Automatic Exchange of Information as the new global standard: the end of (offshore tax evasion) history?

Meinzer, Markus (2017): Automatic Exchange of Information as the new global standard: the end of (offshore tax evasion) history? Forthcoming in: Submitted for publication in the following edited Volume: Automatic Exchange of Information and Prospects of Turkish-German Cooperation, Istanbul (ed. Leyla ATEŞ & Joachim ENGLISCH) No. Based on a presentation given on 3 March 2016 at the 2nd Turkish-German Biennial on International Tax Law in Istanbul.

Abstract

Automatic exchange of information (AEoI) for tax purposes has become the global standard for international tax cooperation in 2013. As a tool for containing offshore tax evasion, it has encountered opposition in the past and continues to be fraught with challenges. This paper recapitulates the rationale for AEoI, including estimates on the magnitudes of assets held offshore, with a specific focus on Turkish assets held in Germany (chapter 1). Subsequently, chapter 2 summarises the recent history and describes the processes and milestones until breakthrough for global AEoI in 2013. Chapter 3 then discusses three current challenges, including the de facto exclusion of developing countries; how to incentivise recalcitrant jurisdictions to participate, such as the USA; and issues around the implementation of the CRS, including OECD’s Global Forum of Transparency and Exchange of Information, the peer reviews and public statistics. Chapter 4 concludes.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Offshore Finance, International Cooperation, Money Laundering, Economic Development, Developing Countries, Tax Havens, Secrecy Jurisdictions
• Subjects: F - International Economics > F3 - International Finance; F - International Economics > F5 - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy; F - International Economics > F5 - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy > F53 - International Agreements and Observance ; International Organizations

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