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It’s time for the UK to act on its tax havens

October 3, 2011

By Richard Murphy

Richard Murphy is a founder of the Tax Justice Network and director of Tax Research LLP. An expert on tax policy, he writes a daily blog which provides regular news on his activities and opinions at www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/

This image comes from the Hindustan Times.

I’m reproducing it. It shows just how important the British Overseas Territories are to the City of London and the tax abuse it promotes. And remember, it misses off the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

British Overseas Territories/Hindustan Times

When the Tax Justice Network and I argue that tax haven abuse is integral to the City of London we have good reason to say so.

And it’s not chance these vestiges of the British Empire are kept firmly under British control (as they all are by the terms of their constitutions and as was evidenced by the takeover of direct rule by London as a matter of right in the case of the Turks & Caicos Islands). It’s absolutely deliberate that the City runs these centres of corruption on behalf of the City of London. It’s so much easier to say the abuse happens ’elsewhere’ and not at home – even though it’s a mere pretence that this is the case.

The time to get rid of these tax havens is now.

Ideas on how to do so can be found here.

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Disclaimer: Unless specifically stated to be the views of the Task Force, the opinions expressed on this blog are solely the opinions of the individual blogger and are not necessarily those of the Task Force on Financial Integrity & Economic Development.

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