Anne Applebaum Quotes

Why do tax havens exist? Because rich countries allow them to. If the U.S. came down on tax havens in the same way they come down on countries that trade with Iran and Cuba, we'd have no tax havens in the world.

Shell companies can be owned by other shell companies; opaque offshore vehicles are carefully designed so that regulators can't identify who is using them; with the right accountants, they can be set up quickly and easily.

We shouldn't be encouraging people to set up Cayman Island funds.

The United States tax system today is very prejudiced towards financialization, leverage, and lack of investment.

In 2008, Goldman Sachs only paid 1.1 percent of its income in taxes even though it earned a profit of $2.3 billion and received an almost $800 billion from the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury Department.

Those who take their money abroad in an effort to avoid paying American taxes should lose their American citizenship.

We know India is very focussed on black money; it is a very high-focus subject and we have been very careful to make sure the investments into India are legitimate. There is no 'round-tripping' or hot money or bad money being funnelled through Singapore.

Collective European Union action could mean no hiding places for evaders, no safe haven for tax avoiders, and no treasure islands for money launderers.

Plutocrats worldwide have readily understood the advantages of evading the burdens of the nation-state.

If we can rid the world of financial centres that thrive on lack of transparency, non-cooperation, and weak regulation, an important step towards a fairer and cleaner world economy will have been achieved.

It isn't only rich countries that suffer from the effects of tax havens. Developing countries also lose billions of dollars in tax revenues due each year because wealthy individuals and some companies use tax havens to move assets and income offshore.

We will also target tax evasion and off-shore tax havens... Everyone must pay their share.

We are one of only two FTSE 100 companies which do not use offshore or other tax avoidance arrangements. In fact, we are probably one of the highest taxpaying companies in the index.

The two greatest priorities for my government are tackling tax evasion and corruption.

Changing much-cherished bank secrecy laws is worth the effort. Corruption, tax evasion, and the capture of natural resource revenues undermine the rule of law, weaken the social fabric, erode citizens' trust in institutions, fuel conflict and insecurity, and hamper job creation.

Big business never pays a nickel in taxes, according to Ralph Nader, who represents a big consumer organization that never pays a nickel in taxes.

One in four corporations doesn't pay any taxes.

It's not Apple's fault that they're seeking to avoid paying taxes. They're not lying, cheating or stealing. They're following the rules that were created by governments. If the government doesn't like the rules, they can change them.

Those who willfully conceal assets overseas undermine the playing field for all taxpayers.

Technology giants have taken advantage of tax codes written for an industrial age.

We should not allow wealthy people, including corporate criminals, to hide their assets and avoid paying their bills.

That's why so many stars are making pictures in Europe today. The tax guys are making thieves out of everybody.

It's interesting that Swiss banks also hide their assets from the Swiss by using offshore bank structuring.

We know too little about global wealth dynamics, so we need international transmission of bank information.

Corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion are global problems, not just challenges for developing countries.