% accurate) https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/TaxcastExtra_27_04_21.pdf

Further reading:

There is a flaw in the Biden tax plpan that has to be addressed if it's going to work, and that's in the accounting, Professor Richard Murphy https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2021/04/16/there-is-a-flaw-in-the-biden-tax-plan-that-has-to-be-addressed-if-its-going-to-work-and-thats-in-the-accounting/

The Care Manifesto: the politics of interdependence is available here https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-care-manifesto-the-politics-of-compassion/9781839760969

For a longer list of fantastic resources on the Care Economy, please see https://www.thetaxcast.com/from-an-un-caring-economy-to-a-caring-economy-111/

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Law Professor Dorothy Brown speaks with political economist Keval Bharadia and Taxcast host and producer Naomi Fowler about her book just released in the United States called: ‘The Whiteness of Wealth: how the US tax system impoverishes black Americans – and how we can fix it.’

Transcript with additional links to further reading: https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/TaxcastExtraScript0421.pdf

The Taxcast website: https://www.thetaxcast.com

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Much of the world is run on the basis of economic theories that have become accepted truths of our era. But they actually have very little evidence to back them up. This month, Naomi Fowler speaks to finance journalist and writer Tom Bergin on how economics ruins economies and puts economists in the dock. The details of Tom's book, Free Lunch Thinking: how economics ruins the economy is available here: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/free-lunch-thinking-how-economics-ruins-the-economy/9781847942739

Plus: which nations are the world's worst offenders for helping multinational corporations pay less tax than they should? The results of the Tax Justice Network's Corporate Tax Haven Index 2021 are out. Read more here: https://www.corporatetaxhavenindex.com

Here's the transcript of the show (may not be 100% accurate) https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Transcript_Taxcast_March_21-1.pdf

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In this month's episode: we know the world’s broken. Apparently we need $9 trillion to fix it. We find out how we can pay for the pandemic and a just transition with Ben Tippet of the Transnational Institute. Plus: Casino Capitalism: what really happened with the Gamestop frenzy and what does it tell us about 'investment?'

You can read the Transnational Institute report here: https://longreads.tni.org/paying-for-just-transition

Transcript of the show available here: https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Taxcast_trascript_Feb21.pdf

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This month Naomi Fowler speaks to activist and writer Ben Phillips about how past struggles for justice were won and how we can win them again. We discuss valuable lessons he learned from living and working around the world which he writes about in his book How To Fight Inequality and why that fight needs you. https://uk.bookshop.org/books/how-to-fight-inequality-and-why-that-fight-needs-you/9781509543090

Plus: Why is the Chinese economy so successful? Naomi discusses with John Christensen the rise of China and, unless they chuck shareholder capitalism, the continuing demise of the US and the UK.

Transcript available here.

https://www.thetaxcast.com

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This month we take a look at the transformative power of financial transactions taxes. There’s a chance that New York, home to two of the world's largest stock exchanges, could be about to set an important precedent. We go to Kenya o look at its experience with a financial transactions tax. And we see how much further the tax could go. Plus: we discuss three major waves of change in 2020: the black lives matter protests, Trump’s departure from the Whitehouse and the end of the Brexiteers dream.

More information on this podcast is available on https://www.thetaxcast.com

Further reading: You can read Keval Bharadia's paper "Recalibrating financial transaction tax policy narratives" here: https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Recalibrating-financial-transaction-tax-policy-narratives-Keval-Bharadia.pdf You can look at his slides on Recalibrating financial transactions tax policy narratives for reparations here: https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Recalibrating-ftt-policy-narratives-for-reparations-Keval-Bharadia-slide-pack-04-Dec-20.pdf

You can read about the efforts towards a financial transactions tax in New York here: https://www.salon.com/2020/11/01/a-wall-street-tax-that-could-lift-many-out-of-poverty-already-exists--its-just-not-being-collected/

Transcript available here https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Transcript-1.pdf (some is automated and may not be 100% accurate)

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This month: we look at the terrible Beirut explosion and how the story of tracing those responsible tells us everything that's wrong with our world.

Plus, we discuss what President-elect Biden's win could mean for tax and economic policies: one thing with big potential could be tackling monopoly corporate power which has cross-party support.

The transcript is available here https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/TranscriptNov2020.pdf

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This month we go on a reparational justice journey and speak to the Council for World Mission about their Legacies of Slavery project and economist and reparations specialist Priya Lukka. Plus: austerity's out, public investment is now in?! We discuss the IMF's hypocritical turn around - now poorer countries need apologies and restitution..

The transcript of the show is available here.

Subscribe to the Taxcast by emailing naomi@taxjustice.net

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In this episode:

How a competition lawyer's eyes were opened to the dangers of letting companies get too big and form monopolies which act against our interests. We talk to Michelle Meagher about her book just out: Competition is Killing Us: How Big Business is Harming Our Society and Planet - and What To Do About It.

Plus: not everything is bad news at the moment! We look at the revival of support and progress on financial transactions taxes in New York, some slow advances in the EU on multinationals publishing their accounts, and the significance of the latest leaks revealing corruption in major global banks, the FinCEN Files

Transcript available here (not 100% accurate)

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How do we stop ourselves sleepwalking into another Great Depression?

Join me Naomi Fowler and John Christensen for the Taxcast from the Tax Justice Network. We talk about how we take back control from the super rich and powerful, and make our economies work for all of us. You can find us on most podcast apps and your favourite radio station can broadcast us for free! Get more information on www.taxjustice.net/taxcast

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In this special extended interview we ask - how much wealth is stashed offshore? We speak to Tax Justice Network senior advisor Jim Henry on why his estimate for the Tax Justice Network of $21 to 32 trillion has been vindicated by new figures released by the OECD: "it means we've discovered an eighth continent of wealth" Further reading here and here. You can hear a shorter version of this interview on the Taxcast #103 available here in which we also bring you Part 2 on systemic racism and tax.

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This month we bring you part 2 on how tax justice can help address systemic racism in the US. Author Shawn Rochester, (The Black Tax: the cost of being Black in America) does some number crunching on the historic denial of equality and economic costs of exclusion, Gabriel Zucman speaks on reforming the private tax of healthcare, Cortney Sanders of the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities speaks about the impact of covid19 on communities of colour, and Brandon J. McKoy of New Jersey Policy Perspective speaks on the myth of millionaire tax flight.

Plus: how much wealth is stashed offshore? We speak to Jim Henry on why our estimate of $21 to 32 trillion has been vindicated by new figures released by the OECD: "it means we've discovered an eighth continent of wealth"

Transcript available here (not 100% accurate)

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This month we look at the United States and how tax justice can help address systemic racism. Plus: did you know Britain's slave owners compensation loan was only settled by the government in 2015 on behalf of taxpayers? As Faulkner wrote: "The past is never dead. It's not even past." As we discuss, the legacy of centuries of institutionalised racism is that a wealth chasm has been created between black and white communities. We also know that the City of London in Britain itself built its wealth from slavery and empire. Still today major finance sectors have extractive business models, that impoverish some of the world's poorest nations. And financial secrecy is another form of empire. So how can we think about combining tax justice and reparations? Keval Bharadia's work on a super tax on the $8 trillion a day financial markets could help show the way. And financial institutions must have independent slavery money audits.

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This month, we cover the story the mainstream media aren’t telling you – how governments around the world are undermining our tax collection services. We look at how the South Africa Revenue Service was established in very challenging times to become a world class institution. Yet also how quickly such achievements can be set back.

Also, as all eyes turn to Central Banks during this coronavirus pandemic, we ask who are they serving? And how do people forge a new relationship and a new role for them that fits modern times?

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This month: from the ashes of this coronavirus crisis how can we build a better economic and socially just system that works for all of us? The pandemic also exposes the pile-up of unaddressed crises which we must also fix. We discuss tax justice (which was always key), bailout conditions for companies now seeking government assistance, and Universal Basic Services.

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How many more signs do we need to tell us we must urgently reform our economies, keep essential services out of private hands and transition away from fossil fuels? As the world buckles up for a different crisis tackling the Coronavirus, we look at how tax justice is key to all economic reform in the public interest, and solving the climate crisis - any crisis - is impossible without it. We speak to Dr Gail Bradbrook, co-founder of Extinction Rebellion on her vision of hope, and John Christensen of the Tax Justice Network.

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In this special extended Taxcast, Naomi Fowler takes you on a whistle-stop guided tour on an express train around the world, looking at the worst offenders selling secrecy services. What can nations can do to protect themselves and their populations from the corruption that results from financial and legal secrecy?

https://www.thetaxcast.com/the-financial-secrecy-index-who-are-the-worlds-worst-offenders-the-tax-justice-network-podcast-special-february-2020/

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The Taxcast kicks off the new decade with:

the French strikes - tax justice and pensions vs financialisation
the EU countries who've missed the deadline on publishing registers of real corporate owners
the effect of Brexit on poorer (plundered) countries
And the IMF's stark warnings about the finance curse and another Great Depression

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This month we ask - what's going on with our pre-school childcare and elderly care home services? We take a long hard look at the financialisation of our services and what we can do about it. Plus: the Conservative party in the UK has won a major victory in the general elections. With major challenges for tax justice, what are the next steps for trade deal negotiations? Will Britain become a fully fledged Singapore-on-Thames?

Our website: www.thetaxcast.com

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This month we speak to Tax Justice Network CEO Alex Cobham on 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 promote the economy. This month the Tax Justice Network's John Christensen talks about a paradigm shift on corporate tax in the UK general election: and we look at the results of Trump's corporate tax cuts in the US - did they deliver what he promised?

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In this month's episode we speak to Gabriel Zucman about his new book with co-author Emmanuel Saez - Triumph of Injustice: How the Rich Dodge Taxes and How to Make Them Pay. Plus, as Extinction Rebellion has held a fortnight of protests around the world over the climate emergency, we discuss the surprisingly small number of companies which determine whether investment will go into a better future, or onto a continued path of destruction. We discuss how tax justice and a different vision of growth can lead us back from the brink.

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In this month's episode we discuss a new vision for Europe amid, or in spite of the Brexit vortex: plus - Britain's about to become the neighbour from hell, post-Brexit: how can the EU defend citizens from the race to the bottom on tax and regulations between nations precipitated by Britain's destructive 'Singapore-on-the-Thames' model?

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In this month's Taxcast: ethics and accountancy - yes they can go together! Plus: as Britain sinks into full crisis-mode over Brexit, we bring you unique analysis on some of the far-reaching consequences for the world, including threats to public health service models. And why does the new British government love Freeports so much?

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Immigration as reparations: we speak with multiple award winning Suketu Mehta about his new book: This Land Is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto on the fastest way to fix global inequalities and injustices.

Also, we discuss France’s 3% digital tax which has so angered the US president and yet another sign of the collapse of the supposed international consensus on tax rules and which countries have the power to dominate those agreements. And, we discuss the high tensions with Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and how expensive navies are potentially protecting privately owned ships busy minimising their tax bills using flags of convenience.

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The Tax Justice Network now speaks tax justice in five languages on radio stations and podcast platforms across the world, each with their own unique content and style – English, Spanish, French, Arabic and now Portuguese. In this Taxcast special the podcast/radio producers come together to discuss their experiences of covering tax justice in their regions.

Our website with all our podcasts: www.thetaxcast.com

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This month we look at the new Corporate Tax Haven Index released by the Tax Justice Network. What does it tell us about the global economy and the international tax system? And how can we fix it?

More information on the Corporate Tax Haven Index on https://cthi.taxjustice.net/en/

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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.

Plus: dark money and the European elections - elite interests aligning with the far right. And we ask: why doesn't Britain have its own Huawei?

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In this special extended edition of the April 2019 Taxcast, broadcast from the tax haven of Jersey:

we explore Jersey's poor showing in the OECD's Better Life Index and ask why Jersey's spending so much money on improving it's bad image instead of setting up public registers of beneficial ownership information
we interview the tax haven of Jersey's former Chief Advisor to the government, one of Jersey's main architects of, and defenders of its offshore business model
we hear about Jersey's dysfunctional political system from an elected representative of Jersey's only political party and its rising inequality levels
we speak to the fire-starters of the global tax justice movement - it all started in Jersey...

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This month we discuss misleading reporting from the mainstream media on the financial crisis: it was overloaded with finance 'experts', fed misunderstandings on the financial crash, sold us the austerity narrative and omitted alternative solutions. Plus: two huge court case tax and social justice wins - firstly, an unprecedented case in Kenya by Tax Justice Network Africa against the tax haven of Mauritius. Secondly, a US court has ruled that international financial institutions like the IMF and the World Bank CAN be sued when their development projects hurt communities. And we're happy to report that the EU Commission WILL now investigate one of the cases exposed by the #LuxLeaks whistleblowers...

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In the February 2019 Taxcast: why hasn't the European Commission investigated any of the secret tax deals that were exposed by the LuxLeaks whistleblowers where tax authorities gave multi-national companies outrageously low tax rates? Plus 'aid' for whom? We discuss the financialisation of aid.

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Naomi Fowler talks to investor and author Jonathan Tepper who’s co-written a book called ‘The Myth of Capitalism: Monopolies and the death of capitalism’ and explore monopolies, the dangers to consumers and citizens, and the suppression of true innovation: are we in the last stage of capitalism?
Plus the Tax Justice Network's John Christensen discusses Congress woman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez's proposal for a 70% top marginal tax rate to be levied on incomes once they get to $10 million and above.
And...we talk about Brexit, and how the European Union should handle the City of London's finance sector

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In this month's podcast: time's running out to tackle climate crisis facing us all. We look at environmental taxes and making them fair. Plus we discuss the gilets jaunes in France, a movement that's been widely reported as anti-green taxes, but is in fact born from wider desperation for their 'let them eat cake' President Macron to reverse a series of policies that have worsened inequality in the country. We give Monsieur le President a lesson in how not to implement an environmental tax...

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In this month's Taxcast: we look at how governments can better protect, encourage and even incentivise whistleblowers. Also: what do the latest Brexit developments tell us about dark money, the 'influence industry' and plutocracy? And, we hear from the UN's Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights Philip Alston on his findings from his UK visit.

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In the October 2018 Taxcast: we speak to Nicholas Shaxson about his new book "The Finance Curse: How Global Finance Is Making Us All Poorer" released alongside new research from the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute on the true costs of the City of London’s oversized finance sector to the British economy - £4.5 trillion in lost economic output over a 20 year period – that’s equivalent to £67,500 for every person in the UK, not far off $90,000. This research has serious implications for oversized financial centres everywhere. Also, we discuss the brutal murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the hypocrisy of the 'west' and corruption of democracy by dark money and national and international security threats not only from Russia, but also from China and, the most overlooked - the United States.

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In the September 2018 Taxcast: we talk about 'Moneyland' and the transnational elite that have broken free of democratic control with journalist Oliver Bullough. Also, 10 years after the financial crash - how do we tackle the next one? Plus, we discuss the fifth aide of US President Trump to be convicted of, or admit criminal charges, and what it says about the spread of plutocracy.

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In the August 2018 Taxcast: We ask why many Bermudians are leaving their beautiful island & why inequality levels have become so extreme despite it's huge offshore services centre.

Plus we discuss the legal fight back against financial transparency gains, and we discuss tackling fake news from fake think tanks.

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In the July 2918 Taxcast: a firewall to protect EU citizens from the Big Four accountancy firms and the tax avoidance lobby. Plus, we discuss UN Rapporteur on Poverty and Human Rights Professor Philip Alston’s announced visit to the UK to look at austerity and the human rights consequences: his report on the US was hard-hitting and controversial. What will he make of the UK? Also, we look at Transparify’s 2018 think tank funding transparency rankings and talk about how opacity is the name of the game for many of the ‘free market’ lobby groups pushing for Brexit, deregulation, privatisation and tax havenry, such as the Institute for Economic Affairs.

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We’ve had leak after leak, whistleblower after whistleblower. But no matter what the scandal is, when it comes to financial secrecy and tax dodging, the so-called big four accountancy firms are key players. We interview investigative journalist Richard Brooks of the Private Eye on his new book: Bean Counters: the triumph of the accountants and how they broke capitalism.

Plus: Will President Trump be prosecuted for foundation fraud? And can a leopard change its spots? How come the secrecy jurisdiction of Delaware came out in support of a financial transparency bill?

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In this month's Taxcast: We discuss why we can’t afford the rich and challenge ideas about wealth, entrepreneurialism and investment.

Also: ten years ago the Tax Justice Network was told it’d never happen, but this month British MPs voted to stop secret ownership of companies in British Overseas Territories. The Crown Dependencies got away for now. But the pressure is on them as a UK Foreign Affairs Committee report says corrupt assets of Kremlin-connected individuals pouring in to London is a threat to the UK’s national security. And while some of the money hidden in the Overseas Territories may flow to the United States, the EU may actually add it to their blacklist of non-cooperative jurisdictions…

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In this month's Taxcast: Tax justice, women and UN human rights conventions: how we may be beginning to hold governments to account. Also: we discuss scandal-hit Facebook's checks on whether overseas influencers are funding political ads in the United States and why they won't work. And is it time for a new model? How Mark Zuckerberg could become a hero. Plus: Norway does the responsible thing and decides not to invest its sovereign wealth fund in private equity. And India’s decade-long battle to collect back taxes from Vodafone runs into potential conflicts of interest at the highest political levels.

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In this month's Taxcast: They say history is written by the victors. So how can we rethink the way we use words about tax havens that reflect the reality of what's really happening? We talk to Alain Deneault about his new book in which he writes about laundering with language - Legalising Theft, a short guide to tax havens.

Plus: we discuss the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter on British soil and how by welcoming oligarchs with no questions asked, the City of London has compromised democracy and ushered in an era of oppression, criminality and impunity. And also, how US President Trump's tax reforms have awarded tax write-offs for private jet owners.

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In this month’s Taxcast: we look at the United States, Trump’s tax reforms and the killing of the American Dream. Plus: as we see yet another school shooting, should the powerful National Rifle Association continue to be a tax-exempt, non-profit organisation? And we discuss ongoing state-capture in Malta as the European Banking Authority investigates Pilatus bank, the subject of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s investigations. Can the Malta Financial Services Authority possibly be ‘fully equipped and free from conflicts of interest to perform its supervisory duties’?

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In the January 2018 Taxcast we explore the results of the Tax Justice Network's Financial Secrecy Index just out, that tell the real story of global corruption. We look at the top ten worst global offenders, discuss the 4 key geographical political poles: the Far East, Europe, Britain plus its cluster of satellite tax havens, and the United States. And we discuss what countries can do independently and as regional blocs to defend themselves against the threats to their economies from offshore secrecy jurisdictions.

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We speak with Jake Bernstein about his new book 'Secrecy World' - we ask what makes offshore players like Jurgen Mossack and Ramon Fonseca tick, and what do the Panama Papers and now the Paradise Papers tell us about Presidents Putin, Trump and the transnational oligarchy? Also we analyse Tax Haven USA's tax reforms set to turbo-charge inequality in a country with weak gun controls, the EU's disappointing tax haven blacklist and how the race to the bottom on tax between nations won't stop at 0%.

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In the November 2017 Taxcast: we discuss the latest offshore scandal, the Paradise Papers with one of the journalists who got the scoop, Frederik Obermaier of Suddeutsche Zeitung. We interpret the enquiries to Jersey from offshore lawyers looking for a new tax haven for Apple which they'd rather had remained secret, look at the anti-democratic processes the Paradise Papers uncover and ask - what now for tax justice?

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In this month’s Taxcast we look at the booming business of passports and residency for sale, and why it should worry us all. Also, even the IMF now advocates wealth taxes to combat inequality, yet governments around the world – most recently President Macron of France – are going in the opposite direction despite all the evidence that it’s a bad idea, we discuss how Russia and the US are now world leaders in inequality and the good news that the European Commission has ordered Luxembourg to claim back $293 million in taxes from Amazon in another ruling on illegal state aid.

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In the September 2017 Taxcast we look at our over-reliance on unhelpful economic measures, like Gross Domestic Product and how it constrains us. Also: we discuss hurricanes, tax havens and disaster capitalism; and the bitcoin bubble - China may be closing its doors on it for the moment but tax havens like Switzerland are very interested…

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In the August 2017 Taxcast: #10yearsafter the crash we ask - what will the next one look like? Can we avoid it? Also:

Panama Papers fallout - another Prime Minister bites the dust, this time in Pakistan
the offshore law firm Mossack Fonseca has closed 39 of its 45 offices around the world
a UK court ruling spells the end for ‘employee benefit trusts’ being used by footballers to minimise their tax bills
and the Bank Of England Governor has predicted Britain’s financial sector could double in size in the next 25 years. Has he not heard of the finance curse?

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In this month’s July 2017 Taxcast: we explore Land Value Tax and the billions in revenue we’re missing out on. Plus: Tax Haven USA signs up to potential sanctions and blacklisting of the few nations still refusing to comply with international financial transparency rules, which would er, include itself as the world’s prime offender. Did Team USA read the small print? And will the G20, OECD and the EU really blacklist one of the world’s biggest economies? Also, at last, Members of the European Parliament vote for public country by country reporting for the world’s biggest companies – but a last minute amendment was tabled…

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In the June 2017 Taxcast we ask - has the UK just had its first tax justice general election? Are we seeing a popular shift towards tax justice in the UK and in the US? Is this the beginning of the end to our long austerity winter? How much do people REALLY care about taxes, who pays them and who doesn’t?

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In the May 2017 Taxcast: we talk to film director Michael Oswald about his new film The Spider’s Web: Britain’s Second Empire. Watch it here. Also, we discuss booming Sweden’s ‘reverse-Trumpism’: its economy grew almost twice as fast as the US last year – and it wasn’t achieved through cutting taxes. Plus: the Russian Parliament is considering sweeteners that would accelerate Crimea's progress further along the tax haven and secrecy jurisdiction route.

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We look at the Panama Papers, one year on - we talk to the journalists who got the scoop. Plus: we discuss the raid on Credit Suisse, and new data exposing the profit shifting shennanigans of the EU's biggest banks.

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We look at the high price we’re paying for our finance sectors – we look at staggering statistics showing how the US finance sector is a net drag on their economy. Also, as the British government initiates Brexit divorce negotiations to leave the EU, we discuss something they ought to know, but obviously don’t – they’re actually in a very weak position. Could it mean the beginning of the end of the finance curse gripping the UK economy?

Read: The High Cost of High Finance here https://rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/overcharged-the-high-cost-of-high-finance/

City of London costs UK £4.5tn in lost economic growth https://www.taxjustice.net/press/press-release-city-of-london-costs-uk-4-5tn-in-lost-economic-growth/

Featuring: John Christensen and Alex Cobham of the Tax Justice Network, and Professor of Economics Gerald Epstein of the University of Masachusetts Amhurst. Produced and presented by Naomi Fowler for the Tax Justice Network.

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In the February 2017 Taxcast: how financial transaction taxes can protect us from finance sectors dragging our economies down. Plus: the Swiss referendum - taxpayers have refused to pick up the tab for corporate tax 'reforms'. What does that mean for one of world's biggest tax haven players? Also, we discuss President Trump’s valentine gift for kleptocrats and the extractives industry as he repeals anti-corruption regulations - the criminal race to the bottom is on. And, the influence of dark money, the experts in distorting democratic debate and the results of the 2017 Transparify report.

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In the January 2017 Taxcast we look at tax justice and public procurement - the efforts to hit tax dodging companies where it really hurts on a local level – trying to stop them bidding for public money for public contracts. Also:

how massive amounts of money are flowing into Tax Haven USA to circumvent the flawed Common Reporting Standard - South Dakota is apparently raking in tax evading capital
the slippery world of ‘residence planning’ and the ‘synthetic residency’ dodge
we discuss the UK’s Criminal Finances Bill likely to be passed this year, which includes proposals for ‘Unexplained Wealth Orders’ and holding tax evading enablers to account. An amendment to the bill could force UK satellite tax havens, the overseas territories to create public registers of the real owners of companies, something they’ve so far refused to do.
and we consider the British threat to the EU: ‘if you give us a bad Brexit deal, we’ll push regulation-lite, tax haven UK even further in a race to the bottom and shoot ourselves in the foot.’

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In trusts we trust? We look at the new game in town: beneficial ownership avoidance, the booming industry in alternative escape vehicles from public registers and why we must shine the spotlight on all of them. Plus: we discuss two big stories we think will define 2017: the race to the bottom between nations on tax aka a transfer of wealth to the corporate community, and how the world's biggest havens are increasingly having to account for the devastating effect their tax and/or financial secrecy policies are having on human rights around the world...

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We look at Tax Inspectors Without Borders – a practical project that’s changing lives and aiming to level the global playground of tax minimising multinational companies. Plus: what does new US President Trump mean for tax justice? In Trusts we trust? The French Constitutional Court upholds a challenge to France’s trailblazing public register of Trusts: what does it mean for progress on financial transparency?

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We look at the offshorisation of Iceland's economy, its collapse and recovery. Also, Brazil adds Ireland to its tax haven black list and Panama threatens anyone who dares call it a tax haven with a new law...plus more scandal and unique analysis you won't find anywhere else.

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How a conman can devastate the lives of thousands of ordinary people, aided and abetted by the offshore industry - with banks, law firms and accountants all happy to look the other way and not ask questions. Plus, we discuss the latest leak from the Bahamas, #BahamasLeaks, and Apple's 13 billion euro underpaid tax bill: a defining moment in the battle between the low/no-tax world big corporations would like to see and democratic, accountable governance in the public interest.

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The Big Four accountancy firms: Are they in fact more like the Big One? And should they be broken up? Also: the Duke of Westminster's 9 billion tax free inheritance and how his family history forms the legal basis for the justification of tax avoidance around the world; how come the world's biggest banks are now officially endorsing transparency measures? And...so much for Panama cleaning up its act post-Panama Papers scandal: we discuss the demise of Panama's not-so-transparent Transparency Commission.

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'Hello. This is John Doe. Interested in data? I'm happy to share.' We talk to the two journalists who got the Panama Papers scoop, Bastian Obermayer and Frederik Obermaier who've written a book about their experience. Plus: what does Brexit mean for tax justice? We discuss the F4 (unholy) alliance between Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK, and the accelerated corporate tax race to the bottom.

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How different could the lives of those in poverty have been without secrecy jurisdictions? We give you the very latest estimates on the missing trillions offshored from the world's developing regions. Also: #Brexit and the special interests behind it: “Nakedly, brazenly, they're pushing the City of London's deregulated, criminal approach to finance”. Plus, the Panama Papers shed some light on secretive, pro-tax haven US lobbying group the Center for Freedom and Prosperity's funders.

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What is corruption? Well, that's a political question, and the answer depends on who you ask. We discuss the anti-corruption summit in the City of London, the world's capital of sleaze and ask if the sun ever set on the colonial era and the idea that corruption is a poor country issue. We explore extortive corruption versus collusive corruption and look at a new Poll which indicates for the first time the vast gulf between what the British people consider corrupt, and what has become a 'normal' way of doing business and politics. The overlap between the public and private spheres raises serious questions about democracy – and the nature of global fraud.

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We discuss the biggest offshore leak in history, the #PanamaPapers: could it provide an opportunity for nations to expand their secrecy market share? Once again, all eyes are on Trusts... Also, as the #LuxLeaks whistleblower Antoine Deltour's trial begins in Luxembourg, we ask why protections for whistleblowers are being eroded and what it says about the state of our democracy.

An extended Taxcast this month presented and produced for the Tax Justice Network by @Naomi_Fowler

You can read the Tax Justice Network daily blogs on www.taxjustice.net

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Is the US president really serious about tackling corruption in the finance sector? Are the presidential candidates? Now they can prove it. Bank Whistleblowers United tell us how they can restore the rule of law to Wall Street and avoid the next financial crisis in 60 days without any new legislation. Plus: why a wave of tax amnesties is likely to sweep across the world (how does 1% tax and immunity from prosecution sound?) and what the very first transparency data on banks exposes about how they do business.

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Which country is the second easiest in the world after Kenya to set up an anonymous shell company? We shine the spotlight on Tax haven USA and the lawyers secretly filmed by Global Witness advising a fake corrupt African government Minister. Also: we discuss Google's tiny tax payment in the UK, how politicians are interfering with the independence of our tax authorities, and the rise of the unnoticed tax haven of Taiwan. Plus more scandal and analysis.

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What's Scotland got to do with the plunder of Moldova? We take a look at the 'Wild West' of Scottish Limited Partnerships. Also, we discuss the tensions in the EU; is the net finally closing on multinational companies, the tax minimisation deals they've been getting from various European countries and the big four accountancy firms who advised them? Just how bad was the sell off of one of Colombia's most profitable power generation companies? And what's former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair got to do with it? Also, we talk about the MEP who's dragging the European Commission through the courts to get access to papers they'd rather we didn't see. John Christensen will eat his hat if they DON'T reveal what MEP Fabio De Masi suspects they will: 'systematic political backup for a tax avoidance cartel that costs taxpayers in the EU hundreds of billions of dollars annually.'

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We get some insights into the usually closed world of the wealth managers who serve the super-rich. Plus:on a par with Kissinger being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? We discuss how the British Banker's Association's got one of their own into the UK government Treasury, why Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg's $35 billion 'charity' pledge isn't what it seems, and the anonymous survey of accountants that shows corruption is rife and the self-regulating profession can no longer be trusted.

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Why is the City of London losing so much business to New York, Hong Kong and Singapore? Our conclusions are quite different from those of a British Bankers Association report on the subject. Plus: the crazy UK-China nuclear power station deal: a sweetener for closer ties between the two nation's financial sectors? One year after #LuxLeaks exposed some of the secret tax deals being done between government tax authorities and multinational corporations we ask how many more 'illegal state aid' deals might have been made? Plus we have a special focus on the results of the latest Financial Secrecy Index 2015 released this month: we look at the top ten worst offenders and ask what can be done about them.

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We look at the remittance cartel, their 'taxing of the poor' with monopoly prices in a juicy $450-500 billion market. Also: 'comfort letters' and the game changing European Commission ruling that the tax agreements between Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Starbucks and Fiat constitute illegal state aid, we analyse the rich country club of the OECD's BEPS proposals for reform of the global corporate tax system: will it really address corporate tax avoidance and evasion?

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When's the next financial crisis? We look at offshore and the trillion dollar derivatives market. Plus: we discuss how Mexico's trying to force multinational companies to pay more tax, why recent market madness originating in China shows we need a Financial Transactions Tax more than ever, and why the recent election by a landslide of opposition leader in Britain's Labour party Jeremy Corbyn could be a game-changer.

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Sun, sea and tax: the Taxcast goes to Mexico and looks at how multinational tourism operates there. Plus: why Luxembourg is printing euros like there's no tomorrow, Brazil offers its tax dodgers an amnesty, and we ask how much longer 'emerging economies' and other countries left out of the reform of global tax rules will put up with it.

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In an extended Taxcast special we look at the crisis in Greece and ask whatever happened to European unity? Plus we discuss the European Parliament's vote to make multinational coporations report their activities on a public, country-by-country basis, a push to give poorer countries a say in global tax rule-making fails after three days of bullying in Addis Ababa, BUT Tax Inspectors Without Borders gets the green light. Plus more scandal and unique analysis.

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Racketeering, money laundering and bribery in international football: the FIFA scandal demonstrates everything that's wrong with global finance and attitudes to business. Also: the EU Commission releases a laughable tax haven blacklist with some glaring omissions, we put FIFA's auditors KPMG under the spotlight, and Walmart is exposed for paying minimal taxes.

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In the May 2015 Taxcast: Do our politicians believe in the societies they serve or not? The Taxcast looks at making the tax returns of our elected representatives public, and the inspirational achievement of journalist Umar Cheema of the Centre for Investigative Reporting in making Pakistan only the fourth country in the world to publish the tax returns of its Parliamentarians. Also: how the British general election demonstrates political capture by financial interests; libertarian paradise - the world's newest tax haven; and is Singapore trying to shut down reporting on its tax haven status?

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How just are our tax systems towards women? One Texan husband did the sums on what his stay-at-home wife's unpaid work was really worth in monetary terms. Plus: one of the USA's biggest corporations (and tax avoiders) is repatriating billions from offshore and re-focusing on good old manufacturing again, and remember how the UK Prime Minister was 'leading the world' in transparency measures not so long ago? We discuss a letter a former Cayman Islands lobbyist and Conservative peer wrote to reassure the tax haven that it was an empty gesture to distract from the proposed Financial Transaction Tax.

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Democracy for sale: how our politics are heavily reliant on tax haven-friendly donors. Also, we ask: Why is HSBC shutting down offshore accounts in Jersey? Are we in the final few years of the corporate income tax? Is Australia's exempting of big companies from new transparency rules a joke? Plus more scandal and analysis you won't find anywhere else.

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Just what does a bank have to do to lose its licence?! We look at the fall out from HSBCLeaks and ask how can we genuinely tackle criminality in global finance? Also: the latest research on crimes and fines in banking; why a recent threat to have UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories blacklisted won't exactly have them shaking in their shoes; plus more scandal and unique analysis.

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How offshore is ruining the 'Beautiful Game' - the Taxcast scrutinises football's own goal. Also: how banks with criminal convictions are being allowed to continue to handle our money, how people may be allowed to apply for anonymity in the UK's register of beneficial owners to be introduced in 2016, and the meeting of the world's most powerful in that bastion of transparency, Davos, Switzerland. Plus more scandal and unique analysis.

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In the December 2014 Taxcast: how mafia is corrupting democracy at the heart of Europe in Italy's capital city of Rome. Also, the #LuxLeaks whistleblower is arrested and makes his first public statements on why he did it, the UK Chancellor's 'Google Tax', is the EU Commission President backing away from making a register of the real owners of copmpanies and trusts public? Plus more scandal and unique analysis.

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In the November 2014 Taxcast: 'You can lie and you can steal from us but this time we'll know who you are': Ukraine becomes the first country in the world to introduce a public registry of the real owners of companies. The Taxcast speaks to the Director of Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Action Centre about stopping corruption that continues to cost lives. Also: we take a look at the fallout from the latest leaks from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on corporate tax avoidance in Luxembourg, or #LuxLeaks, Kenya considers ending corporate tax holidays, and why is the taxpayer funded European Investment Bank lending money to companies that are heavy users of tax havens? All that and more scandal.

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How much is corporate welfare costing us? Across the US they're going to start publishing the subsidies and tax breaks. We take a look at the latest research in the UK. Also: Ireland announces it'll abolish the 'Double Irish' tax dodge after the EU Commission finds Apple's tax deal is 'illegal state aid'. But what will they replace it with? Australians discover the true state of the tax contributions made by their top companies, and Tax Justice Network Africa makes history taking the Kenyan government to court in an unprecedented case over a tax deal with the tax haven of Mauritius.

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In the September 2014 Taxcast: 'unpatriotic corporate deserters'? We ask why so many US companies are relocating. Also, the less reported side of the Scottish vote on independence, the OECD's latest 'action' plan on tackling international tax avoidance and much, much more.

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In the August 2014 Taxcast: when was the last time you used a £100 bill, a 500 euro note or a 1,000 Swiss Franc note? We look at how Western Central banks and Treasuries are facilitating crime through high denomination bills. Also, tax haven reputation damage-management, Switzerland pulls a fast one on India, the European bankers raking in the bonuskis from sanctions against Russia and how the tax haven of Mauritius is...erm...expanding its portfolio.

"I think it's terrible public policy to facilitate organised crime"

Jim Henry

Produced by @Naomi_Fowler for the Tax Justice Network and also featuring John Christensen of the Tax Justice Network, author of Laundry Men and many other books on financial crime Jeffrey Robinson, Assistant US Attorney General Lanny Breuer, Economist and asset recovery specialist Jim Henry.

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What really happened at the Google Shareholder meeting vote on a proposal for ethical tax principles? Plus: we discuss what the new tax haven-friendly EU Commission President might now do (or not do), anti-democratic moves in Hong Kong by the big four accountancy firms, and: forget the OECD's global tax reforms - developing countries can, and are doing it for themselves. But will the new BRICS Development Bank do any better? And much more...

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In the June 2014 Taxcast: the guillotine vs progressive taxation. the Taxcast looks at Thomas Piketty's book Capital in the 21st Century. Also: welcome to the temporary tax haven of World Cup Brazil; the EU Commission begins investigations into illegal state aid for tax havens; and are developing countries really not interested in tracking illicit outflows from their countries? Plus more scandals

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In the May 2014 Taxcast: the Taxcast looks at privatisation and tax: what happens when public assets or services get into private hands? Also, Google's challenged on its tax affairs by its own shareholders; will Congress block the US government's decision to agree to the G20's global transparency standard? And whatever happened to the UK's 'leadership' on public registers of the real owners of companies now it turns out it'll 'encourage' but not 'force' its overseas territories and crown dependencies to sign up to the initiative?

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In the April 2014 Taxcast: Forget Congress! The Taxcast looks at the latest US state to take matters into its own hands and legislate against tax havens. Also: the scandal of how the Bank for International Settlements has kept offshore wealth data to itself, the British government tries to impress its friends in Washington with a 'tough' new tax evasion offence, taxing problems in Nigeria and...how will UK Parliamentarian Lord Blencathra manage now his £12,000 (c. $20,000) a month contract with the Cayman Islands has been terminated?

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In the March 2014 Taxcast: Russia, Ukraine, Londongrad and the offshore threat to global security. Also: modern day colonialism? Niger battles France over fairer revenues from its uranium; it's official - inequality IS bad for economic growth: the IMF becomes an unlikely advocate for tax justice. And, the European Parliament moves against anonymous ownership of companies by voting for public registers of beneficial owners.

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In the February 2014 Taxcast: Are European tax havens getting 'illegal state subsidies'? The European Union's Competition Commissioner thinks so. Are the world's tax havens really going to become more transparent? We analyse the OECD's automatic information exchange proposal, warts and all. And, the tax haven of the Bahamas is broke – the government's solution? Tax the poor! We look at the Bahamian campaign against a Value Added Tax and their demands for a freedom of information act.

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In the January 2014 Taxcast: Tax justice goes to the Cayman Islands; we look at the latest fall-out from #OffshoreLeaks, the expose on tax havens from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists; and HOW much is Africa spending on corporate tax breaks??? The Taxcast looks at tax incentives, Africa-style.

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In the December 2013 Taxcast: the clock's ticking for Swiss banks, OECD countries are failing to collect enough information on the real owners of companies, and the Taxcast looks at tax and human rights: lawyers have escaped pulic scrutiny for their role in tax abuse. So far...

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In the November 2013 Taxcast: the movers and the shakers in the 2013 Financial Secrecy Index, the pariah states trying to wreck new global transparency measures, and 50 years ago this month US President John F Kennedy was assassinated. Did you know he was trying to tackle tax havens?

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In the October 2013 Taxcast: Swiss villagers send some of profit shifting mining giant GlencoreXstrata's money to humanitarian projects, tax havens do some window dressing and HOW many sets of accounts does a multinational corporation really need to file their tax returns? The David and Goliath story of tax collection - even for the United States.

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In the September 2013 Taxcast: The Netherlands is getting worried about it's bad reputation - and not because of it's red light district, China steps aboard the G20 automatic information exchange train and what do Tina Turner and Muammar Gaddafi have in common? The Taxcast breaks down the dance moves for the Swiss Shuffle.

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In the August 2013 Taxcast: we look at why development money is being invested in developing countries via tax havens and the under-reported elements of the tensions between Spain and Britain over the territory of Gibraltar. Also: tax and the environment - making the polluter pay instead of paying the polluter: the Taxcast investigates the Carbon Tax in British Columbia, Canada

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In the July 2013 Taxcast: We analyse the OECD's Action Plan it says is going to tackle corporate tax cheating. And who needs the OECD, the G20 or the G8 anyway? The Taxcast looks at alternative working models governments could implement NOW without any more summits: Japan introduced its Tax Haven Counter Measure Law in the 1970s and Mexico has a tax haven black list and the Dictamen Fiscal rule to help it hold multinational corporations to account.

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'Coulds' and 'shoulds' but any real action? We analyse what the G8 summit did for tax justice and why some tax havens may get a competitive advantage. And while the world waits for reform the Taxcast looks at how some countries are finding creative ways around the current global tax system.

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In May's 2013 Taxcast: Google and Apple are forced to defend their tax affairs in public, how anti-EU sentiment serves offshore interests and the Taxcast looks at tax havens and the arms trade: how secrecy kills. The Lord of War makes an appearance...

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In April 2013's Taxcast: offshore leaks blows the lid off secrecy for sale, the G20 endorse greater transparency (but let's not get too excited) Luxembourge agrees to lift its banking secrecy, Austria next? And the Taxcast takes a look at fake foreign direct investment.

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In March 2013's Taxcast: the crisis in Cyprus and the risk tax havens pose to the global economy, a surprise earthquake for UK-affiliated tax havens and a frustrated corporate tax inspector speaks out on the corrupting of the tax system.

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In February 2013's Taxcast: Transparency for French banks, taxing the digital economy aka how to worry Google and Amazon, G8 leaders talk up reform of the global tax system - but will they walk the talk? And...is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's the OECD! The Taxcast takes a closer look.

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In January 2013's Taxcast: a significant ruling against Dell in Spain, India delays rules that would have tackled corporate tax abuse until 2016, the EU threatens to blacklist Switzerland AND we take a look at 'Google Capitalism' (An extended edition to kick off 2013 of just under 20 mins)

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In the December 2012 Taxcast: Are banks too big to prosecute? Thanks but no thanks to Starbucks cynical offer to pay some corporation tax after all and we discuss a new system rating corporate tax responsibility for consumers that will be out in 2013. And - how we can reform our tax system to stop abuse.

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In the November 2012 Taxcast: is it the beginning of the end of tax avoidance by multi-national corporations? Some countries fight back. And the Finance Curse - why an oversized finance sector's bad for an economy. A special extended edition.

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In the October 2012 Taxcast: Helsinki declares itself a tax haven-free zone, Starbucks joins the tax avoidance Roll of Dishonour and we follow the money: asset recovery, dictators and the selling of secrecy.

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In the September 2012 Taxcast: A whistleblower reward threatens Swiss banking secrecy - where will the money go next? Bangladesh considers expanding a regressive VAT tax and Professor Prem Sikka on the neglected role of the Big Four accountancy firms aka the 'pin-stripe mafia.'

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In the August 2012 Taxcast: capital flight in Africa AND now in Europe, Olympian Usain Bolt fails to champion his tax affairs, and the Spirit Level writers Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson on tax and inequality. There's even an extra minute this month!

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In the July 2012 Taxcast: Why there are no prosecutions at HSBC bank, a tax justice victory in Norway, new research reveals the amount of offshore wealth is higher than anybody thought. And we look at the temporary tax haven of the London Olympics.

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In the June 2012 Taxcast: celebrity tax avoidance, Greece's missing billions, what should have been on the G20 agenda and trade mispricing - the tricks of the trade.

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In the May 2012 Taxcast: Tax haven insiders speak out, the co-founder of Facebook unfriends the US, and Europe considers a Financial Transaction Tax.

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In the April 2012 Taxcast: Amazon's tax affairs, the global tax cut race to the bottom, India tackles tax havens and the miners in Zambia who pay more tax than the multi-national mining company.

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In the March 2012 Taxcast: Apple i-tax dodging, reclaiming Arab Spring country assets, the rich country club of the OECD and the ABCs of setting up letterbox companies. It's child's play!

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In the February 2012 Taxcast: Are City of London Police really serious about prosecuting financial crimes? Are bankers paying fair taxes on their bonuses? And how Facebook is saving billions in tax via Ireland and Bermuda.

Special focus this month: the tax haven of the City of London, semi-autonmous state within a state.

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In our inaugural Tax Justice Network monthly podcast we discuss the implications of the Vodafone vs India landmark tax case, compare Bill Gates and Mitt Romney's attitudes to taxation and visit the Occupy camp outside St Paul's Cathedral in London.

The Taxcast: Recent Episodes

Tax Justice Network