Links Nov 13

New PWYP and Friends of the Earth Europe transparency advert launches across Europe
Nov 13 - Today the Publish What You Pay coalition together with Friends of the Earth Europe launched a Europe-wide advert in the Financial Times calling on the European Union to seize a historic opportunity to pass European transparency laws for oil, gas, mining and logging companies.

Greece Tax Fraud Scandal. Widespread Corruption Linked to Private Swiss Bank Accounts Global Research
Nov 12 - Very interesting piece on links between tax evasion, money laundering and corruption, and how “austerity” regimes can be fronts for global crime.

In Greece, Taking Aim At Wealthy Tax Dodgers New York Times
Nov 11 - "As controversy swirls around the failure of former Greek finance ministers to investigate a list of 2,000 suspected tax dodgers, the current government in Athens is taking a hard look at the foreign assets of those people and thousands of others."

Liechtenstein: praise from experts despite dodgy business TJN Germany Blog
Nov 13 - Despite testimony from TJN explaining loopholes, the German Bundestag is moving ahead on a tax deal with Liechtenstein.

German prosecutors search UBS clients in tax probe Reuters
Nov 13 - "German state prosecutors have begun a country-wide search of premises of UBS clients on suspicion of tax evasion ... UBS is one of several Swiss banks caught up in investigations into personal tax evasion in the United States and Europe, putting the future of Swiss banking secrecy laws in jeopardy."

The CEO Campaign to ‘Fix’ the Debt: A Trojan Horse for Massive Corporate Tax Breaks Institute for Policy Studies
Nov 13 - "The Fix the Debt campaign has raised $60 million and recruited more than 80 CEOs of America’s most powerful corporations to lobby for a debt deal that would reduce corporate taxes and shift costs onto the poor and elderly."

See also:
Report: Corporate execs pushing for territorial system looking out for themselves The Hill
Nov 13 - "In its study, IPS found that the 63 publicly held companies in the Fix the Debt campaign, out of around 80 overall, had around $418 billion in profits stored offshore, according to public filings."

Canada: Overseas tax evasion is a growing problem Harper needs to fix Canada.com
Nov 12 - "A Liberal Senator has appealed to the prime minister to appoint an experienced, senior bureaucrat — a “hitter” — to fill the top job at Canada Revenue Agency and bring the skills needed to tackle the country’s growing problem with overseas tax evasion."

India Investigates Foreign Bank Accounts Tax-News
Nov 13 - "The Indian tax authorities are investigating information regarding undisclosed funds held in overseas bank accounts, confirming that "appropriate action" has been taken in these cases."

Italy is in 'war' against tax evasion, says Monti Gazetta del Sud
Nov 12 - Reporting on the state of the Italian government drive to recoup tax revenues, to haul the country out of its debt crisis.

UK: HM Revenue & Customs launches ad campaign targeting tax cheats Money Marketing
Nov 12 - "The campaign, which launched today using outdoor advertising, is part of HMRC’s activity to tackle crime and failure to pay the right amount of tax."

Romanian football officials jailed for tax evasion San Francisco Chronicle
Nov 12 - "A Bucharest court has handed prison sentences to eight Romanian football officials for tax evasion and money laundering in connection with the transfer of 12 players over a six-year period."

To Get Around Tax Hike, Spanish Theater Sells Carrots, Not Tickets Capital Public Radio
Nov 12 - "Many Spaniards say the "Carrot Rebellion" is a creative response to the country's unpopular austerity measures, but some simply call it tax evasion."