Offshore arrangements facilitating tax avoidance have been around for some time. Some researchers trace the beginnings to New Jersey and Delaware special legislation from 19th century. Others start their narrative in the 1920s when a few European countries, neutral during World War I, could afford to have lower tax rates and higher secrecy than the rest. What has changed more recently is the ability of tax authorities to catch cross-border avoiders. The banking secrecy of the 1980s is a thing of the past. Beneficial ownership registers have been set up. And, modern technology permits data leaks like LuxLeaks and the…
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