There is another dimension to the story I noted earlier today about Switzerland’s infringement of a Swiss banker’s human rights through the promotion of banking secrecy.
Elmer is right that tax law can infringe on people’s human rights. But it’s not just Switzerland who does this. The UK does too.
The UK’s domicile rule infringes my human [...]
The FT has reported that Rudolf Elmer, a former manager with Julius Baer, the private Swiss bank, has filed a claim with the European Court of Human Rights alleging infringement of his human rights, and those of his wife and child - who are both German - by upholding the elements of the banking law [...]
These are my links for May 15th:
Bank annual reports are ‘unreadable’ - Accountancy Age - Coutry by country reporting would change a great deal of that - we’d know what was hidden in tax havens for a start. And wouldn’t that have helped avert the credit crisis?
We are staying put, say pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca - [...]
Jersey Finance has issued a press release on the future of financial services in that Channel Island. It says, amongst other things:
Whilst the quality of the Island’s regulation is highly regarded, Jersey’s regulatory framework would be even more attractive to investors if it was more market focused.
That set alarm bells ringing, so I tried to [...]
I hear rumours from Switzerland.
Apparently the indictment of a UBS banker in the USA on charges relating to tax evasion through Liechtenstein has made the banking communtiy somewhat bervous. Some Swiss banks have apparently ordered travel restrictions for the USA. No more Florida sunbathing and New York Christmas shopping for Swiss bankers, I suspect.
Now why [...]
The Economist had an article on companies leaving the UK last week. They concluded by giving space to Mike Devereux Oxford University:
The government’s proposals go far beyond what is reasonable to protect Britain’s tax base, says Michael Devereux, a professor at the Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation. The government is now looking for a [...]
Missed this when it came out in the FT. It’s an invaluable source of data on wealth and property distribution.
Not reproduced here for copyright reasons, but it’s fascinating.
Note also how the Dublin property market is crashing: no wonder they’re desperate to steal more tax revenues form elsewhere. It won’t work though: no real job swill [...]
As the International Herald Tribune has reported:
Under pressure from Germany, the European Union on Wednesday agreed to consider a new clampdown on tax havens, despite the opposition of one country, Luxembourg, which said it saw no reason to change the existing law.
It noted:
Luxembourg, which has a developed an important financial center and which defends banking [...]
At yesterday’s ECOFIN meeting the EU increased its commitment to tax cooperation to tackle tax evasion. It said:
TAX ISSUES IN AGREEMENTS WITH THIRD COUNTRIES - Council conclusions
The Council adopted the following conclusions:
“The Council:
1. CONSIDERS that recent events involving tax fraud and evasion have proven the need to tackle this throughout the world and to reinforce [...]
These are my links for May 14th:
UK corporates moving overseas: will they stay or will they go? - Accountancy Age - I’ve said it before, and I will again. A few will pretend to go. It will cost the UK a few million, benefit Ireland not one iota and will speed corproate tax reform. Big [...]
