Financial Transparency Coalition

In the June 2013 Taxcast: ‘Coulds’ and ‘shoulds’ – but any real action? We analyse what the G8 summit did for tax justice and why some tax havens may get a competitive advantage. And, while the world waits for reform, the Taxcast looks at how some countries are finding creative ways around the current global tax system.

In the May 2013 Taxcast: Google and Apple are forced to defend their tax affairs in public, how anti-EU sentiment serves offshore interests and the Taxcast looks at tax havens and the arms trade: how secrecy kills. The Lord of War makes an appearance.

Since the 1960s, President John F. Kennedy, the OECD, and European leaders of the G8 have all committed to tackling tax havens, with a mixed record of successful reform. However, leading up to this week's meeting of the G8, David Cameron is calling for the organization's leaders to commit to addressing the global shadow financial system that has allowed illicit financial flows to stream into tax havens.

Canadians have about twice as much money squirreled away in tax havens as they did a decade ago, writes Tom Cardamone in the Canadian edition of The Huffington Post. With the G8 summit looming, will Canada's government support David Cameron's transparency reforms, including public registries of the true owners of companies?