Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Banksters who Stole Uncounted Trillions Should PUT IT BACK. [View all]Octafish
(55,745 posts)79. Just because you haven't noticed, doesn't mean it hasn't.
Wanna know where a lot of the money "lost" in the great Bankster Bailout has gone?
Check Out Who's Hiding $32 Trillion in Offshore Tax Haven Accounts
EXCERPT...
Some $32 trillion has been hidden in small island banking hubs which host a bevy of trust funds, shell corporations and other tax havens, the Tax Justice Network estimates.
SNIP...
The information is still being sifted through, even as it's being released to the public, but here's some of what's been found so far:
■American Denise Rich, ex-wife of pardoned tax cheat Marc Rich, has been uncovered as the settlor and beneficiary of two large trusts based in the tiny Cook Islands. The ICIJ found that Denise Rich gave up her American citizenship in 2012. Her citizenship was convenient enough when President Clinton had the authority to pardon her ex-husband.
■French President Francois Hollande, ardent socialist and tireless champion of the 75% marginal tax rate, appears in these documents, mostly by association. His campaign co-treasurer, Jean-Jacques Augier, has been forced to reveal the name of his Chinese business partner in a Caymans-based distribution company. Augier says he used his offshore company to make a large investment in China.
■Australian actor Paul Hogan, of "Crocodile Dundee" fame, has lost about $35.3 million from an account that he used to offshore his "bonza" film royalties. His once-trusted tax adviser Philip Egglishaw ran off with Hogan's sizeable hidden offshore stash.
■French banking scion Elie de Rothschild, of the famous banking family, has been named in the leaks. He was instrumental in setting up some 20 trusts and 10 holding companies in the Cook Islands, all extremely opaque in nature. His heirs have, not surprisingly, refused comment.
■Brigitte Bardot's third ex-husband, Gunter Sachs, a millionaire industrialist, has been revealed as the owner of a huge, obscure wealth-masking machine: trust upon shell company upon holding company, almost ad infinitum, mostly based in the Cook Islands. The ICIJ has constructed an interactive map of Sachs' extensive offshore holdings and business networks. The network is fairly representative of the steps that many on this list have taken to hide their wealth away. You can marvel at its imponderable complexity here.
And these names are barely the tip of the iceberg. The shockwaves have already begun to spread through the corridors of wealth and power all over the world.
How Much is $32 Trillion?
It bears repeating: $32 trillion has been stashed away, off the books, by corporations and wealthy individuals.
CONTINUED...
http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article40250.html
Offshore loot also represents money made from trafficking in drugs, guns and people. So...what can we do about it?
On My Mind
Tax Offshore Wealth Sitting In First World Banks
James S. Henry
07.01.10, 09:00 AM EDT
Forbes Magazine dated July 19, 2010
Let's tax offshore private wealth.
How can we get the world's wealthiest scoundrels--arms dealers, dictators, drug barons, tax evaders--to help us pay for the soaring costs of deficits, disaster relief, climate change and development? Simple: Levy a modest withholding tax on untaxed private offshore loot.
Many aboveground economies around the world are struggling, but the economic underground is booming. By my estimate, there is $15 trillion to $20 trillion in private wealth sitting offshore in bank accounts, brokerage accounts and hedge fund portfolios, completely untaxed.
SNIP...
This wealth is concentrated. Nearly half of it is owned by 91,000 people--[font color="green"]0.001% of the world's population[/font color]. Ninety-five percent is owned by the planet's wealthiest 10 million people.
SNIP...
Is it feasible? Yes. The majority of offshore wealth is managed by 50 banks. As of September 2009 these banks accounted for $10.8 trillion of offshore assets--72% of the industry's total. The busiest 10 of them manage 40%.
CONTINUED....
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0719/opinions-taxation-tax-havens-banking-on-my-mind.html
Not only would that money balance the budget, erase the debt and fix the nation and world's problems from hunger and homeless to energy and education; it would free humanity to do better things than make war all the time.
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
Recommendations
0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):
91 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
Yes, it should. An excellent reminder of the corruption and crime that has gone unpunished.
sabrina 1
Jun 2014
#75
Thanks, Warpy. A university professor with integrity explains the ''process''...
Octafish
Jun 2014
#24
Thanks, good information if that crook runs for national office. It's very specific.
Warpy
Jun 2014
#91
The Sting: elected a puppet president that's of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich.
Initech
Jun 2014
#7
S&L Crisis: How Traitors and Crooks Learned to Use Positions of Power to Empty the Public Purse.
Octafish
Jun 2014
#35
Thanks, KansDem! What Robert Scheer wrote about Phil Gramm and UBS Money Laundering...
Octafish
Jun 2014
#44
This will continue until either we revolt or we find elites that will champion our cause. nm
rhett o rick
Jun 2014
#16
I believe the Democratic Party is our best hope. They have a lot of money and resources
rhett o rick
Jun 2014
#84
Forgotten history from 2009...FBI actually expected to go after Banksters. What a laugh.
Octafish
Jun 2014
#87
What we've learned since then is TARP boss lied. I would hope that bothers you as much as me.
Octafish
Jun 2014
#42
Really? Is that why the Fed fought Bernie Sanders tooth and nail when he demanded an Audit?
Octafish
Jun 2014
#45