Tax havens

Following the G20 meeting and communiqué, OECD has provided a list (PDF file, dated 2 Apr 09) of countries which are classified into:

• "White list" - Jurisdictions that have substantially implemented the internationally agreed tax standard
• "Grey list" - Jurisdictions that have committed to the internationally agreed tax standard, but have not yet substantially implemented
• "Black list" - Jurisdictions that have not committed to the internationally agreed tax standard

The Jurisdiction inside "Black list" then were Costa Rica, Malaysia (Labuan), Phillipines, Uruguay.

Read from the PDF file: Wow, there are so many Tax Havens (in "Grey list").

Tax haven criteria are divided into 4 factors:
1. Jurisdiction imposes no or only nominal taxes
2. Whether there is a lack of transparency
3. Whether there are laws or administrative practices that prevent the effective exchange of information for tax purposes with other governments on taxpayers benefiting from the no or nominal taxation.
4. Whether there is an absence of a requirement that the activity be substantial

Announcement
On 7 Apr 09, it was announced that Costa Rica, Malaysia, Philippines and Uruguay (countries in the "black list") have committed to the tax standard on exchange of information and are moved to "Grey list" (meaning: no more in "Black list") !

There are lots of resources on tax evasion, exchange of information, harmful tax practices.

Question:

How big are the effects of regulation on tax havens ? How big will be the outflows, if any ?

China stimulus package for electronics, logistics, steel and auto industries

From China government’s website, we can find detailed stimulus package for electronics, logistics, steel and auto industries.

This provides a good read about the industries on status quo/current environment, principles/goals for the stimulus package, actions and policies etc..

English version of China government’s website is also available.
However, I can’t find similar English version of industry stimulus package.

Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) (博鳌亚洲论坛) : World Economic Forum (WEF) for Asian

The Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2009 will be held on April 17-19, 2009 in Boao. The theme of this year's event is Asia: Managing Beyond Crisis.

We can get news (even videos) on BFA 2009 from this website (in Chinese).

Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) is modelled after World Economic Forum (WEF) but is for Asian countries. We can get some insights on Asian views (government, business and academia) from this Forum.

Texts from "Profile" on the website:
As a non-government, non-profit international organization, Boao Forum For Asia (BFA) is the most prestigious and premier forum for leaders in government, business and academia in Asia and other continents to share visions on the most pressing issues in this dynamic region and the world at large. The Forum is committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries even closer to their development goals.

Initiated in 1998 by Fidel V. Ramos, former President of the Philippines, Bob Hawke, former Prime Minister of Australia, and Morihiro Hosokawa, former Prime Minister of Japan, Boao Forum for Asia was formally inaugurated in February 2001.

My new blog: Innovation For the Future

I have this new blog Innovation For the Future which will focus more on technology, science, innovation, entrepreneurship etc..

Feel free to visit "Innovation For the Future" if you like science, technology, innovation, entrepreneurship.... too.

I create a bloglist "My other blog" here. You can see whether there are new posts on Innovation For the Future.