A big finance sector is good for an economy – isn’t it? Actually, no. In this Tax Justice Network podcast the  Finance Curse is discussed – how an oversized financial sector can weaken growth, slow the economy, erode democracy, foster corruption and increase inequality. Produced by @Naomi_Fowler For monthly Taxcasts go here.  

TJN this morning publishes a short new book entitled The Finance Curse: how oversized financial centres attack democracy and corrupt economies.  The book, co-authored by TJN’s Director John Christensen and Nicholas Shaxson, is available for free here, in pdf format. It is also available on the Kindle e-reader, for a nominal fee. This book emerges from our
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The Guardian notes this morning that: The bosses of some of Britain’s largest multinational corporations have urged David Cameron to stop moralising and rein in his rhetoric on tax avoidance ahead of a G8 summit next month. Chief executives of companies such as Burberry, Tesco, Vodafone, BAE Systems, Prudential and GSK were keen to take a final opportunity to lobby the
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The Observer has featured on tax issues this morning it seems. In their special report on tax avoidance they set the scene, saying: The debate is now raging over whether these companies are the happy beneficiaries of a tax system knitted with loopholes, or the malicious purveyors of smoke-and-mirror accounting. HM Revenue and Customs claims
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I am quoted in the Sunday Mirror today: Tax expert Richard Murphy said: “By being cheated out of £183 each year the British people are being taken for a ride. “We need a big politician to stand up to these companies.” That reflected a blog I wrote yesterday morning. Well, it looks like we’ve now got one
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Ed Miliband has adopted the tax justice agenda. According to the Observer this morning: Ed Miliband has vowed to rip up the rule book as prime minister and go it alone if there is no international consensus to tackle multinationals engaging in massive tax avoidance. In an interview with the Observer, the Labour leader urged David Cameron to find agreement at the G8 summit
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In April 2013′s Taxcast: ‘offshore leaks’ blows the lid off secrecy for sale, the G20 endorse greater transparency (but let’s not get too excited), Luxembourg agrees to lift its banking secrecy, Austria next? And the Taxcast goes to India and takes a look at fake foreign direct investment. Produced by @Naomi_Fowler on www.tackletaxhavens.com/taxcast

The G20 Finance Ministers’ Communique issued yesterday says (and I have edited it into paragraphs): More needs to be done to address the issues of international tax avoidance and evasion, in particular through tax havens, as well as non-cooperative jurisdictions. We welcome the Global Forum’s report on the effectiveness of information exchange. We commend the
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The following was agreed at the World Social Forum in March. It has my support and that of the organisations listed at the end: The prevailing international tax rules and practices are more and more undermining the ability of governments in the Global South and the North to compel corporations and wealthy individuals to pay
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