Follow the money: Financial secrecy, international taxation and development

A global financial system comprising tax havens, disguised corporations, anonymous trust accounts, trade mispricing, and money laundering techniques make massive illegal money flows from developing countries possible. The total of the illegal money flows by far exceeds development assistance.

The conference “Follow the money: Financial secrecy, international taxation and development” is a joint event, hosted by CMI, International Centre for Tax and Development and Tax Justice Network Norway. We aim to shed light on how tax havens are used to facilitate money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion; and to discuss the role of national and international institutions in mitigating the problems.

Europe plays an important role in this context, since many of the major tax havens are European. An important part of the debate is therefore what measures EU can and should impose to limit the illegal flight of capital and laundering of money from developing countries. The conference aims to encourage dialogue between representatives from academia, government, civil society and the private sector on the financial secrecy, tax and development agenda.

Date: 17 October 10:00-16:15

Venue: Bergen Resource Centre for International Development, Jekteviksbakken 31

Agenda

Free entrance, but for practical purposes please register at peter.ringstad@gmail.com.

Speakers:

Odd-Helge Fjeldstad

Research Director International Centre for Tax and Development and Senior Researcher at Chr. Michelsen Institute

Presentation: Welcome speech

Nicholas Shaxson

Author of “Treasure Island: Tax havens and the men who stole the world”

Presentation: Treasure Islands. Tax havens and the men who stole the world

Alex Cobham