Links - Dec 9

Also see Offshore Watch and TJN's searchable news archive

Zorro zahlt nicht mehr
Nov (Der Spiegel) Excellent article in Der Spiegel, by one of their best writers, about Cayman. In German.

Liechtenstein Signs US Deal
Andreas Missbach of the Berne declaration on CNBC giving some useful background about the new US-Liechtenstein deal. A short clip making comparisons with Switzerland. On same subject, see this Forbes story featuring TJN's Richard Murphy.

Murdoch angry over Italy tax rise
Dec 2 (FT) - Rupert Murdoch's Sky Italia yesterday hit back over a tax increase imposed on its pay-TV operations by the government of Silvio Berlusconi. Opposition politicians accused Mr Berlusconi, the prime minister, of using his office to penalise his competitors.

And now for a world government
Dec 8 (FT) - For the first time in my life, I think the formation of some sort of world government is plausible, involving much more than co-operation between nations. It would be an entity with state-like characteristics, backed by a body of laws. The EU could be a model.

MPs condemn failure to prosecute rich tax dodgers
Dec 9 (Guardian) - 36 barristers have been forced to return £605,000 to tax authorities. this has not become public because none of the white collar tax evaders have been prosecuted, says the report by the Commons public accounts committee.

BIS warns of collapse in global lending
Dec 9 (Telegraph) - Cross-border loans worldwide fell by $1.1 trillion (£740bn) in the first half of the year, reflecting the scramble by the financial industry to cut leverage by pulling credit lines and slashing risky exposure.