The Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg and Cyprus are among the world’s 15 worst corporate tax havens, according to new Oxfam research published today. The report ‘Tax Battles’ reveals how these tax havens are leading a global race to the bottom on corporate tax that is starving countries out of billions of dollars needed to tackle poverty and inequality.
The full list of the world’s worst tax havens, in order of significance are: (1) Bermuda (2) the Cayman Islands (3) the Netherlands (4) Switzerland (5) Singapore (6) Ireland (7) Luxembourg (8) Curaçao (9) Hong Kong (10) Cyprus (11) Bahamas (12) Jersey (13) Barbados, (14) Mauritius and (15) the British Virgin Islands. The United Kingdom does not feature on the list, but four territories that the United Kingdom is ultimately responsible for do appear: the Cayman Islands, Jersey, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands.
Oxfam researchers compiled the ‘world’s worst’ list by assessing the extent to which countries employ the most damaging tax policies, such as zero corporate tax rates, the provision of unfair and unproductive tax incentives, and a lack of cooperation with international processes against tax avoidance (including measures to increase financial transparency).
Many of the countries on the ‘world’s worst’ list have been implicated in tax scandals. For example Ireland hit the headlines over a tax deal with Apple that enabled the global tech giant to pay a 0.005 percent corporate tax rate in the country. And the British Virgin Islands is home to more than half of the 200,000 offshore companies set up by Mossack Fonseca – the law firm at the heart of the Panama Papers scandal.
Esme Berkhout, tax policy advisor for Oxfam said: “Corporate tax havens are helping big business cheat countries out of billions of dollars every year. They are propping up a dangerously unequal economic system that is leaving millions of people with few opportunities for a better life.”
Tax dodging by multinational corporations costs poor countries at least $100 billion every year. This is enough money to provide an education for the 124 million children who aren’t in school and fund healthcare interventions that could prevent the deaths of at least six million children every year [1].
Yet Oxfam’s report shows that tax havens are only part of the problem. Countries across the world are slashing corporate tax bills as they compete for investment. The average corporate tax rate across G20 countries was 40 percent 25 years ago – today it is less than 30 percent [2].
When corporate tax bills are cut, governments balance their books by reducing public spending or by raising taxes such as VAT, which fall disproportionately on poor people. For example, a 0.8 percent cut in corporate tax rates across OECD countries between 2007 and 2014 was partially offset by a 1.5 percent increase in the average standard VAT rate between 2008 and 2015 [4].
Oxfam’s EU policy advisor on inequality and taxation, Aurore Chardonnet, said: “There are no winners when EU member states compete for the lowest corporate tax rate. It is ordinary people in our societies and in developing countries that are footing the bill when governments allow multinational companies to drastically reduce their tax bill.
“EU member states must lead by example, pushing for more tax harmonization and coordination globally. This is the only way to ensure that multinationals pay their fair share of tax, and that governments are in a position to fund essential services such as education and health.”
Oxfam is calling for EU governments to work together to stop tax dodging and the race to the bottom on corporate tax:
- Stop unfair and unproductive tax incentives and work together to set corporate tax at a level that is fair, progressive and contributes to the collective good;
- Agree on a strong blacklist of tax havens, which includes key criteria like a zero-percent corporate tax rate and which is not limited to financial transparency, and agree on strong countermeasures;
- Make sure that all multinational companies operating in the EU must disclose publically where they generate their profits, and where they pay their taxes for every country in which they operate (public country-by-country reporting);
- Agree on straightforward and easy-to-implement rules that target companies’ subsidiaries in tax havens (CFC rules).
Notes to editors
- Spokespeople are available for interviews in English, French and Spanish.
- Read the full report ‘Tax Battles: the dangerous race to the bottom on corporate tax’.
- A methodology document outlines how Oxfam compiled the list of the world’s worst tax havens.
- The Lux Leaks whistle-blowers appeal trial begins in Luxembourg on Monday 12 December. Antoine Deltour and his co-defendants exposed tax deals negotiated by Luxembourg tax authorities that enabled multinational companies to dodge millions of dollars in taxes. Oxfam is calling for whistle-blowers to be protected – not prosecuted. Luxembourg is the 7th worst corporate tax haven.
- Both Europe and the G20 are committed to introducing tax haven blacklists to clamp down on corporate tax dodging. However a failure to use objective and comprehensive criteria to compile the lists means many of the world’s worst corporate tax havens are unlikely to be listed. EU blacklist criteria may not include a zero-percent corporate tax rate which would mean that Bermuda, the world’s worst tax haven, could escape the list. It is also clear no European country will feature despite Oxfam’s analysis indicating that Ireland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Cyprus are among the world’s worst corporate tax havens. The G20 blacklist will be weaker still as it only looks at criteria related to financial transparency.
- In March 2015, Oxfam published “Pulling the Plug – How to stop corporate tax dodging in Europe and beyond”, a briefing note that explores ways to fight corporate tax avoidance in the European Union. It explains why it is vital for the EU to adopt legislation against tax dodging as soon as possible.
[1] According to UNCTAD, tax dodging costs developing countries $100 billion a year. The total annual domestic financing gap to achieve universal pre-primary, primary and secondary education in low and low middle income countries is $39 billion per year. There are 124 million children out of school. $32 billion would fund the key healthcare to save the lives of 6 million children across the world each year.
[2] Figures of average corporate tax rates from the ‘G20 Corporation Tax Ranking’ - Oxford University centre for business taxation.
[3] Corporate tax incentives are estimated to cost Kenya around $1.1 billion per year or KShs 100 billion. Kenya’s health budget for 2015/16 was KShs 60 billion or $591 million.
[4] OECD (2015): Corporate tax revenues falling, putting higher burdens on individuals
Contact information
Florian Oel | Brussels | florian.oel@oxfaminternational.org | office +32 2 234 11 15 | mobile +32 473 56 22 60
Anna Ratcliff | Oxford | anna.ratcliff@oxfaminternational.org | mobile +44 7796 993288
- Spokespeople are available for interviews in English, French and Spanish.
- Read the full report ‘Tax Battles: the dangerous race to the bottom on corporate tax’.
- A methodology document outlines how Oxfam compiled the list of the world’s worst tax havens.
- The Lux Leaks whistle-blowers appeal trial begins in Luxembourg on Monday 12 December. Antoine Deltour and his co-defendants exposed tax deals negotiated by Luxembourg tax authorities that enabled multinational companies to dodge millions of dollars in taxes. Oxfam is calling for whistle-blowers to be protected – not prosecuted. Luxembourg is the 7th worst corporate tax haven.
- Both Europe and the G20 are committed to introducing tax haven blacklists to clamp down on corporate tax dodging. However a failure to use objective and comprehensive criteria to compile the lists means many of the world’s worst corporate tax havens are unlikely to be listed. EU blacklist criteria may not include a zero-percent corporate tax rate which would mean that Bermuda, the world’s worst tax haven, could escape the list. It is also clear no European country will feature despite Oxfam’s analysis indicating that Ireland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Cyprus are among the world’s worst corporate tax havens. The G20 blacklist will be weaker still as it only looks at criteria related to financial transparency.
- In March 2015, Oxfam published “Pulling the Plug – How to stop corporate tax dodging in Europe and beyond”, a briefing note that explores ways to fight corporate tax avoidance in the European Union. It explains why it is vital for the EU to adopt legislation against tax dodging as soon as possible.
[1] According to UNCTAD, tax dodging costs developing countries $100 billion a year. The total annual domestic financing gap to achieve universal pre-primary, primary and secondary education in low and low middle income countries is $39 billion per year. There are 124 million children out of school. $32 billion would fund the key healthcare to save the lives of 6 million children across the world each year.
[2] Figures of average corporate tax rates from the ‘G20 Corporation Tax Ranking’ - Oxford University centre for business taxation.
[3] Corporate tax incentives are estimated to cost Kenya around $1.1 billion per year or KShs 100 billion. Kenya’s health budget for 2015/16 was KShs 60 billion or $591 million.
[4] OECD (2015): Corporate tax revenues falling, putting higher burdens on individuals
Florian Oel | Brussels | florian.oel@oxfaminternational.org | office +32 2 234 11 15 | mobile +32 473 56 22 60
Anna Ratcliff | Oxford | anna.ratcliff@oxfaminternational.org | mobile +44 7796 993288
