Nicholas Shaxson is a full-time writer for the Tax Justice Network, and has written a book called Treasure Islands, which is an incredibly interesting and informative exposé on tax havens; how they came about, why they came about, and to what degree they have shaped our modern economic history. After reading the book, I can say with confidence that a tax havens have shaped everything about our modern economic context, in ways that you cannot even imagine. I have provided some key points from Treasure Islands which I found interesting, and which hopefully will give you a better understanding about why we have an entire Shine the Light campaign focused around tax justice. Crime One of the key defining features of a tax haven is it’s foundation of secrecy and complete lack of transparency. This is a problem because if there is one thing that thrives in secrecy, it’s the criminal underworld. And we aren’t talking only about white collar crimes like embezzlement, which is what you typically think of when you hear the words tax evasion. The…
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