Martin Hearson

Now the horse meat scandal has a tax haven angle

This is most definitely a Friday afternoon story. It seems, according to The Guardian, that the owner of one of the companies at the centre of the horse meat scandal is hidden behind the veil of secrecy in the British Virgin Islands. Draap Trading Ltd delivered meat to the French company Spanghero, which in turn… Continue reading Now the horse meat scandal has a tax haven angle

What will BEPS mean for developing countries?

“Researchers at the OECD are not free to think the unthinkable. They have to take account of the interests of each and every member state.” Or at least that’s what a recent paper in the Review of International Political Economy concludes from its interviews with civil servants. Yet thinking the unthinkable, or at least “thinking… Continue reading What will BEPS mean for developing countries?

ABF’s misleading statements

I try to use this blog to stimulate debate, rather than just pumping out propaganda. I particularly enjoyed the debates that the Starbucks case provoked, with Ben Saunders‘ investigation involving more twists than The Killing. But today I’m quite annoyed, so this is probably a slightly more partisan post than normal. Day 2 of the… Continue reading ABF’s misleading statements

Associated British Foods versus ActionAid: a study in the tax avoidance debate

I was thrilled yesterday to see all the coverage of ActionAid’s report on Associated British Foods’ tax affairs in Zambia. I was involved in the early stages of the research, but a look at the full report shows that the course of the research took them a long way from our initial assumptions of what… Continue reading Associated British Foods versus ActionAid: a study in the tax avoidance debate

I am looking forward to this book coming out

Tax, Law And Development Yariv Brauner , Miranda Stewart Description ‘Anyone working on tax policy for middle and low income countries will consider this book a must-read. Economic globalization of capital markets and multinational corporations has overtaken the abilities of many countries to tax incomes of multinationals and individual residents. From extraction industries to fiscal… Continue reading I am looking forward to this book coming out

Will there be enough food for everyone if we end tax dodging?

I wasn’t going to write about the Enough Food for Everyone If campaign.* But then Zahid Torres-Rahman opened up his big binder of generic blog posts for the Guardian and pulled out one entitled “Business Should Be Part of the Solution in [insert name of campaign here].”