Financial Transparency Coalition

A recent conference at Wilton Park addressed the largely neglected issue of domestic resource mobilisation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Tax Justice Network argues that domestic resource mobilisation should be the core of development strategies for most countries, but common sense has been in scarce supply in recent decades, largely pushed to one side to make way for the tax-cutting and privatising agenda of big companies and the western governments who serve their interests. So this conference was a welcome event, and we are pleased to report that the outcome document...

Recently we blogged our rather harsh response to the OECD's claim that its deeply flawed information exchange standard is "universally endorsed." As if any more evidence were needed in support of our argument, see this in India's Economic Times. India will pitch for deeper tax information exchange agreements at the G-20 to make such pacts more effective in facilitating the flow of crucial data on tax evasion. New Delhi is expected to present a detailed paper on the issue at the forthcoming Seoul meeting, urging...

A French language economic magazine is reporting that the forthcoming OECD Global Forum peer review (see note below) evaluation of Monaco - due next month - will make unhappy reading for those who think this secrecy jurisdiction and others have mended their ways. According to this article in Challenges, the Principality will be in the line of fire over the lack of depth of its tax information exchange treaty network, and its continued lack of transparency over beneficial ownership. Initially included on the OECD's 2009 'grey'...

British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has announced the appointment of Kenneth Clarke as the Cabinet member who will champion Britain's anti-corruption efforts. The appointment of such a prominent politician comes at a time when Britain's international reputation remains badly tarnished by issues including the festering BAE Systems scandal, politically embarrassing connections to the attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea, London's prominence as a tax haven, and the malignant role...