The Panama Papers - How are they affecting your country?

[Alphagirl]

So as most of you have probably seen splashed all over the news during the past 48 hours, the largest data leak in history is already having effects being felt 'round the world.

For those of you just tuning in, the Panama Papers are 2 terabytes' worth of financial information leaked to the press from an unknown source at Mossack Fonseca, the world’s fourth biggest provider of offshore services and tax evasion. We always knew our world's elite was corrupt, but this is the first time we've been able to shine a light on just HOW deep the rabbit hole goes.

Here in Spain, the king's aunt has been implicated in even further scandal (she's already well known in the news here for massive tax evasion). Also some of the richer soccer players, but we already sort of suspected that anyway.

I would like to hear what effects, if any, have happened in your own country as a result of these revelations.  

[Aozora ~Blue Sky~]

I try not to look at the news too much. It's just too depressing. I might have to look into this though. I'd already known that major corporations, politicians and religious leaders were doing this. To hear that athletes are also doing it doesn't surprise me. Not sure if this affects me directly. Newfoundland is pretty insignificant on the international scene.  

[Alphagirl]

Aozora ~Blue Sky~

I try not to look at the news too much. It's just too depressing. I might have to look into this though. I'd already known that major corporations, politicians and religious leaders were doing this. To hear that athletes are also doing it doesn't surprise me. Not sure if this affects me directly. Newfoundland is pretty insignificant on the international scene.

I hear ya. It really just fits into the larger pattern of the global 1% storing up their ill-gained wealth stolen from ordinary taxpaying citizens, which is simultaneously unsurprising and depressing. But I do feel it's worth it.

Honestly, that makes it all the more tragic that Russia has reacted with muted murmurs of "we already knew it" to the revelation that Putin controls $2bil of assets. They already know their leaders are corrupt, so it hasn't really caused much of a stir there, from what I've heard.  

[Aozora ~Blue Sky~]

Alphagirl

Aozora ~Blue Sky~

I try not to look at the news too much. It's just too depressing. I might have to look into this though. I'd already known that major corporations, politicians and religious leaders were doing this. To hear that athletes are also doing it doesn't surprise me. Not sure if this affects me directly. Newfoundland is pretty insignificant on the international scene.

I hear ya. It really just fits into the larger pattern of the global 1% storing up their ill-gained wealth stolen from ordinary taxpaying citizens, which is simultaneously unsurprising and depressing. But I do feel it's worth it.

Honestly, that makes it all the more tragic that Russia has reacted with muted murmurs of "we already knew it" to the revelation that Putin controls $2bil of assets. They already know their leaders are corrupt, so it hasn't really caused much of a stir there, from what I've heard.

Leaders are corrupt EVERYWHERE. Stephen Harper, our last Prime Minister, got away with voting fraud. He and the Conservative party got a group of people to call voters they knew were voting for opposition parties and misdirected them to non existant voting stations. It was investigated and shown to be true. Harper was still allowed to remain Prime Minister. Thankfully he was voted out last year.  

[Alphagirl]

Aozora ~Blue Sky~

Leaders are corrupt EVERYWHERE. Stephen Harper, our last Prime Minister, got away with voting fraud. He and the Conservative party got a group of people to call voters they knew were voting for opposition parties and misdirected them to non existant voting stations. It was investigated and shown to be true. Harper was still allowed to remain Prime Minister. Thankfully he was voted out last year.

So I heard! I have friends in Edmonton and Toronto who were beside themselves with happiness when Canadian Bush got the boot. I, personally, am really glad that y'all folks up north seem to be led by someone with their head on straight. You'll need it, when Trump wins and Makes America Migrate Again.

Incidentally I looked up Canadians implicated in the Panama Papers and thus far it doesn't look like any prominent names have surfaced yet. Your CRA is searching through all the data for information that it doesn't already have, in fact. It's a LOT of information, going back 40 years, so it could take a while.

Which also reminds me of one interesting note to make about the stuff in the Panama Papers so far: There are very, very few US citizens implicated so far. It's certainly not because we're innocent as doves, but it is a little mystifying why the files aren't netting too many Americans. The New Yorker has a few well-educated guesses why. My guess is, just like the Ashley Madison leak, we'll find more and more interesting names as journalists comb through the massive piles of information.  

[Aozora ~Blue Sky~]

Alphagirl

Aozora ~Blue Sky~

Leaders are corrupt EVERYWHERE. Stephen Harper, our last Prime Minister, got away with voting fraud. He and the Conservative party got a group of people to call voters they knew were voting for opposition parties and misdirected them to non existant voting stations. It was investigated and shown to be true. Harper was still allowed to remain Prime Minister. Thankfully he was voted out last year.

So I heard! I have friends in Edmonton and Toronto who were beside themselves with happiness when Canadian Bush got the boot. I, personally, am really glad that y'all folks up north seem to be led by someone with their head on straight. You'll need it, when Trump wins and Makes America Migrate Again.

Incidentally I looked up Canadians implicated in the Panama Papers and thus far it doesn't look like any prominent names have surfaced yet. Your CRA is searching through all the data for information that it doesn't already have, in fact. It's a LOT of information, going back 40 years, so it could take a while.

Which also reminds me of one interesting note to make about the stuff in the Panama Papers so far: There are very, very few US citizens implicated so far. It's certainly not because we're innocent as doves, but it is a little mystifying why the files aren't netting too many Americans. The New Yorker has a few well-educated guesses why. My guess is, just like the Ashley Madison leak, we'll find more and more interesting names as journalists comb through the massive piles of information.

I've been calling him Wannabe Bush for years. lol No idea how young Trudeau will work out, but at least he seems more in touch with Canadian ideals.  

[Amens]

In Norway, the headlines are big. It turnes out that the biggest bank, where the state own 34% percent and is the biggest shareholder, has helped some of its clients to place money in tax-paradises. It is estimated that tax evasion robbes the state of over 1 billion $ each year. Norway has about 5 million inhabitants...