UK Lawmakers Launch Offshore Inquiry

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

01 May 2008

The House of Commons Treasury Committee has announced that it is to undertake an inquiry into offshore financial centres and their impact on global business and investment, and the international fight against money laundering.

The inquiry, announced on 30th April, forms part of the committee's ongoing work into Financial Stability and Transparency.

It is inviting interested parties to submit evidence to the investigation before 19th June, 2008 relating to the following questions:

• To what extent, and why, are Offshore Financial Centres important to worldwide financial markets?
• To what extent does the use of Offshore Financial Centres threaten financial stability?
• How transparent are Offshore Financial Centres and the transactions that pass through them to the United Kingdom’s tax authorities and financial regulators?
• To what extent does the growth in complex financial instruments rely on Offshore Financial Centres?
• How important have the levels of transparency and taxation in Offshore Financial Centres been in explaining their current position in worldwide financial markets?
• How do the taxation policies of Offshore Financial Centres impact on UK tax revenue and policy?
• Are British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies well-regarded as Offshore Financial Centres, both in comparison to their peers and by international standards?
• To what extent have Offshore Financial Centres ensured that they cannot be used in terrorist financing?
• What are the implications for the policies of HM Treasury arising from Offshore Financial Centres?
• What has been and is the extent and effect of double taxation treaty abuse within Offshore Financial Centres?
• To what extent do Offshore Financial Centres investigate businesses and individuals that appear to be evading UK taxation?

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