Harbours of resentment

Financial Times, 30 Nov 2008, Vanessa Houlder

"In Washington last month, finance ministers from the Group of 20 leading industrial and developing nations concluded that tax secrecy “should be vigorously addressed”. This weekend, it was the turn of the developing countries. At a United Nations meeting on development in Doha, tax havens came under fire for fuelling capital flight.

Tax havens are used to threatening language. Ever since they came into vogue after the second world war as places for individuals to shelter money and savvy international corporations to manage their tax affairs, havens have faced pressure from bigger countries. Will it be different this time? If it is, what future is there for the small island and mountain countries that turned the dusty notions of privacy and opaque corporate architecture into lucrative national industries?"

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