Towards Global Tax Co Operation Progress In Identifying And Eliminating Harmful Tax Practices

Report of the OECD to the 2000 Ministerial Council Meeting on progess in identifying and eliminating harmful tax practices.

Tax competition in the form of harmful tax practices can distort trade and investment patterns, erode national tax bases and shift part of the tax burden onto less mobile tax bases. The Report emphasises that governments must intensify their cooperative actions to curb harmful tax practices.

This comprehensive book adopts a nuanced yet straightforward approach to analysing the complex phenomenon of international tax competition. Using the ongoing international efforts of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU) as a basis for its analysis, it explores the mixed effects of tax competition and offers an effective approach that takes account of the asymmetrical global context.

Since the 1990s, the Org. for Econ. Cooperation and Develop. (OECD) has pursued the issues of bribery and tax havens, resulting in changes to certain U.S. laws. In addition, the OECD spearheaded an international agree. to outlaw crimes of bribery, and it coordinates efforts aimed at reducing the occurrence of money laundering, corruption, and tax havens. On May 4, 2009, Pres. Obama outlined his Admin¿s. policy to ¿crack down on illegal tax evasion¿ and to close loopholes. Tax havens cost the U.S. $100 billion each year in lost tax revenues. Contents of this report: Background; ¿Tax Havens¿; Financial Action Task Force; Model Tax Convention on Income and Capital; Global Forum on Taxation; Tax Info. Exchange Agree.; Legislation. Illustrations.

Many Commonwealth developing countries are potentially affected by the EU and OECD initiatives to regulate international tax competition. These articles by experts from Commonwealth countries discuss the concerns of affected nations, covering globalisation, fiscal sovereignty, WTO issues and more.

The scope for financial crime has widened with the expansion and increased integration of financial markets. Money laundering, terrorism financing and tax crime have all changed in both nature and dimension. As new technologies reduce the importance of physical proximity to major onshore financial centres so a new generation of Offshore Financial Centres (OFCs) have emerged. This accessible volume provides a deeper analysis of the economic, institutional and political features of the OFCs, in order to design the optimal international regulatory policy. Using a multidisciplinary approach with an international level of expertise, the book evaluates international policies regarding offshore countries on the basis of a systematic analysis of their characteristics.

This book is not merely a new edition, but a complete and significantly expanded rewrite. It comprises over 900 pages of expert and in-depth exposition of this complex subject that has become so important in the modern global economy. Already established over four previous editions as the pre-eminent work on the subject it is a 'must-own book' for all students and practitioners of tax, whether from a legal, business or accounting perspective. Professor Lynette Olivier and Michael Honiball are without peer in their understanding and clarity in this highly specialised field. Five new chapters have been added on: Taxation of individuals; Taxation of Companies and Dividends; Taxation of Partnerships; Cross-border VAT; and Interpretation of Statutes.