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Tax Havens
'A rigged global tax system': Oxfam says Ireland is a tax haven by EU standards
The new report by Oxfam argues that Ireland fails to meet the criterion on fair taxation.
9.01am, 28 Nov 2017
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IRELAND IS ONE of four EU states that would end up blacklisted as a tax haven if the EU applies its own criteria member states, Oxfam has said.
The EU is expected to publish its first tax haven blacklist at its Ecofin meeting on 5 December.
Based on conservative estimates, Oxfam’s report – Blacklist or Whitewash – recommends that the blacklist should include 35 countries, including United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong.
It says that the EU list aims to look solely at countries outside the EU.
However, it argues that this harms the credibility of the process, as EU member states such as Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are “some of the most powerful tax havens in the world, enabling some of the biggest corporations in the world to pay minimal tax”.
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Irish tax evasion
The report reviewed the 92 countries included on the EU list as well as the 28 EU member states.
It argues that Ireland fails to meet the criterion of fair taxation. Luxembourg Malta and the Netherlands also failed to meet the criteria.
It noted that citizens have witnessed the role of several EU states, including Ireland, in multinationals’ tax avoidance schemes, such as the recent Apple and Amazon tax scandals.
Examining how Ireland fails to meet the criteria, the report says that royalties sent out of Ireland in 2015 represented more than 26% of the country’s gross domestic product.
This is more royalties than are sent out of the rest of the EU combined, and makes Ireland the world’s number one royalties provider.
This report isn’t the first time that Oxfam has claimed Ireland is a tax haven.
It released a report in 2016, Tax Battles, which exposed the world’s most aggressive corporate tax havens. It included Ireland on a list of 15 countries.
The report concludes that it is time for the EU to take action to “hold multinationals and problematic tax jurisdictions – including some EU member states – to account, to stop resources being diverted from developing countries”.
“Tax havens are the result of a rigged global tax system. They are playing a leading role in the global corporate tax race-to-the-bottom. This must change if we want to finance development and fight inequality around the globe,” the report said.
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@Sequoia: I’m from the community, no spar across the road. People have lost their jobs. Community has lost a friendly local shop, a post office, a chipper. Pensioners collect their pension there. Family’s collect children’s allowance there. Pats Centra supports all local charities. Try telling the local people they’ll get by all you want. You’re missing the bigger picture
@Sequoia: what planet are you on. The shop has been the heart of Bettystown for more than 30 years. Have you ever in been in Bettystown no spar never has been.
@Sequoia can I ask where’s the large spar is as only shops in that area is mr price and other small shops cafes ice cream no Spar ? , Tesco Aldi don’t count here local people support small business and Pats was that . Its sad to see what happened and to the families of Pats and Macaris you will come back stronger as your part of a strong community that will rally around you in your time of need .
@Sequoia: that was a SuperValu that was destroyed in an apartment fire years ago. Now it’s Mr. Price. Never had a spar here in over 20 years. Post office moving to laytown (3km down the road). If you don’t know the area and are only looking at Google Street view for your info, respectfully, shut up.
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