31 January 2012

The End of Bank Secrecy? An Evaluation of the G20 Tax Haven Crackdown


During the financial crisis, G20 countries compelled tax havens to sign bilateral treaties providing for exchange of bank information. Policymakers have celebrated this global initiative as the end of bank secrecy. Exploiting a unique panel dataset, we study how the treaties affected bank deposits in tax havens. Most tax evaders, our results suggest, did not respond to the treaties. A minority responded by transferring deposits to havens not covered by a treaty. Overall, the G20 tax haven crackdown caused a modest relocation of deposits between havens but no significant repatriation of funds: the era of bank secrecy is not over.

2 comments:

Dinesh Aarjav & Associates said...

Ireland domiciled ETF offer tax efficiency and broader global exposure with lower withholding taxes, making them an attractive option for investors. Their tax benefits make Ireland domiciled ETFs a popular choice.

Dinesh Aarjav & Associates said...

Investing in U.S. stocks can lead to a significant tax burden of investing in US stocks due to withholding taxes on dividends and capital gains, but tax treaties can help reduce the impact for NRIs.