Tax Law Commons^™

How Countries Should Share Tax Information, Arthur J. Cockfield

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Offshore tax evasion, international money laundering, and aggressive international tax planning significantly reduce government revenues. In particular, for some low-income countries the amount of capital flight (where elites move and hide monies offshore in tax havens) exceeds foreign aid. Governments struggle to enforce their tax laws to constrain these actions, and they are inhibited by a lack of information concerning international capital flows. The main international policy response to these developments has been to promote global financial transparency through heightened cross-border exchanges of tax information. The Article examines elements of optimal cross-border tax information exchange laws and policies by focusing …

International Tax Evasion: Spawned In The United States And Nurtured By Secrecy Havens, Allaire U. Karzon

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The United States system of income taxation is predicated upon the voluntary self-assessment and payment of tax. Voluntary compliance, in turn, depends upon the confidence of United States citizens that the taxation system is basically fair, that the tax burden essential to maintain the government is shared by all in proportion to their net income, and that those who cheat are discovered and prosecuted. Circumstances that allow certain taxpayers to escape their proper tax liability successfully tempt others to seek tax evasion devices for themselves, and, more importantly, demoralize the conscientious majority who pay their just share of taxes but …

Tax Havens, Charles R. Irish

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Opinions about tax havens cover a wide spectrum. Some suggest tax havens present an unacceptable face of capitalism and inflict considerable damage on the economies of nonhaven countries. Others argue that havens offer relief from oppressive taxes and other regulations which inhibit the free and efficient flow of capital; and still others hold the view that tax haven status may act as a catalyst for economic development. Obviously, the opinions vary according to whether a person is a tax collector in a non-haven country, a taxpayer engaged in international business activities, or a government policymaker in a haven country.

The …