Thanks to those who have enquired as to whether I am all right as a result of the blog being silent for four days – an almost unprecedented interval in the last four years. Yes, I am fine thanks. But just for once I took a holiday! Normal service will resume soon.

Nick Clegg wants to tax wealth. So do I. There's no other way to reduce wealth inequality in this country, and that wealth inequality is deeply destructive of community in the UK. That it so happens revenue can be raised a the same time is a bonus. Clegg is wrong however if he thinks that
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The August Taxcast is out. In this month’s Taxcast: Capital flight in Africa and now in Europe, Olympian Usain Bolt fails to champion his tax affairs and the Spirit Level writers Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson on tax and inequality.  

The FT carries news this morning that the Republicans want to investigate a return to the gold standard. That’s the arrangement where a countries currency is fixed against the price of gold and not the value of what it can earn for itself. So the laws of supply and demand for the currency are suspended.
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This comes from this morning’s Independent: The United Nations, aid agencies and the British Government have lined up to attack the world’s largest commodities trading company, Glencore, after it described the current global food crisis and soaring world prices as a “good” business opportunity. With the US experiencing a rerun of the drought “Dust Bowl”
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In the UK those of us with concern on tax and development have good reason to be pleased this morning. But there’s also good news from the States today. The SEC has finally published the rules to be applied to oil, gas and mineral companies based in the US and how they must disclose the payments they
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According to the FT this morning: Sir Malcolm Bruce [has] called on ministers to require British companies to report how much they earned in each country in which they operated, saying such a move could help prevent tax evasion. He said: “Country-by-country reporting would help to ensure the correct amount of tax is paid and
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The FT’s reported this morning on the new report from the House of Commons International Development Committee on tax and developing countries, noting: Ministers are being urged to drop plans to exempt British companies operating abroad from UK taxes for fear that it could stifle burgeoning industries in developing countries. The Commons cross-party international development committee has attacked
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The House of Commons International Development Committee has published a report today on tax in developing countries. Amongst the issues they reported on was country-by-country reporting. Having heard evidence from those who oppose country-by-country reporting as well as those who support it they concluded: Irrespective of whether EU-level agreement is reached, the Government should enact legislation requiring each UK-based multinational
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