{"id":20240,"date":"2013-04-23T07:30:14","date_gmt":"2013-04-23T06:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=20240"},"modified":"2013-04-23T07:30:14","modified_gmt":"2013-04-23T06:30:14","slug":"why-are-jersey-so-frightened-of-the-tax-justice-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2013\/04\/23\/why-are-jersey-so-frightened-of-the-tax-justice-network\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are Jersey so frightened of the Tax Justice Network?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I noted\u00a0yesterday\u00a0that Geoff Cook of Jersey Finance <\/a>had been quick to ridicule the EU's drive against tax evasion because it quoted my research, which he claimed was all wrong without (of course) providing any real evidence relating to that work as to why that was the case.<\/p>\n

That reminded me of similar past episodes so I\u00a0found\u00a0this from the Tax Justice Network blog<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Geoff Cook heads Jersey Finance, an organisation which promotes Jersey as a tax haven. Two weeks ago he publicly attacked TJN's\u00a0Financial Secrecy Index<\/a>\u00a0in Jersey's\u00a0Evening Post, describing the index as\u00a0\"nonsensical\" and \"contrived propaganda\"<\/a>. In reply\u00a0we invited Cook<\/a>\u00a0to give us a slightly more reasoned critique of our work. We have not had a response.<\/p>\n

Cook's failure to reply fits a pattern. Proponents of tax havens are quick to vilify any critique of the role these places have in the global economy, but when we invite them to explain - in simple terms - the basis of their arguments, they go silent. And the reason they go silent is straightforward: they have no reply, only propaganda. The easiest approach is often to attack the messenger, not the message.<\/p>\n

TJN has regularly invited Jersey's political and financial rulers to engage with us in public debate: they have never accepted. Interestingly, the same occurs in London (Jersey's big daddy), where a number of lawyers, bankers and others in the City have refused to publicly debate with us.<\/p>\n

Plutocrats and their butlers don't do democratic accountability.<\/p>\n

We repeat: we challenge Cook (or anyone else in the Jersey establishment) to a public debate, to be broadcast in Jersey and elsewhere.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That was published in November 2011<\/a>. Geoff has not, of course, stepped up to the mark.<\/p>\n

Why not Geoff?\u00a0Frightened\u00a0of losing? Could that be it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I noted\u00a0yesterday\u00a0that Geoff Cook of Jersey Finance had been quick to ridicule the EU’s drive against tax evasion because it quoted my research, which he
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