There is widespread agreement, across the political spectrum, that the gaming of the tax code by multinational corporations is a problem. When profits and jobs are shipped offshore, we not only harm the U.S. economy, we fuel a tax haven industry that drains wealth around the world. We seek to fix the problem of large, well-connected interests gaming the tax system.
Bipartisan Voices Agree that H.R. 1 Will Increase Shifting of Production Overseas and Profits to Tax Havens
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (H.R. 1) — legislation that will reward offshore tax haven abuse and increase the incentive to outsource American jobs abroad, according to the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition.
A year and a half after the release of the Panama Papers, a new set of data leaks, the Paradise Papers released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) provides important new information on the tax dodging of wealthy individuals as well as multinational corporations.
The leaked data, about 13.4 million files in total, exposes the tax avoidance schemes and strategies of wealthy and powerful individuals, as well as large corporations. More than 7 million of the files were obtained from the offshore law firm Appleby. The 119-year-old firm is a leading member of the global network of lawyers, accountants, bankers and other operatives who set up and manage offshore companies and bank accounts for clients who want to avoid taxes or keep their finances under wraps.
It is no secret that corporations like Nike and Apple are holding billions of dollars offshore for tax avoidance purposes, but the Paradise Papers give us a deeper look into what these tax avoidance schemes look like, and show that Apple’s leadership has aggressively moved to reinvent these schemes while simultaneously proclaiming their innocence.
Clark Gascoigne, the deputy director of the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency Coalition (FACT Coalition) delivered remarks on a press call with reporters as the AFL-CIO and Domini Impact Investments announced that they were filing a shareholder resolution with Nike calling for responsible tax practices in the wake of the Paradise Papers leak.
Coalition Welcomes Wisconsin Senator’s Remarks in Opposition to Tax Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In announcing his opposition to the Senate tax plan Wednesday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) mentioned that the bill’s shift to a so-called “territorial” tax system — whereby corporations are not taxed on their offshore profits — is one of the things that concerns him.
House Advances Tax Bill that Increases Offshoring of Jobs & Profits
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee’s voted 24-16 to advance proposed tax legislation (H.R.1) Thursday afternoon, after making some last-minute amendments.
The release of the Paradise Papers has once again brought the issue of offshore tax avoidance to the forefront of public discussion. The papers expose the complex structures that companies such as Apple and Nike have pursued in recent years to pay little to nothing in taxes on their offshore earnings.
Yet even as these revelations make headlines, House Republicans are moving forward with major tax legislation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, that would reward the worst tax avoiders and make it even easier for multinational companies to avoid taxes.
