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The global tax evasion scam


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Some interesting news from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. They've recently undertaken a project to demystify the network of tax havens operating in the world, where they are and the people who use them. They started releasing data yesterday.

 

http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/icij-journalists-expose-mass-web-of-global-tax-evasion-a-892505.html

 

ICIJ's own piece is here:-

 

http://www.icij.org/offshore

 

The news is already starting to ripple around the world, 86 investigative journos operating in 46 countries. Some Indian MPs have already been named and shamed. This could be huge.

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The fact it happens is no surprise.

 

Naming individuals/companies - with documentary evidence - is significant

 

Yes of course, but at the end of the day Starbucks, Amazon, and many others have already been named.....

 

Apart from some bland PR statements (which amounted to not much more than being cheaper than an Advertising/Marketing spend in reality), nobody's been arrested, don't recall George changing the rules on 1st April.

 

The whole damned system is corrupt. There is only one rule. Look after yourself and to hell with everyone else. Mankind won't act, let's hope the Big Man downstairs with the Flames does when it is their time.

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Yes of course, but at the end of the day Starbucks, Amazon, and many others have already been named.....

 

Apart from some bland PR statements (which amounted to not much more than being cheaper than an Advertising/Marketing spend in reality), nobody's been arrested, don't recall George changing the rules on 1st April.

 

The whole damned system is corrupt. There is only one rule. Look after yourself and to hell with everyone else. Mankind won't act, let's hope the Big Man downstairs with the Flames does when it is their time.

 

Great honest post!

 

I agree entirely that the whole system is corrupt - I suspect many do. One of the most positive things about our current era is that (for a few years) we have the freedom and ability to see the full extent of moral failure and corruption via the web. I also agree that mankind doesn't appear to want to act.

 

The question is whether you therefore conclude that the only thing to do is look after number one?

 

I disagree with you on that, because although I accept that dissent and a progressive stance is futile (and often self-defeating), I wouldn't be able to look myself in the eye on my deathbed if I didn't know that I'd tried to be more than just a consumer. Probably pointless though...

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Yes of course, but at the end of the day Starbucks, Amazon, and many others have already been named.....

 

Apart from some bland PR statements (which amounted to not much more than being cheaper than an Advertising/Marketing spend in reality), nobody's been arrested, don't recall George changing the rules on 1st April.

 

The whole damned system is corrupt. There is only one rule. Look after yourself and to hell with everyone else. Mankind won't act, let's hope the Big Man downstairs with the Flames does when it is their time.

 

Don't give up. Society has moved on impressively in the last 100 years and can do again.

 

On tax, we have already seen Starbucks offering to pay more tax because it was worried about the bad publicity. And the G20 seems to be making genuine plans to tackle tax avoidance:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21481932

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