Global letter for urgent action against tax havens Survey

Global letter for urgent action against tax havens Survey

Clacso - Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales

16 h · 

CLACSO apoya la “Carta de los economistas contra los paraísos fiscales” -Oxfam GB

Más de 300 destacados economistas de 30 países han remitido una carta a los líderes mundiales,advirtiéndoles de que no existe argumento económico que justifique la continuidad de los paraísos fiscales y urgiéndoles a acabar con la opacidad financiera que estos favorecen. La carta llega justo antes de la cumbre anticorrupción organizada por el Gobierno británico, que tendrá lugar el próximo juev...

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Carta de los economistas contra los paraísos fiscales

Más de 300 destacados economistas de 30 países han remitido una documento a los líderes mundiales. Lea la Carta completa:

SURVEYMONKEY.CO.UK

1. Please will you sign this joint letter from economists across the world for urgent 

action against tax havens?   It will be published in advance of the anti corruption 

summit on 12 May, hosted by the UK Prime Minister and to be attended by heads of 

state and senior government ministers from a wide range of countries 


Dear world leaders,

We urge you to use this month’s anti-corruption summit in London to make significant 

moves towards ending the era of tax havens.

The existence of tax havens does not add to overall global wealth or well-being; they 

serve no useful economic purpose. Whilst these jurisdictions undoubtedly benefit 

some rich individuals and multinational corporations, this benefit is at the expense 

of others, and they therefore serve to increase inequality.

As the Panama Papers and other recent exposés have revealed, the secrecy provided 

by tax havens fuels corruption and undermines countries’ ability to collect their fair 

share of taxes. While all countries are hit by tax dodging, poor countries are 

proportionately the biggest losers, missing out on at least $170bn of taxes annually 

as a result.

As economists, we have very different views on the desirable levels of taxation, be 

they direct or indirect, personal or corporate. But we are agreed that territories 

allowing assets to be hidden in shell companies or which encourage profits to be 

booked by companies that do no business there, are distorting the working of the 

global economy. By hiding illicit activities and allowing rich individuals and 

multinational corporations to operate by different rules, they also threaten the rule 

of law that is a vital ingredient for economic success.

To lift the veil of secrecy surrounding tax havens we need new global agreements 

on issues such as public country by country reporting, including for tax havens. 

Governments must also put their own houses in order by ensuring that all the 

territories, for which they are responsible, make publicly available information about 

the real "beneficial" owners of company and trusts. The UK, as host for this summit 

and as a country that has sovereignty over around a third of the world’s tax havens, 

is uniquely placed to take a lead.

Taking on the tax havens will not be easy; there are powerful vested interests that 

benefit from the status quo. But it was Adam Smith who said that the rich "should 

contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but 

something more than in that proportion." There is no economic justification for 

allowing the continuation of tax havens which turn that statement on its head.

Signed...