In February, FACT member Transparency international released a report outlining perceived corruption globally. Adding to a troubling trend over the last few years, the U.S. again fell in its ranking with its lowest score since 2012.
As 2021 began, Congress passed two landmark laws that will help improve the transparency of federal contractors and combat the use of anonymous shell companies for money laundering.
Swiss bankers, and many other tax haven operatives, have always complained that they are unfairly victimised by international anger over their financial secrecy practices. “What about Delaware,” they routinely asked, “how come they can get away with it?”
And, at least in this respect, they had a point, even though it was merely a cheap exercise in what-aboutism. But, as of January 1, no longer:
Particularly in the wake of the tumultuous events of last week, it feels as though America’s divisions are so deep that our government cannot take meaningful action. However, there have been recent moments of successful bipartisan cooperation that deserve celebration.
On the eve of International Anti-Corruption Day, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an historic measure to end anonymous companies by a veto-proof margin. The Corporate Transparency Act, included in the annual “must-pass” defense bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, is expected to become law before the end of the year. As we mark International Anti-Corruption Day, this significant step forward for the U.S., which has historically lagged behind other nations–hopefully ushers in a new era of U.S. leadership on transparency and anti-corruption.
As part of our work to tackle this problem of tax avoidance and ensure the government is well-funded, the FACT Coalition held two virtual briefings for Congressional staffers in October to discuss remedies to combat egregious tax avoidance by large multinational corporations.
