The Taxcast

Tax Justice Network
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The Taxcast

The Taxcast is a monthly podcast/radio show from the Tax Justice Network with the latest from the world of tax havens, financial secrecy and tax abuse. We explore these most challenging ethical and economic issues of our times with transformational economic analysis you won’t hear anywhere else. Available on most podcast apps: https://pod.link/620020246 Website: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/ Subscribe by email: naomi [at] taxjustice.net

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    $6.2 million banana

    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/

    33 min

  2. NOV 28

    Trump: All's Not Lost

    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/

    40 min

  3. OCT 31

    Three Big Wins

    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/

    34 min

  4. SEP 26

    Green laundering

    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/

    56 min

  5. JUL 30

    Crypto heists on trial

    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/

    36 min

  6. JUN 28

    The Black Tax

    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/

    38 min

  7. JUN 1

    The Corrupting of Tax Justice

    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/

    47 min

  8. APR 30

    Blockchain havens

    "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/

    52 min
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About

The Taxcast is a monthly podcast/radio show from the Tax Justice Network with the latest from the world of tax havens, financial secrecy and tax abuse. We explore these most challenging ethical and economic issues of our times with transformational economic analysis you won’t hear anywhere else. Available on most podcast apps: https://pod.link/620020246 Website: https://podcasts.taxjustice.net/production/taxcast/ Subscribe by email: naomi [at] taxjustice.net

Information

  • Creator
    Tax Justice Network
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2024
  • Episodes
    156
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Tax Justice Network
  • Show Website
    The Taxcast

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