The Taxcast

We look at the outsized influence of a small and secretive Catholic institution, Opus Dei, from Spain's dictator Franco, right up to the present day. And the bank it secretly controlled for sixty years: "This sounds a bit like a bit of conspiracy theory but trust me, it's very real. It's in almost every major city around the world and it's quite ruthless. It's close to the Trump regime because they share a lot of common ground." ~ Gareth Gore, journalist and author Plus: in the latest twist in the epic battle to end anonymous ownership in the United States, the US's financial regulator FinCEN has announced that only 'foreign businesses' with 'foreign owners' will now be required to report ownership information to the federal government. It's announced plans to actually delete ownership information that ‘US companies’ have already submitted. We look at the options to stop the US sliding even further into a corruption abyss: "The US is making a commitment to stay at the back of the pack compared to the rest of the world." ~ Erica Hanichak, FACT Coalition Co-produced by host Naomi Fowler and Leo Schick. Transcript of the show: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Taxcast_Sept_25_Transcript-1.pdf (may not be 100% accurate) Further Reading: Opus: the Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking and Right Wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church by Gareth Gore https://bookshop.org/p/books/opus-the-cult-of-dark-money-human-trafficking-and-right-wing-conspiracy-inside-the-catholic-church-gareth-gore/7b5e7a3a10fa7fa5?ean=9781668016169&digital=t Treasury Reopens the Floodgates to Dirty Money in the U.S., FACT Coalition https://thefactcoalition.org/treasury-reopens-the-floodgates-to-dirty-money-cta/ FinCEN plans to delete data on U.S. companies from beneficial ownership database, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists https://www.icij.org/news/2025/09/fincen-plans-to-delete-data-on-u-s-companies-from-beneficial-ownership-database/ ‘I became like a slave’: why 43 women are suing the secretive Opus Dei Catholic group in Argentina, the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/apr/14/argentina-human-rights-women-opus-dei-catholic-church-exploitation-abuse-celibacy-trafficking-allegations Press statement on a judicial process in Argentina, Opus Dei https://opusdei.org/en-uk/article/press-statement-on-a-judicial-process-in-argentina/  Website with more information and more Tax Justice Network podcasts https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/   

The persecution of anyone suspected of being an undocumented immigrant in the United States is not only taking the form of armed, masked ICE agents. Tax is being weaponised against them too. An estimated 10.9 million undocumented immigrants are the powerhouse of the United States economy, and also an exploitable workforce with minimal rights. It turns out that they're paying a higher effective tax rate than 55 mega-corporations and several billionaires: There's something very wrong with our tax system, that people with that much wealth could be paying a lower tax rate than undocumented immigrants who are generally working in low paying jobs. A nation that's focused on persecuting and purging specific groups of people is not a healthy one. And as people are being ripped out of their communities, we look at the data that show how devastating it is for the economy and public services too. Plus: bullying at home, bullying abroad: President Trump is deploying tariffs and threats of tariffs against countries who have the audacity to want to tax US multinationals fairly on the business they do in their countries. We look at the options for nations to stand together and resist.  The US administration wants US multinationals to be more able to continue to commit corporate tax abuse than everybody else. Featuring: Alex Cobham, Tax Justice Network Lauren Loricchio, investigations editor, Tax Notes William Rice, policy consultant, Americans for Tax Fairness Delia Catalina Ramírez, Congresswoman, Illinois, District 3 Co-produced by host Naomi Fowler and Leo Schick. Transcript (some is automated and may not be 100% accurate) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Transcript_July_25.pdf Further reading: Information Sharing Deal Complicates Immigrant Return Filing, Lauren Loricchio, Tax Notes https://www.taxnotes.com/featured-news/information-sharing-deal-complicates-immigrant-return-filing/2025/05/28/7sc72 What a 3.5% tax on remittances could do to the developing world, Jesse Chase-Lubitz, Devex https://www.devex.com/news/what-a-3-5-tax-on-remittances-could-do-to-the-developing-world-110206  Undocumented Workers Pay Higher Effective Tax Rate than 55 Mega Corporations and Several Billionaires, Americans for Tax Fairness study https://americansfortaxfairness.org/undocumented-workers-pay-higher-effective-tax-rate-55-mega-corporations-several-billionaires/ Report: Report: How Undocumented Immigrants Contribute to Our Economy & Pay Higher Tax Rates Than Many Major Corporations, Americans for Tax Fairness https://americansfortaxfairness.org/undocumented-immigrants-contribute-economy/ ICE Agents Deserve No Privacy, the Intercept: "Armed gangs of officers, often masked and anonymous" https://theintercept.com/2025/07/01/masked-ice-agents-victimization-accountability/ We’re Now at the Stage Where Criminals Are Impersonating ICE Agents, This is what happens when federal authorities are allowed to seize people without identifying themselves, The New Republic https://newrepublic.com/post/196360/man-impersonates-ice-agent-robs-immigrant-pennsylvania Tax Payments by Undocumented Immigrants, Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy https://itep.org/undocumented-immigrants-taxes-2024/ Our website with all our podcasts is https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/ where you can also subscribe and get an email every time the Taxcast drops! 

Millionaires are not fleeing countries to escape taxes. The Tax Justice Network has analysed these claims and found it's questionable data published by a firm that helps the super-rich buy their way out of rules that apply to everybody else. In fact, things are changing for people in the business of helping to sell passports and residency. Some doors are closing... Plus, we look at the latest results from the Financial Secrecy Index - what are the latest global trends and have you heard of an anocracy?! Transcript of the show: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/June-2025-Taxcast-script_-millionaire-exodus-myth.pdf Further reading: Millionaire exodus did not occur, study reveals, Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/press/millionaire-exodus-did-not-occur-study-reveals/  Millionaire “exodus” claim backtracked but media re-run story anyway, Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/press/millionaire-exodus-claim-backtracked-but-media-re-run-story-anyway/  The ‘Millionaire Exodus’ the UK Media Told You About Never Actually Happened, Byline Times https://bylinetimes.com/2025/06/10/the-millionaire-exodus-the-uk-media-told-you-about-never-actually-happened/  Citizenship must not be up for sale, speech by the Vice-President of the European Commission, EU Justice Commissioner https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_14_18 EU Court Rules Malta's Golden Passport Program is Illegal, OCCRP https://www.occrp.org/en/news/eu-court-rules-maltas-golden-passport-program-is-illegal Influencer Andrew Tate got Vanuatu Passport Around Time of Arrest on Rape Charges https://www.occrp.org/en/news/exclusive-alleged-rapist-influencer-andrew-tate-got-vanuatu-passport-around-time-of-2022-arrest  Vanuatu: Council of the EU ends visa exemption https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/12/12/vanuatu-council-ends-visa-exemption/ Logged Pushbacks to Libya from Malta’s SAR Zone Triple Since 2020, Over 5,000 People Forced Back https://www.amphora.media/2025/06/logged-pushbacks-to-libya-from-maltas-sar-zone-triple-since-2020-over-5000-people-forced-back Malta Migration Archive https://maltamigrationarchive.org/ Times of Malta Editorial: A shameful abdication of duty https://timesofmalta.com/article/editorial-a-shameful-abdication-duty.1107005 £160 billion could have been raised for the UK’s public finances over the past three decades if UK tax residents on the annual rich lists had been asked to pay a two per cent wealth tax on their assets over £10 million - equivalent to the cost of building 80 new hospitals in that period. (Patriotic Millionaires UK) https://patrioticmillionaires.uk/latest-news/special-report-on-the-sunday-times-rich-list-the-missing-billions?mc_cid=2f5977ff81 Family statement: Robert Agius and Jamie Vella sentenced. Despite her murderers' attempts to silence her, Daphne's legacy endures. (Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation) https://www.daphne.foundation/en/2025/06/10/sentence-complicity Vanuatu, Financial Secrecy Index country profile, Tax Justice Network https://fsi.taxjustice.net/country-detail/#jurisdiction_id=VU&scoring_id=268 Reporting from the Passport Papers, Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation https://www.daphne.foundation/passport-papers/  Passport Papers: Henley and Partners’ leaked documents show most applicants are from countries where dual citizenship is not permitted https://theshiftnews.com/2021/04/22/passport-papers-henley-and-partners-leaked-documents-show-most-applicants-are-from-countries-where-dual-citizenship-is-not-permitted/ The Passport King who Markets Citizenship for Cash, a Daphne Project investigation, OCCRP https://www.occrp.org/en/project/the-daphne-project/the-passport-king-who-markets-citizenship-for-cash Why rich foreigners may not rush to buy Trump's $5 million 'gold card' visas, Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-gold-card-visa-demand-rich-immigrants-green-card-lutnick-2025-5  The Taxcast website with all the Tax Justice Network podcasts in five different languages are available at https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/  

The life-changing, life-saving, transformational nature of tax - for people and planet. Ireland's got a tax windfall of about €14 billion - that's roughly  $15 billion. What are they going to do with it..? "This is the kind of moment that doesn't come around often and we really need to seize it. Or if we let the opportunity slip through our fingers, it's going to have impacts for future generations." ~ Mansi Rawat, Social Justice Ireland We don't do enough about blue sky thinking on how tax can transform our lives. This is our chance to unlock our imaginations. It's also time for Ireland to rethink its tax haven model and for many countries, not just Ireland, to ask who its economy is serving. The Taxcast is produced by Naomi Fowler and Leo Schick of the Tax Justice Network. Further reading: Here's the transcript of the show (some is automated and may not be 100% accurate: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Taxcast-May-2025-Transcript.pdf Pope Francis, 1936-2025 (Tax Justice Network) https://taxjustice.net/2025/04/24/pope-francis-1936-2025/  Top EU court rules Apple owes Ireland over $14B in back taxes https://www.icij.org/investigations/paradise-papers/top-eu-court-rules-apple-owes-ireland-over-14b-in-back-taxes/ EU’s Apple ‘victory’ highlights the failure of international tax rules (Tax Justice Network) https://taxjustice.net/press/eus-apple-victory-highlights-the-failure-of-international-tax-rules/ A response to the European court’s bad Apple ruling, (Alex Cobham, Tax Justice Network) https://taxjustice.net/2020/07/15/a-response-to-the-european-courts-bad-apple-ruling/ Tax Haven Ireland, a book by Brian O'Boyle and Kieran Allen https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745345314/tax-haven-ireland/ Previous Taxcast episode featuring Brian O'Boyle and Kieran Allen talking about their book Tax Haven Ireland. https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/episode/116-tax-haven-ireland/ Budget Analysis by Social Justice Ireland (they have also written about managing the windfall gains) https://www.socialjustice.ie/system/files/file-uploads/2024-10/Budget%202025%20Analysis%20and%20Critique%20%281%29.pdf People Before Profit calls for Apple taxes to fund State construction firm, RTE https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2024/1104/1479063-pbp-state-construction/ Our podcast website with all our podcasts: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/   

The Taxcast looks at the battle for freedom of the press in Switzerland and the implications for the rest of the world. Investigative journalists like Bastian Obermayer risks arrest, fines and imprisonment if he sets foot in Switzerland again, and Swiss journalists are having to turn away strong public interest stories - for fear of not just rich and powerful people coming after them, but also the Swiss state. Switzerland's always been famous for its banking secrecy laws and it's never been the friendliest place for investigative journalists. Now the situation threatens to get even worse. Featuring: Bastian Obermayer, one of the Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalists who broke the Panama Papers story and many other groundbreaking scandals. Swiss investigative journalist, Oliver Zihlmann, co-head of the Investigative Unit at Tamedia, the leading publishing and broadcast media company in Switzerland. Policy and advocacy manager at Reporters Without Borders Switzerland, Valentin Rubin Hosted by Naomi Fowler and co-produced with Leo Schick. Transcript of the show available here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Criminalising-Journalists_-Script.pdf Further reading: Suisse Secrets https://www.occrp.org/en/project/suisse-secrets Bastian Obermayer: 'In Switzerland, I face prison – for exposing wrongdoing.' https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bastian-obermayer-9ba8805b_we-investigate-corruption-swiss-law-calls-activity-7316409781127159808-EgfS/  US overtakes Switzerland in global ranking of financial secrecy hotbeds https://taxjustice.net/press/financial-secrecy-index-2020-reports-progress-on-global-transparency-but-backsliding-from-us-cayman-and-uk-prompts-call-for-sanctions/ Tax Justice Network's Financial Secrecy Index https://fsi.taxjustice.net/ Swiss Government Motions for Press Freedom in Country’s Finance Sector https://www.occrp.org/en/news/swiss-government-motions-for-press-freedom-in-countrys-finance-sector Swiss parliamentarians refuse to overhaul banking secrecy laws https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/swiss-banking-secrecy-law-clashes-with-freedom-of-speech/47365724  

How easy is it to get filthy rich selling arms to anyone who'll pay? There may be sanctions, there may be laws, but even though he's the FBI's most wanted fugitive, a Chinese arms dealer and manufacturer has evaded arrest for two decades. Who could be better to investigate one of the world’s most dangerous men and tell this story than Panama Papers journalists? Taxcast host Naomi Fowler speaks to Frederik Obermaier about the book The Chinese Phantom: the Hunt for the World's most Dangerous Arms Dealer. What does it tell us about sanctions and financial secrecy at a time of rising autocracy and global insecurity?   Also in this episode: the latest on efforts by powerful people to block the US's Corporate Transparency Act which was supposed to set up a register of the real owners of companies;   And, in the UK - a new whistleblower incentive scheme - the tax authority HMRC will give whistleblowers who bring actionable information a cut of between 10 and 25% of any fine that HMRC imposes. Also, as the British government announces welfare cuts affecting the poorest people in the country, there are calls for a windfall tax on banks and a 2% wealth tax on assets above £10 million instead.   Featuring: Panama Papers journalist Frederik Obermaier, Whistleblower lawyer Mary Inman, Erica Hanichak of the FACT Coalition, Hannah Dewhirst of Positive Money, Professor Prem Sikka.   Produced by Naomi Fowler and Leo Schick of the Tax Justice Network.   Transcript of the show: (some may be automated) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/March_25_Transcript-1.pdf    Further reading:   The Chinese Phantom, the Hunt for the World's Most Dangerous Arms Dealer. (Available in English and in German) https://www.kiwi-verlag.de/verlag/rights/book/bastian-obermayer-frederik-obermaier-die-jagd-auf-das-chinesische-phantom-9783462001396 Also available here but please try to use a local bookshop! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chinese-Phantom-worlds-dangerous-dealer/dp/1915590698    Tax abuse whistleblowers will earn a share of HMRC proceeds, says UK Finance Minister https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/26/tax-avoidance-whistleblowers-will-earn-share-of-any-hmrc-proceeds-rachel-reeves-confirms   Windfall tax on bank profits in the UK could raise £15bn https://positivemoney.org/press-release/windfall-tax-on-bank-profits-could-raise-ps15bn/   How to raise £60 billion for public services: ten tax reforms from Tax Justice UK https://taxjustice.uk/blog/how-to-raise-60-billion-for-public-services-our-ten-tax-reforms/   Millionaires urge MPs “tax us, the super-rich” to avoid cuts and invest in Britain https://patrioticmillionaires.uk/latest-news/millionaires-urge-mps-tax-us-the-super-rich-to-avoid-cuts-and-invest-in-britain    All our podcasts are available on our podcast website https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/ 

Listen to the Taxcast wherever you get your podcasts. You can subscribe by email and get lots of resources and further reading on our website here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/  The Tax Justice Network has monthly podcasts in different languages focused on different regions of the world, all available here https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/ Also available there is our series The Corruption Diaries; a journey through the eyes of anti-corruption veterans, with unique perspectives on combating some of the most compelling ethical challenges of our time.

The rollercoaster story of the battle in the US (the world's biggest global financial secrecy offender) over the implementation of a beneficial ownership register, the attempts to stop it and the (many) lessons learned from the UK's registers. The US's Corporate Transparency Act seemed to be on track. Until it wasn't... "Everything is bigger in Texas, that's what they like to say! And as we've learned, even court orders are bigger in Texas." Meanwhile, we take a look at UK company registration progress, since the days when "you could just set up a company for 12 pounds and say you were Mickey Mouse with a shareholder Donald Duck and no one asked any questions." (Spoiler alert: there's still a long way to go) Guests include: Zorka Milin and Ian Gary of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition, Cynthia O'Murchu Financial Times Investigative Reporter, Graham Barrow, financial crime sleuth and podcaster, the Dark Money Files, campaigner and author Oliver Bullough Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler, co-produced by Leo Schick. Transcript of this episode: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Transcript_Feb_25.pdf  Further reading:  What is beneficial ownership? https://taxjustice.net/faq/what-is-beneficial-ownership/ How to fix beneficial ownership frameworks, so they actually work https://taxjustice.net/2023/12/20/new-report-on-how-to-fix-beneficial-ownership-frameworks-so-they-actually-work/  Ownership Transparency https://thefactcoalition.org/issues/ownership-transparency/ Beneficial ownership registration around the world, 2022: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/State-of-Play-of-Beneficial-Ownership-2022-Tax-Justice-Network.pdf  US Judge Lifts Last Beneficial Ownership Roadblock https://lnkd.in/gNYN6nrg  Biden’s DOJ just asked the Supreme Court to do a huge favor for Donald Trump https://www.vox.com/scotus/393540/supreme-court-garland-texas-top-cop-shop-nationwide-injunction  Supreme Court Allows Enforcement of Major Anti-Corruption Law to Resume, FACT Coalition: https://thefactcoalition.org/supreme-court-allows-enforcement-of-major-anti-corruption-law-to-resume/ US company database remains on hold, despite Supreme Court decision https://www.icij.org/investigations/fincen-files/us-company-database-remains-on-hold-despite-supreme-court-decision/  Supreme Mess: The Beneficial Ownership Interest Reporting Controversy Lands At The U.S. Supreme Court https://www.forbes.com/sites/jayadkisson/2025/01/15/supreme-mess-the-beneficial-owne[…]interest-reporting-controversy-lands-at-the-us-supreme-court/ The Corporate Transparency Act is Constitutional, Government and “Friend of the Court” Briefs Make Clear https://thefactcoalition.org/the-corporate-transparency-act-is-constitutional/ How overseas territories are being used to bypass UK transparency rules https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/how-overseas-territories-are-being-used-to-bypass-uk-transparency-rules/ Owners of 53,000 properties still unknown https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/owners-of-53000-properties-still-unknown/5115054.article Who paid £139 million for a Regent’s Park mansion? Nobody knows. https://www.the-londoner.co.uk/the-regents-park-mansion-mystery/ How Do Judges Become Judges? Here Are Five Main Ways (US) https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/how-judges-become-judges/     

We look at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism story about a Syrian kleptocrat and alleged war criminal, and the British Crown Dependency of Guernsey. It throws up all kinds of questions about policing compliance, enforcement and the need for public beneficial ownership registers, with good quality information. Also, on day one of his presidency, Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the OECD's global minimum tax deal. So what now? We'll talk to the Tax Justice Network's Alex Cobham. Featuring: Reporter at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Ed Siddons  Guernsey-based investigative and podcast journalist, Rob Byrne Alex Cobham of the Tax Justice Network Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler, Tax Justice Network Transcript of the show is here (some is automated) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jan_25_Taxcast_Transcript.pdf  Further reading: ‘Butcher of Hama’: Assad’s uncle used Guernsey fund manager to stash millions looted from Syria (Bureau of Investigative Journalism) https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2024-12-16/butcher-of-hama-assads-uncle-used-guernsey-fund-manager-to-stash-millions-looted-from-syria/ Guernsey, country profile, Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/country-profiles/guernsey/  Guernsey Financial Services Commission notice regarding Ginette Blondel https://www.gfsc.gg/news/ms-ginette-louise-blondel  The Guernsey finance worker, the alleged war criminal and a £210k fine - Bailiwick Express News Jersey https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/news/focus-210k-fine-working-alleged-war-criminal-without-licence/ Sentencing of Bashar Assad’s Uncle in France Exposes Bank’s AML Failure https://www.moneylaundering.com/news/exclusive-sentencing-of-bashar-assads-uncle-in-france-exposes-banks-aml-failure/ Assad uncle used Guernsey adviser to secretly manage vast wealth https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/16/assad-uncle-used-guernsey-adviser-to-secretly-manage-vast-wealth Former Syrian Vice President Rifaat al-Assad will stand trial in Switzerland on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity https://trialinternational.org/latest-post/former-syrian-vice-president-rifaat-al-assad-will-stand-trial-in-switzerland-on-charges-of-war-crimes-and-crimes-against-humanity/ When will the British government impose public registries on its tax havens? Tax Justice Network blog from 2019 https://taxjustice.net/2019/03/04/when-will-the-british-government-impose-public-registries-on-its-tax-havens/  "The three Crown Dependencies have committed to introducing public registers. Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man have private registers. However, in response to the 2022 ECJ ruling, in December 2022 the three governments said they would wait for legal advice before taking further steps." https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2023-0220/ (House of Commons Library) Dear European Court of Justice, you were played, Tax Justice Network blog on 2022 European Court of Justice ruling https://taxjustice.net/2022/12/05/dear-european-court-of-justice-you-were-played/  Officer: GINETTE LOUISE BLONDEL, Data from Paradise Papers - Malta corporate registry https://offshoreleaks.icij.org/nodes/56057386   Guernsey FSC Prohibitions and Disqualified Directors https://www.opensanctions.org/datasets/gg_disqualified_directors/   Trump demands countries surrender tax sovereignty at economic gunpoint, Tax Justice Network https://taxjustice.net/press/trump-demands-countries-surrender-tax-sovereignty-at-economic-gunpoint/    Countries should stand up to President Trump’s tax threat and continue working together to deliver a progressive global tax reform. https://www.icrict.com/non-classe/countries-should-stand-up-to-president-trumps-tax-threat-and-continue-working-together-to-deliver-a-progressive-global-tax-reform/    Our website with all our podcasts is https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/         

A world where someone pays $6.2 million for a banana duct-taped to a wall is a world that needs wealth taxes. But when wealth taxes are considered by politicians and governments, unsubstantiated spin and myth making dominates the debate. (If you can call it a debate). We look at the Tax Justice Network's modest wealth tax proposal which could help governments increase their national budgets by 7 percent a year, a potential global revenue of more than 2 trillion US dollars annually. And we discuss what research really says about so-called 'tax flight' by the very wealthy because of tax reforms. Will they really leave in droves? Featuring: Mark Bou Mansour, Tax Justice Network Alison Schultz, Tax Justice Network Victoria Gronwald of the London School of Economics. She's co-author of their report, Tax Flight. Britain's wealthiest and their attachment to place. Various AI-voiced excerpts from interviews with High Net Worth Individuals from the LSE report. Hosted and produced by Naomi Fowler, Tax Justice Network Transcript of the show is here (some is automated) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/6m-banana-transcript_Dec_24.pdf  Further reading: Texas Judge Wrongly Halts Enforcement of Landmark Anti-Money Laundering Law https://thefactcoalition.org/texas-cta-injunction/  An update from FACT Coalition in the US on the US Treasury appeal against the Texas Judge’s Nationwide Injunction Against Corporate Transparency Act https://thefactcoalition.org/just-the-facts-12-12-24/ The Guy Who Bought (and Ate) That Banana Art https://slate.com/technology/2024/12/justin-sun-banana-art-crypto-billionaire-criminal-comedian-maurizio-cattelan.html  Countries can raise $2 trillion by copying Spain’s wealth tax, study finds https://taxjustice.net/press/countries-can-raise-2-trillion-by-copying-spains-wealth-tax-study-finds/  Tax flight? Britain’s wealthiest and their attachment to place, LSE report https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/121396/ Infographic: The extreme wealth of the superrich is making our economies insecure https://taxjustice.net/2024/08/19/infographic-the-extreme-wealth-of-the-superrich-is-making-our-economies-insecure/ Wiki: How to tax the superrich (with pictures) https://taxjustice.net/2024/08/19/wiki-how-to-tax-the-superrich-with-pictures/

What are the implications of Donald Trump's election victory for tax justice and the anti-corruption fight in the US and globally? We see a moment of clarity... Host Naomi Fowler talks to Alex Cobham of the Tax Justice Network based in Europe and Zorka Milin of the FACT Coalition in Washington, US. We also have two very good pieces of news: one is the latest vote at the UN as countries vote overwhelmingly to take negotiations on the UN Tax Convention to the next step, leaving the blocker nations in a tiny minority. And the second piece of good news is that despite huge lobbying to try to stop them, Australian politicians have shown how politicians really can act in the public interest - they've just passed legislation that means all major multinationals operating in Australia will now have to publish country by country reporting data on the scale of their activities, including profits declared and tax paid in a list of jurisdictions deemed as 'high risk.' It's not only good for Australia, it's going to shed light on what multinationals are doing in some other jurisdictions, which will help them tax fairly too. Transcript: (some is automated) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Transcript_Taxcast-November-2024.pdf  Further reading: The world is losing half a trillion to tax abuse, largely due to 8 countries blocking UN tax reform https://taxjustice.net/press/world-losing-half-a-trillion-to-tax-abuse-largely-due-to-8-countries-blocking-un-tax-reform-annual-report-finds/ UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to begin historic, global tax overhaul (US and UK left isolated as only 9 countries now oppose progress) https://taxjustice.net/press/united-nations-general-assembly-votes-overwhelmingly-to-begin-historic-global-tax-overhaul/ UN recording of the historic vote https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1b/k1bnm64xzs and UN summary of the vote https://press.un.org/en/2024/gaef3614.doc.htm The Tax Justice Network rolling blog on UN tax negotiations: https://taxjustice.net/2024/04/25/%f0%9f%94%b4live-un-tax-negotiations/ Australia's historic Country By Country Reporting bill passes https://taxjustice.net/press/tax-justice-network-hails-world-leading-australian-legislation-on-corporate-tax-transparency/ Find all our podcasts and further information on https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/         

Campaigning for change can feel like banging your head against a brick wall sometimes, but change is coming. On the Taxcast this month host Naomi Fowler talks us through three big tax justice wins:  First, the draft UN convention - showing exactly why the United Nations is so much better and more democratic a place for the world to truly reform international tax rules. Second, the Financial Action Task force has announced important changes which indicate a shift away from the colonial mindset that established a system that's not working because it fails to hold the really big offender nations to account. And third, the Australian government seems to be holding its nerve against major lobbying pressure and is getting closer to implementing its world leading country by country reporting legislation, which is superior to the one the European Union uses and the OECD advocates. It'll cast light on the genuine activities of multinationals for other nations as well, so they can tax them more fairly too. Featuring:  Alex Cobham and Florencia Lorenzo of the Tax Justice Network Mark Zirnsak of Tax Justice Network Australia Further reading: Transcript of the show (some is automated) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Transcript_Taxcast_Oct_24.pdf  UN convention draft resolution https://undocs.org/A/C.2/79/L.8 FATF changes its grey listing criteria to further focus on risk https://www.fatf-gafi.org/en/publications/Fatfgeneral/FATF-grey-listing-criteria.html Bahamas attorney general leads Global South's push for UN tax cooperation deal https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/world/bahamas-ag-leads-global-south-push-for-un-tax-cooperation-deal.phtml  Ten Truths about Tax Havens: Inclusion and the "Liberia" Problem https://brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/faculty/1287/ Global civil society calls on Australian senators to hold firm and deliver corporate tax transparency https://taxjustice.net/press/global-civil-society-calls-on-australian-senators-to-hold-firm-and-deliver-corporate-tax-transparency/  Our website with further information is here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/ 

Are banks claims about their financing of fossil fuel companies true, or are they green laundering? The Tax Justice Network has been following the money, and our investigations show how financial secrecy is allowing banks to hide the true scale of their backing for activities that are accelerating the climate crisis. It's an international scandal. Plus: the judgment is final: Apple must now pay back taxes in Ireland of 13 billion euros, over 14 billion dollars. It's a big win for the European Commission. We discuss the implications. Featuring: Margrethe Vestager, EU Competition Commissioner, Tax Justice Network researchers and co-suthors of the report How “greenlaundering” conceals the full scale of fossil fuel financing Franziska Mager and Alison Shultz, economist Joseph Stiglitz of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation, Tove Ryding, tax coordinator at the European Network on Debt and Development, Eurodad in Europe, and Zorka Milin, former tax lawyer and policy director at the FACT Coalition in the United States, Will Crisp of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Produced and hosted by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network. Transcript of the show: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Taxcast_Sept_24_Transcript.pdf  Further reading: Our tax problem is more than just one rotten apple https://www.eurodad.org/our_tax_problem_is_more_than_just_one_rotten_apple EU’s Apple ‘victory’ highlights the failure of international tax rules https://taxjustice.net/press/eus-apple-victory-highlights-the-failure-of-international-tax-rules/ The UN adopts ambitious mandate for three legally binding global tax deals https://www.eurodad.org/after_landslide_vote_un_adopts_ambitious_mandate_for_three_legally_binding_global_tax_deals  90 NGOs Call on Congress to End the Corporate Tax Preference for Shifting Jobs & Profits Offshore https://thefactcoalition.org/90-ngos-call-on-congress-to-end-the-corporate-tax-preference-for-shifting-jobs-profits-offshore/ How “greenlaundering” conceals the full scale of fossil fuel financing https://taxjustice.net/2024/09/11/how-greenlaundering-conceals-the-full-scale-of-fossil-fuel-financing/ Citigroup helped funnel $3.5bn to UAE state oil company https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2024-09-13/citigroup-helped-funnel-3bn-to-uae-state-oil-company/  Our podcast website with all our podcasts https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/     

There are some massive heists happening that many of us have never heard of. Taxcast host Naomi Fowler talks to investigative journalist and author Geoff White about  how crypto and the tech industry are impacting money laundering, and  challenging national and international security. The rights and responsibilities for the tech and crypto industry, and 'freedom of speech' defences are being tested in court. The outcomes will have profound effects on all of us. "625 million is a serious contender for the biggest theft of all time. In terms of money stolen from one victim in one go, it's hard to find a case bigger than that. I think people should know about this case, but the subsequent freedom of speech epic battle, the sort of battle royale that's now going on, I think it's really important." Plus: a short news round-up of news including Trump's tax plans should he become US president and wealth taxes move centre-stage. Further reading and resources: Transcript of the show: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/July-24-Taxcast_Transcript.pdf (some is automated) Geoff White's book Rinsed. From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/455031/rinsed-by-white-geoff/9780241624838 and https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/rinsed-how-tech-is-revolutionizing-money-laundering-geoff-white/7618854?ean=9780241624838  https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/rinsed-how-tech-is-revolutionizing-money-laundering-geoff-white/7618854?ean=9780241624838  How the crypto industry is buying political support https://popular.info/p/how-the-crypto-industry-is-buying Gabriel Zucman on G20 country commitment to work cooperatively to fix global taxation of the super-rich. 'an important step in the right direction' https://x.com/gabriel_zucman/status/1816602072068026422 G20 Must go further in fight to tax the rich, ICRICT statement https://www.icrict.com/international-tax-reform/g20-must-go-further-in-fight-to-tax-the-rich/  G20 countries agree on need to tax the super-rich — but later https://www.politico.eu/article/g20-countries-agree-on-need-to-tax-the-super-rich-but-later/#:~:text=In%20a%20statement%20Zucman%2C%20who,%2Drich%20must%20be%20fixed.%22 Ten tax reforms to raise £60 billion for public services and a fairer economy (UK) https://patrioticmillionaires.uk/latest-news/policy-recommendations-2024  For more information on all our podcasts go to https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/         

In this episode: we go to the US to look at how African Americans were overtaxed and dispossessed - a lesser known story of struggles against tax injustice, from the experience of George Floyd's great great grandfather to this day. Taxcast host Naomi Fowler speaks to historian and author Andrew W Kahrl of The Black Tax: 150 years of theft, exploitation, and dispossession in America: "Every stage of the research on this book was one revelation after another. These legalized forms of theft actually happened at far greater frequency than historians have ever really recognized. Historically, and still today, taxes are both a problem in the US, but they're also the solution." Plus: the OECD ignores a formal letter from UN human rights experts raising concerns about the detrimental and discriminatory impacts on the Global South of OECD and G20 tax policy: "There has been no response. One way to describe it would be to say it's disappointing. Another way to describe it would say it's shocking and downright unacceptable." Transcript of the show: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Transcript_Taxcast-June-2024.pdf (some is automated) Further Reading: OECD tax reforms risk violating human rights law, UN experts warn in special intervention: https://taxjustice.net/press/oecd-tax-reforms-risk-violating-human-rights-law-un-experts-warn-in-special-intervention/  Formal letter from UN Human Rights experts to the OECD raising human rights concerns over tax reforms: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=28676 Litany of failure: new briefing sets out OECD’s manifold shortcomings in international tax talks: https://taxjustice.net/2024/05/28/litany-of-failure-new-briefing-sets-out-oecds-manifold-shortcomings-in-international-tax-talks/ The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America by Andrew W. Kahrl: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-black-tax-150-years-of-theft-exploitation-and-dispossession-in-america-andrew-w-kahrl/7592145?ean=9780226730592 The living new deal: a website with a collection of all the public infrastructure, bridges, roads, swimming pools, community centres etc that were built during the 1930s and 40s: https://livingnewdeal.org/ The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Souls of Black Folk, by W. E. B. Du Bois: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/408/408-h/408-h.htm All our podcasts are available with more information on https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/ and you can find all our other podcasts (all separate monthly productions in Arabic, French, Portuguese and Spanish) here https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/ 

In this episode: we bring you stories on how we've all been cheated, and look at some of the actors involved in the corruption of tax policy making in Australia; the consequences have rippled out to affect the rest of the world. Two of the OECD's top people seem to be compromised on matters of tax and the public interest. So what does that say about their motivations? What does it say about the motivations of the organizations they work for? Should an organisation like the OECD be so strongly connected to the big four accountancy firms? And should governments? How do we protect ourselves from the forces seeking to obstruct tax justice in the world? Plus, we'll bring you the latest updates on historic negotiations between nations on a UN Tax Convention from a Tax Justice Network colleague who was in the room and gives us his impressions. "There is a South cooperation and a South-South pushback against the developed countries. And that is a remarkable moment and it will change the tax world. There is no ignoring this anymore by the OECD countries." "We need to see global cooperation from governments, clearly these tax advisor firms are operating across borders, they collaborate so I think we need to see tax authorities and governments doing similar." Further resources: Transcript of this epsiode (some is automated, so not 100% accurate) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Transcript_Taxcast-May-2024_-the-corrupting-of-tax-justice.pdf  The People vs Microsoft (previous Taxcast #137) https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/episode/137-the-people-vs-microsoft/ PwC: a calculated breach of trust (Australian) Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee report https://apo.org.au/node/323246  Live rolling Tax Justice Network blog with regular updates on progress on negotiations at the UN https://taxjustice.net/2024/04/25/%f0%9f%94%b4live-un-tax-negotiations/ What happened at the first round of UN tax negotiations and what’s next? https://taxjustice.net/2024/05/17/what-happened-at-the-first-round-of-un-tax-negotiations-and-whats-next/  Litany of failure: new briefing sets out OECD’s manifold shortcomings in international tax talks https://taxjustice.net/2024/05/28/litany-of-failure-new-briefing-sets-out-oecds-manifold-shortcomings-in-international-tax-talks/  Our website with all previous Taxcasts https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/         

"This will supersede them all." Offshore specialist and human rights lawyer Paul Beckett of Corlett Bolton & Co sounds the alarm on the fast development of 'blockchain havens.' The Tax Justice Network's Bob Michel speaks about the challenges regulators, anti-corruption campaigners and poorer nations face. A transcript of the podcast is available here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Blockchain-havens-transcript-2.pdf  Further reading/resources: Paul Beckett's book: An Anatomy of Tax Havens: Europe, the Caribbean and the United States of America https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110985108/html Beneficial Ownership and Legal Responsibility: Concealment, Avoidance and Impunity, also by Paul Beckett https://www.routledge.com/Beneficial-Ownership-and-Legal-Responsibility-Concealment-Avoidance-and-Impunity/Beckett/p/book/9781032537603  Offshoring DAO Foundations: Top Legal Considerations https://dilendorf.com/resources/offshoring-dao-foundations-top-legal-considerations.html  You can find all previous Taxcasts on the Taxcast website: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/     

Crime doesn't pay - or does it?! Taxcast host Naomi Fowler talks to former police investigator, asset recovery specialist and co-author of The War on Dirty Money Tristram Hicks about the state of criminal asset recovery: "We haven't started the war on dirty money. There's this disconnect that's taking place at a strategic level." PLUS: The Tax Justice Network's Alex Cobham analyses Australia's much awaited, revised (aka watered down) legislation to tackle multinational tax abuse - disappointing but still significant. AND: a model wealth tax law has been agreed by consensus at the United Nations. We expected the OECD to try to block it but they didn't - why? A transcript of the show is available here: (some is automated) https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taxcast-March-2024-Transcript.pdf  Further reading: The War on Dirty Money, by Tristram Hicks and Nicholas Gilmour Dirty Money: Tristram Hicks on Substack UN agrees plan for wealth tax law blueprint https://taxjustice.net/press/un-agrees-plan-for-wealth-tax-law-blueprint/  The Tax Justice Network hails a breakthrough in corporate tax transparency https://taxjustice.net/press/tax-justice-network-hails-a-major-breakthrough-in-corporate-tax-transparency/ The country by country reporting path to global justice https://taxjustice.net/events/the-country-by-country-path-to-global-justice/  The FT confirms the OECD lobbied against Australian tax transparency https://taxjustice.net/press/ft-confirms-oecd-lobbied-against-australian-tax-transparency/  The investor case for public country by country tax reporting https://thefactcoalition.org/report/a-material-concern-the-investor-case-for-public-country-by-country-tax-reporting/  Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 https://www.ukciu.gov.uk/(xwxqxm55yk5tzxbr0dznv2en)/Information/info.aspx?InfoSection=Legislation  HMRC/UK tax authority staff paying for themselves many times over https://www.taxjustice.uk/tax-takes-6.html  Our website with all our podcasts is https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/      

While we wait for a global tax body at the United Nations, what are the ways forward for nations desperate to tax multinationals fairly? We talk unitary taxation in a special extended interview with Emeritus Law Professor, coordinator of the BEPS Monitoring Group and Tax Justice Network special advisor Sol Picciotto. Plus: the return of our analysis slot - Taxcast host Naomi Fowler talks to Zorka Milin of the FACT Coalition about the US's new beneficial ownership registry and its shortcomings; and a tale of two crimes: the punishment of a whistleblower versus a magic circle lawyer in a $6000 suit. Transcript available here: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Feb-2024-Taxcast-Transcript.pdf  Guests: Alison Shultz, Tax Justice Network Zorka Milin, FACT Coalition Sol Picciotto, veteran tax justice champion, emeritus professor of law, coordinator of the BEPS Monitoring Group which analyzes efforts to tackle profit shifting by multinationals, and Tax Justice Network senior advisor Produced and presented by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network. Further reading: Beneficial Ownership Reporting Begins Under Corporate Transparency Act: https://thefactcoalition.org/u-s-beneficial-ownership-reporting-begins-groundbreaking-anti-bribery-bill-signed-into-law-just-the-facts-1-8-24/ Roadmap to Effective Beneficial Ownership Transparency (Tax Justice Network) https://taxjustice.net/2023/02/07/roadmap-to-effective-beneficial-ownership-transparency-rebot/  Charles Littlejohn pleads guilty to one count of disclosing tax return information https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68131435 The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax (ProPublica) https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax Former Freshfields partner sentenced to jail for German tax fraud https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/ex-freshfields-partner-gets-35-year-sentence-german-tax-fraud-2024-01-30/ Ex-Freshfields lawyer convicted over tax fraud received €2mn severance pay (FT paywall) https://www.ft.com/content/28fc06cb-b9db-4af4-a854-297c3ba5b4e4 Beyond the Two Pillar Proposals. A Simplified Approach for Taxing Multinationals https://www.southcentre.int/tax-cooperation-policy-brief-no-36-26-october-2023/  BEPS Monitoring Group: https://www.bepsmonitoringgroup.org/  Our website with further information and more podcasts: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/   

On the Taxcast this month: People power for tax justice is on the rise like never before. We kick off 2024 with inspiring stories on campaigns for tax reform from around the world: strategies, successes, limitations, and what we can learn from the first in-depth studies of their kind by International Budget Partnership. Plus: Malawian poet and Senior Tax Investigations Officer Robert Chiwamba pays tribute to tax collectors everywhere. You can watch him perform We Will Count Them here. Transcript of the show: https://taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Taxcast_transcript_Jan_2024.pdf (Some is automated) Guests: Robert Chiwamba, Malawian poet and Senior Tax Investigations Officer (his youtube site is here, WATCH him performing his poem We Will Count Them https://youtu.be/V95_Yd8Dfhs ) Greg Leroy of Good Jobs First Paolo de Renzio, formerly Senior Research Fellow with the International Budget Partnership, now Senior Lecturer at the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration of Fundação Getúlio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro. Produced and presented by Naomi Fowler of the Tax Justice Network. Further reading: A Taxing Journey: How Civic Actors Influence Tax Policy (open access – free pdf from International Budget Partnership https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?docid=b-9781350344648 and a summary paper on that work here: https://internationalbudget.org/publications/a-taxing-journey-how-civic-actors-influence-tax-policy/  Beneficial Ownership reporting begins in the US: https://thefactcoalition.org/u-s-beneficial-ownership-reporting-begins-groundbreaking-anti-bribery-bill-signed-into-law-just-the-facts-1-8-24/ Proud to Pay More: 260+ millionaires and billionaires from 17 countries ask governments to tax them more https://proudtopaymore.org/ The EU Court ruling on Beneficial Ownership registries in 2022 https://taxjustice.net/press/eu-court-returns-eu-to-dark-ages-of-dirty-money/ A Tax Justice Network report on how to fix beneficial ownership frameworks https://taxjustice.net/2023/12/20/new-report-on-how-to-fix-beneficial-ownership-frameworks-so-they-actually-work/