Citizens' Groups Link Arms With The Bermuda Project

by Leroy Baker, Tax-News.com, Washington

28 April 2003

Two prominent citizen-action organisations have joined hands with the so-called Bermuda Project to campaign against US corporations who 'unpatriotically' use offshore jurisdictions to lessen their domestic tax bills.

The groups 'MoveOn.org' (which has 2 million members) and WorkingforChange.com, an arm of the long-distance company Working Assets, along with the Bermuda Project are calling for citizens to phone, email and fax congressional representatives with a message urging them to pass the Corporate Patriot Enforcement Act, which would penalize companies that decamp to offshore jurisdictions.

The Bermuda Project gained much publicity recently when the campaign group aired a television ad depicting young American GIs toiling in the deserts of Iraq whilst corporate executives turned their back on the US by investing in tax friendly Bermuda. The Project itself was formed by Robert Borosage, co-director of the Institute for America's Future, and columnist Arianna Huffington.

It has emerged from reports that another citizen group is also jumping on the anti tax-haven bandwagon. CitizenWorks, the creation of social reformer Ralph Nader claims that 86% of the tax burden is shouldered by individuals, with corporations contributing a mere 14% share.

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