Tax evasion from wealthy individuals using a variety of offshore schemes, including hiding assets in foreign bank accounts, robs U.S. taxpayers of tens of billions of dollars per year — and the costs for developing countries are even worse. A growing global norm in favor of transparency can ensure that all are held equally accountable for paying the taxes they owe.
As the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) takes effect, the FACT (Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency) Coalition is welcoming its implementation and with it a new era in combatting offshore tax evasion.
Faith leaders, small business owners, activists, and others will be fanning out across Capitol Hill to tell lawmakers in both chambers and in both parties of the impact that offshore tax haven abuse and the use of anonymous shell companies are having on communities as the FACT (Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency) Coalition kicks off its Advocacy Days.
Senator Carl Levin speaks during the FACT Coalition’s 2014 Advocacy Days in Washington, DC.
David Boris, Owner of Hel’s Kitchen Catering in Northbrook, IL., speaks during the FACT Coalition’s 2014 Advocacy Days in Washington, DC.
Following today’s announcement by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) of the release of their “Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information: Common Reporting Standard,” the FACT (Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency) Coalition released the following statement from its Director, Nicole Tichon:
Despite the damage that shadow banking and financial secrecy has caused to global markets and local budgets today’s release by the Tax Justice Network (TJN) of their 2013 Financial Secrecy Index ranking the world’s nations by their financial concealment shows a global financial network still remains hidden in the shadows. The FACT (Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency) Coalition sees many opportunities for the U.S. to not only take action on this issue, but also in the process bring in new revenue to alleviate some of the constraints imposed under sequestration.
