Financial Transparency Coalition

COPENHAGEN, Denmark / WASHINGTON, DC – The fraudulent misinvoicing of trade is hampering economic growth and potentially resulting in billions of U.S. dollars in lost tax revenue in Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda, according to a new report to be published Monday by Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington DC-based research and advocacy organization.  The study—funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark—finds that the over- and under-invoicing of trade transactions facilitated at least US$60.8 billion in illicit financial flows into or out of the five African countries between 2002 and 2011. “It is...

The Civil Society 20 (C20) has released draft position papers ahead of their summit in June, and, once again, they are looking for your input. The global network of civil society organizations solicited public comments in an online conversation earlier this year, and incorporated the feedback into the position papers. These documents will guide the group's campaigning and conversations with policymakers involved in the G20 summit taking place in Brisbane, Australia later this year.

While places like the Cayman Islands, Jersey, and the British Virgin Islands have begun entertaining the idea of public registers of beneficial ownership, today, they might have received the biggest nudge yet to move in that direction. But rather than come from civil society or advocacy groups, this time, the nudge comes all the way from 10 Downing Street.

The April 2014 edition of TaxCast has arrived. The monthly podcast produced by our colleagues at the Tax Justice Network is available below. You can also view it on YouTube here.