Mega thread by @DanNeidle on the Financial Secrecy Index https://twitter.com/DanNeidle/status/987261080807395328 … & from @alexcobham in response https://twitter.com/alexcobham/status/989525599583694849 … (respect to both for engaging, and to anyone ploughing through it)
The only score not considered secretive is '0' (i.e. perfect compliance w the criteria). Everything else runs on a scoring scheme from "moderate secrecy" to "extreme secrecy". (NB: UK mainly gets moderate scores - so this is the end of the scale that Dan & Alex are discussing)pic.twitter.com/E0KPfNpGHX
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This is not just a presentation issue. Because of the scale weighting, "moderate secrecy" scores in a large jurisdictions generate worse ratings than more severe scores in smaller jurisdictions. This is an issue picked up in the statistical audit https://www.financialsecrecyindex.com/PDF/FSI-Methodology.pdf … (4/)pic.twitter.com/i93lDpapUm
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So what kinds of thing can get you into the 'moderate secrecy leagues'?. Here is a list (my list, from the methodology https://www.financialsecrecyindex.com/PDF/FSI-Methodology.pdf …) . A lot of them I think are quite surprising (and not many of them are about secrecy)pic.twitter.com/Gg086LKniQ
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For example (1) and (17) are about secrecy and based on FATF compliance. But a country which is 'largely compliant' across the FATF scores is rated as moderately secretive. Similarly (3) on beneficial ownership. A jurisdiction that is FATF compliant can be 'moderately secretive'
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Then there are some that are not about secrecy. e.g. UK's non dom regime marks it down as moderately secret under(12). & exemption for tax on dividends from foreign subsidiaries under (13) - These may be policy preferences, but not really 'secrecy'
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Then there are some that are more transparency than secrecy. e.g. is there Open Data on property ownership, Ltd. partnerships, beneficial ownership & company accounts? (4,5,6,7) http://opendatahandbook.org/guide/en/what-is-open-data/ … - Can argue for Open Data, but odd to view full mandatory disclsure as secrecy
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Then there are two on country-by-country reporting 8 & 9 - which sit strangely in an index which is about money laundering, lack of international cooperation etc.. 9 is rates a country as moderately secretive if it carries out exchange of CBCR according to OECD agreement
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Anyway, I think these design questions are behind some of the gap between Dan & Alex here -- e.g. Dan is saying 'X doesn't make sense as a measure of secrecy/crimeogenic environment' and Alex is saying 'you don't understand how the index is constructed.' Both are true.
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Ultimately for Index to be reliable for users it should assess what it says on the tin, objectively & recognisably to practitioners. I hope this conversation continues. Tax people & civil society folks shld talk more. Probably reached limit of Twitter as a medium on this one tho.
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End of conversation
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