Links Jan 16

The time is now: European Parliament to vote on the Anti-Money Laundering Directive Eurodad
See also: Member states split on proposed transparency for trusts legislation IFC Review / European Voice

Finance lobbies OECD for flexibility in tax regulation The Sydney Morning Herald

Israel: PM’s Office: No wrongdoing in Netanyahu’s offshore bank account The Jerusalem Post
"Netanyahu used tax haven while overseeing agency responsible for reducing use of such accounts by Israelis." See also: Netanyahu held tax haven bank account Globes

Greece: Offshore Companies and Huge Bank Accounts for Golden Dawn’s Members Greek Reporter

Australia’s going for the foxes in charge of the henhouse approach to corporate tax collection Tax Research UK

Head of Swiss financial regulator steps down swissinfo

... to be succeeded by former UBS senior executive who testified before the U.S Senate on the bank’s role in aiding US tax evaders, and headed the Japanese securities unit involved in Libor rate rigging.

Switzerland probing banker who is helping U.S. tax investigations Politico
"The Swiss contend they’re merely upholding their privacy laws, but some say the investigation sends a message to bankers: Keep quiet or else."

Even U.S. Banks Must Aid IRS Hunt For Offshore Accounts Forbes
Reciprocity seen as critical to implementing FATCA. See also: US Court Dismisses Challenge To IRS Reporting Rule Tax-News, and US banks’ challenge to tax info exchange fails Compass Cayman

Indian High Court Pressed On Vodafone Transfer Pricing Case Tax-News,

Latest update: Release Of Offshore Records Draws Worldwide Response ICIJ

Argentina to clamp down on taxpayers with undeclared assets in Panama STEP
See Spanish language version here.

Argentina Imposes Withholding Tax On Exports Tax-News
Measures adopted by the Argentinian government to tackle transfer pricing abuse

Mexico scrutinizes multinationals for tax evasion Thomson Reuters

Resource Blessing, Revenue Curse? Domestic Revenue Effort in Resource-Rich Countries IMF

Finland: President critiques corporate tax evasion, public sector growth Yle

Canada: Tax Evasion Hotline Offers Bounty For Cheaters Huffington Post

Analysts divided on impact of Qianhai-BVI move on Hong Kong South China Morning Post

An eye-opening message about the culture of denial in the tax industry David Quentin's tax & law blog

Double taxation agreements - one-sided profit? TJN Germany Blog (In German)

Taxing the Behemoths TaxProf

U.S.: Obamacare Website Fixer Has Thing for Tax Havens Bloomberg

New York Times Letter to the Editor: End the Corporate Tax? Citizens for Tax Justice
See also our recent blog Time to abolish the corporate tax? Part 2: Only fools or shills would agree

Cayman: Tempura lawyer reinstated Cayman News Service
Latest twist in the corruption case highlighting alleged misgovernance between Britain and its offshore financial centres

An indictment of financial crime enforcement Thomson Reuters

Beanie Babies creator Ty Warner won't serve prison time for tax evasion CNN

Bernie Ecclestone 'will face criminal charges' as position at head of Formula One comes under serious threat The Telegraph

Mo Farah Applies to Become Tax Exile from the UK Runner's World

Revenue scouring Facebook and Twitter for tax cheats Irish Independent