The term tax haven may evoke images of exotic locales, but Panama
actually ranks as the 13th most attractive spot for hiding assets, while the US
lies third.
Jana Kasperkevic
One of the surprises about the Panama Papers – the largest leak from an offshore tax adviser in
history – is how few Americans have so far been exposed. The reason? It may be
because creating a shell company in the US is easier than obtaining a library
card.
About 200 people with US addresses
have so far been revealed as clients of Mossack Fonseca, the
firm at the center of the Panama Papers leak. Compared with countries such as
China, Switzerland, Russia and the United Kingdom, the number is small.
The
anomaly may be because it’s so easy to create a vehicle to hide your money and
your identity in the US that there’s no need to mess with Panama, according to
Shruti Shah, vice-president of programs and operations at Transparency
International, an anti-corruption organization.
“You don’t
really have to go to Panama or other tax havens. They are not the only ones
making it possible for corrupt officials and other criminals to launder their
money. You can do it in every state in the US,” explained Shah.
(...)
Para continuar a leitura, acesse http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/06/panama-papers-us-tax-havens-delaware
Jana
Kasperkevic – Reporter for Guardian US. – 06.04.2016.
IN The Guardian.
