Links May 9

The Battle of International Tax Evasion: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back Wiener Institute (In German)
Apr 18 - TJN Chair Bruno Gurtner provides an overview of global developments in tax justice.

Brazil's secret fiscal weapon: the tax "lion" Reuters
May 8 - "In Brazil, groups of armed agents fly around the country by helicopter, pounding on doors and instilling fear in the hearts of those who break the law. They're not the police - they're from the tax agency... Officials from Chile, Tanzania and even China have come to Brazil to study what makes the agency so effective."

Friends of the Earth: Closing Tax Loopholes for Climate Solutions Climate Access
Apr 25 - "Mandating that multinational corporations pay their "fair share" of taxes could be the key to funding climate solutions ... For this year's Tax Day, Friends of the Earth released an action alert asking individuals to urge their senators to cosponsor the "CUT Loopholes" act."

U.S.: Home Owners Across the Nation Sue All Bank Servicers and Their Offshore Havens; Spire Law Officially Announces Filing of Landmark Lawsuit Yahoo Finance
Apr 23 - "U.S. Banks' Theft of Home Owners' Money Laundered Through Cayman Islands, Isle of Man and Numerous Offshore-Based Affiliates."

Senator Rand Paul: Champion of Secret Swiss Bank Accounts  Citizens for Tax Justice
May 2 - "Rand Paul, son of Libertarian firebrand and GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul, is currently blocking the Senate’s ratification of an amendment to the US-Swiss tax treaty, apparently worried about the right of tax evaders to financial privacy. "

OECD’s double standard in the Global Forum on “Transparency And Exchange of Information”. The rating of the United States. Eduardo Morgan
Apr 26 - Dr. Eduardo Morgan, Jr., LL.M. Yale University, Law School, Senior  Partner, Morgan & Morgan, and former ambassador of the Republic of Panama in Washington, D.C., provides an exclusive and in-depth analysis of the Global Forum´s Peer Review Report (GF PRR) 2011 rating for the U.S. ... He corroborates what several scholars and studies have revealed that the U.S. is the greatest tax haven in the world."  Morgan & Morgan engages in business in "tax havens" - the commentary here is interesting.

See also:
U.S. Senate’s Passage of Anti-Tax-Haven Provisions Would Be Counterproductive Eduardo Morgan / Tax Notes
Apr 9 - "The U.S. should champion multilateral and bilateral solutions ... the contrast between lack of U.S. compliance with international standards and the U.S. government’s own unilateral extraterritorial enforcement undermines the requirement of a level playing field, on which the legitimacy of the international standards is based."  

Occupy London tour shows towering inequality Treasure Islands
May 9 - "Bloomberg is running a fine story about the City of London, highlighting the Britain’s staggering inequality and the financial driver behind it."

There’s No There There: Low Tax Rates and Economic Growth Social Science Research Network
May - "Correlation isn't causation, but the data collected in this paper argue against the assumption that low taxes promote growth, and at least put the burden of proof on those wanting to defend that assumption."

Lazy-faire in the Court of King Mervyn Treasure Islands
May 8 - Nick Shaxson comments on Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England.