Tag Archives: panama papers

Alice Thomas

Offshore 101, or: Can we please stop asking David Cameron to resign?

By Alice Thomas | Thu 14th April 2016 - 12:56 pm

One of my favourite things about the Liberal Democrats is members don’t just get stuck into debates – they go looking for the evidence to back up what they’ve got to say. That’s why this week’s furore around what David Cameron did or didn’t do has been so frustrating.

The Panama Papers are fascinating to me, as a lawyer and a would-be tax specialist. It looks likely that when the dust has settled there will be evidence of money laundering, of tax evasion, of tax avoidance and of regulatory failings. But so far most journalists and commentators are throwing around words like fund and trust as if they’re the same thing, and treating tax avoidance, tax evasion and money laundering as equivalent acts. Unfortunately, much of the social media discussion so far has accepted these red herrings.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged and | 57 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Alex Macfie
    The political chatterati may view the Holborn & St Pancras by-election as a proxy for the next London Mayoral election, but the locals will just see it as a...
  • Peter Davies
    Although our target may be the assembly (and specifically the assembly list) the media will report it as purely a contest for mayor. Nothing we say will be repo...
  • expats
    @Matthew Harris 1st Sep '26 - 6:49pm... Matthew, As I wrote, "it doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks", so why you seem to think that the Maldive...
  • Jason Connor
    I would opt for Christine Jardine. Sidelined by the party upper echelons. She is very likeable, speaks well and is witty. Someone people can relate to. I someti...
  • Jason Connor
    Very well said David. I couldn't agree more...