Posts Tagged ‘Mossack Fonseca’

Panama Papers – Mossack Fonseca founders arrested

Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, February 13th, 2017 - 30 comments

In the story that keeps rolling on, Mossack Fonseca founders arrested for money laundering.

Bloomberg warns world of New Zealand’s toxic trusts

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, February 12th, 2017 - 21 comments

Bloomberg magazine has highlighted how foreign trusts are damaging New Zealand’s reputation and are being used for criminal activity.

Sprung again – Key’s “lawyer” has close links to Mossack Fonseca

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, May 10th, 2016 - 170 comments

Contrary to Prime Minister John Key’s categorical assertion, his “lawyer”, Ken Whitney, has been found to have links to Mossack Fonseca, the Panama law firm at the centre of a global scandal on tax evasion and avoidance, TVNZ reported today.

Key’s Lawyer is a Mossack Man

Written By: - Date published: 6:44 am, May 10th, 2016 - 50 comments

Despite the PM’s assurances, it turns out the his lawyer had direct links to Mossack Fonseca. And so did everyone else in the room when Todd McClay was successfully convinced to drop the IRD review into foreign trust. Someone’s been telling porkies …

The link between tax havens, criminals and the amoral rich

Written By: - Date published: 2:23 pm, May 9th, 2016 - 162 comments

“The Panama Papers issue is either illegal, or verging on illegal, it’s tax evasion, rather than tax avoidance,” Brash said.

NZ exporting poverty

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, May 9th, 2016 - 15 comments

By enabling tax evasion for the rich in other (notably South American) countries NZ is exporting poverty. It’s all perfectly legal. And that’s exactly the problem.

Sprung! New Panama Papers dump confirm NZ is a tax haven

Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, May 9th, 2016 - 277 comments

A new release of Panama papers absolutely confirms New Zealand is a tax haven says Nicky Hager. And ironically, it is because of New Zealand’s squeaky clean reputation that tens of thousands of foreigners have come flooding here.
Rather than actually dealing with the issue, John Key is using his old classics “nothing to see here” coupled with “Labour did it too”, “nicky hager is a conspiracy nut”, and “wait for the (Shewan) whitewash enquiry” defenses.

Panama Papers whistleblower cites Pacific isles, NZ, for good reasons

Written By: - Date published: 6:37 pm, May 8th, 2016 - 23 comments

Jurgen Mossack told Field his business involved people “trying to avoid paying taxes in their home countries” – crucially “avoidance”, “unlike evasion”, is within the law.

Why was John Key singled out by Panama Papers hacker?

Written By: - Date published: 1:03 pm, May 7th, 2016 - 169 comments

Why, out of all the rotten, corrupt and unprincipled nations of the earth, did the Panama Papers hacker single out New Zealand’s John Key for special mention?

A week is a long time in politics

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, May 5th, 2016 - 17 comments

Over the past week the Government has gone from “there is no problem with the Overseas Investment Office” to announcing an urgent review and a staffing boost to make sure that approvals of foreign purchases of land are being properly processed.

The unfortunate case of the Overseas Investment Office handling of the purchase of a Taranaki Farm

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, May 4th, 2016 - 39 comments

They say in politics that a news story is good for the opposition/bad for the Government if it hits the media cycle two days in a row.  If it appears for a third or a fourth day then it is a crisis and urgent action is required.  Louise Upston’s handling of the OIO is clearly a crisis.

Labour’s strong week – National and land sales to foreigners

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, April 30th, 2016 - 63 comments

Labour had a strong week this week with the disclosure of individuals behind a Mossack Fonseca related entity had criminal convictions for environmental damage forcing the OIO to review its original decision.   Grant Robertson has correctly called for a full inquiry into the circumstances relating to the Government stopping a review of the Foreign Trust regime.  And Phil Twyford has persuaded the OAG to rule that Housing New Zealand’s handling of parts of the housing sale process were sub standard.

Grant Robertson: Full independent inquiry needed to save New Zealand’s reputation

Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, April 29th, 2016 - 35 comments

Grant Robertson is calling for a full inquiry into circumstances surrounding the Government’s 2015 decision not to review the country’s foreign tax rules.

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