The Government has pulled the Financial Services Bill from today’s business, which included an amendment on company ownership transparency for the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. In response, Naomi Hirst, Senior Anti-Corruption Campaigner said:
"It’s outrageous that the Government has pulled today’s vote on transparency in the UK’s territories. We cannot wait for the rest of the world to get on board before we open up our tax havens. Anonymously owned companies, many of them formed in the UK’s Crown Dependencies, can act as getaway cars for terrorists, dictators, money launderers and tax evaders all over the world. The Government should be fighting to introduce public registers, not thwarting the will of Parliament.”
/ ENDS
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