Wealth International, Limited

Offshore News Digest for Week of July 22, 2002


SWITZERLAND: WHAT WENT WRONG?

ZURICH: A series of catastrophes has the Swiss asking themselves what's the matter with Switzerland? What went wrong?

More on this story here.

Luxembourg ends money laundering probe of Swiss ambassador.

More on this story here.

New Swiss Internet surveillance law logs all e-mails.

More on this story here.

Swiss make formal request for United Nations membership.

More on this story here.

BERMUDA STILL THE OFFSHORE DOMICILE OF CHOICE

Bermuda law firm refutes the US media anti-hype.

More on this story here.

I.M.F. PRAISES PANAMA REFORMS

PANAMA CITY: Good progress made in financial and banking supervision.

More on this story here.

IRISH ANSBACHER SCANDAL ROCKS SOUTH AFRICAN BANKS

JOHANNESBURG: Interesting story about the Irish tax evasion probe's impact on South African banks that own Ansbacher; taxes, blacklisting.

More on this story here.

NEW ZEALAND VOTES THIS WEEK

AUCKLAND. Will this great nation chose freedom or more socialism?

More on this story here.

F.A.T.F. PRESSURES PHILIPPINES

MANILA. Year long political struggle pits financial privacy and civil liberties against FATF demands for anti-money laundering laws.

More on this story here.

COMMUNIST CHINA FAILS HONG KONG

After 5 years of Red rule, the old free enterprise Hong Kong is fading.

More on this story here.

MAURITIUS OFFSHORE FINANCIAL SECTOR WORRIED

PORT LOUIS. Government has plans for global information exchange.

More on this story here.

MORE JERSEY BANKING JOBS LOST

ST. HELIER. Far greater than expected, as offshore banks cut jobs.

More on this story here.

AMERICAN P.B.S. TV NETWORK DUMPS ON OFFSHORE

Public Broadcasting System smears offshore re-incorporation; takes on offshore tax shelters in scheduled July 26 show.

More on this story here.

I.R.S. BLAMES D.O.J. FOR NAMES RELEASE

WASHINGTON: Internal Revenue Service blames Deptarment of Justice for revealing names of tax shelter clients.

More on this story here.

Wall Street Journal: IRS Out of Control.

More on this story here.

HARRY BROWNE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS!

Former Libertarian Party presidential candidate warns against the new US police state. A MUST read: Welcome to the War on Terror, Comrade!

More on this story here.

U.K. LABOUR CURBS BASIC COMMON LAW RIGHTS

LONDON. Tony Blair's Labourites want to end jury trials for thousands of defendants and abolish the double jeopardy rule.

More on this story here.

NATIONAL I.D., NEIGHBORHOOD INFORMANTS PLANS NIXED

WASHINGTON. US House leaders kill Bush plans for national ID cards, network of informants, but DOJ keeps on pushing police state.

More on this story here.

BUSH WANTS U.S. MILITARY TO HELP RUN POLICE STATE

Terrorism excuse used to justify using the military for domestic American law enforcement now prohibited by federal law.

More on this story here.

BERMUDA INCOME TAX RUMORED, DENIED

HAMILTON. The PLP government denies it, but there's evidence that traditional no-tax Bermuda might impose an income tax.

More on this story here and here.

Meanwhile, Bermuda captive insurance companies are booming.

More on this story here.

CAYMAN ISLANDS EYE EUROPEAN UNION TIES

GEORGE TOWN, C.I. Will Cayman residents be forced to pay taxes to Great Britain for savings earned in the Cayman Islands?

More on this story here.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS TO REPEAL INCOME TAX

ROAD TOWN, BVI. the government plans to abolish personal income taxes in the Islands by 2004.

More on this story here.

IRELAND PURSUES TAX EVADERS DEAD OR ALIVE

DUBLIN. Ansbacher (Caymans) alleged tax evaders will be followed by Irish tax collectors to the grave and perhaps beyond.

More on this story here.

SWISS INSURANCE COMPANIES HURT IN MARKET SLIDE

ZURICH. Old reliable Swiss insurance companies' shares take a dramatic tumble on the Swiss stock exchange.

More on this story here.

MAURITIUS DENIES TAX INFORMATION EXCHANGE

PORT LOUIS. Confidential financial information will be used for supervisory purposes only, not taxes, officials claim.

More on this story here.

U.S. LABELS SWISS LINKED BANK AS TERRORIST

WASHINGTON. Al Taqwa is linked to a company based in Lugano, Switzerland, but as we reported last November, the Swiss see no proof.

More on this story here and here.

ROLES REVERSED: E.U. CONCERNED ABOUT SOVEREIGNTY

EU claims US corporate reforms would jeopardize EU sovereignty and expose foreign companies to double jeopardy taxation.

More on this story here and here.

WHERE IS THE U.S. NATIONAL ECONOMY HEADED?

The Economist magazine thinks it knows the answer.

More on this story here.

BRITISH DOUBLE TAXATION TREATIES PUSHED

LONDON. Outline on UK tax treaty priorities.

More on this story here.

CANADIAN DOCTOR INVESTIGATED FOR OFFSHORE CASH

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan. Can't pay US$172,600 fine but has US $1.1 million in a Cayman Islands bank account.

More on this story here.

HUGE EXPANSION OF U.S. FEDERAL CRIMES

WASHINGTON. Little noticed provision makes any 'attempt' to break a federal law a separate punishable criminal act.

More on this story here.

SNITCHING FOR THE GOVERNMENT

US Rep. Paul sees no justification for Americans spying on each other.

More on this story here.

Alarm bells ring over proposed US terrorism reporting system.

More on this story here.

LACK OF PRIVACY FACTOR

Another reasons why wealthy Americans are leaving the US.

More on this story here.

POLITICS AND GAMBLING

How the definition of terrorism almost included Internet gambling.

More on this story here.

U.S. HOUSE KILLS ANTI-BERMUDA CLAUSE

WASHINGTON. On a procedural point of order, the US House killed a provision that could have denied US government contracts to US companies that re-incorporate offshore to save taxes.

More on this story here.

CYPRUS OFFSHORE BANK DEFIANT OVER YUGO WAR CASH

NICOSIA. Millions for Milosevic's wars earned bank big money.

More on this story here.

GIBRALTAR STRUGGLE CONTINUES

The Rock's PM rejects Spanish-UK shared sovereignty plan; UK says Spain may have joint control over military/naval base.

More on this story here, here, and here.

BANK SARASIN EXPANDS IN CHANNEL ISLAND

160 year old private bank merges with Rabobank in GUERNSEY.

More on this story here.

ISLE OF MAN INSISTS COMPANY FEES WILL STAY LOW

DOUGLAS, IoM. The island's 35,000 IBCs may have to pay more.

More on this story here.

SURPRISE! EX-PRES. MENEM ADMITS SWISS OFFSHORE ACCOUNT

Argentina's ex-prez Carlos MENEM admits he has had a Swiss bank account since 1986, after previously denying it.

More on this story here.

NEW ZEALAND VOTES SATURDAY

Labour Party policies cause major brain drain as skilled workers leave. Private property rights claimed as seriously curtailed.

More on this story here and here.

INVESTIGATION OF I.R.S. PRIVACY VIOLATIONS DEMANDED

Landmark Legal Foundation asks DoJ investigation into IRS release of taxpayer names for using legal tax shelters.

More on this story here, here, and here.

FIRST BRITISH LAWYER JAILED FOR FAILURE TO REPORT

UK solicitor jailed for not reporting suspicious activity.

More on this story here.

BRITISH ADOPT MASSIVE ASSET FORFEITURE LAW

LONDON. Proceeds of Crime Act becomes law, makes money laundering a crime, forcing suspicious activity reports in all transactions.

More on this story here.

Ireland's forfeiture law mimics US, UK follows same path.

More on this story here.

Bush administration's new '2002 Money Laundering Strategy'

More on this story here.

FATF-IMF ALLIANCE AIMED AT MONEY LAUNDERING

The International Monetary Fund may join the fight against money laundering along with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

More on this story here.

ISRAEL MOVES BACKWARDS ON TAXES

JERUSALEM. New law changes tax regime from territorial to personal, taxing all Israelis on their worldwide income.

More on this story here.

SOUTH AFRICAN BRAIN DRAIN A TORRENT

1.6 million South Africans live abroad; massive emigration.

More on this story here.

Holocaust Swiss lawsuit attorney sues again; now anti-apartheid.

More on this story here.

BUSH DOMESTIC MILITARY POLICE PLAN ATTACKED

US military as domestic police causes firestorm of opposition.

More on this story here and here.

Cato on Warrior Cops: Ominous Growth of Paramilitarism in America

More on this story here.

Arresting development: "Just book everybody, Danno."

More on this story here.

THREATS TO LIBERTY - A NEVERENDING ASSAULT

British police can intercept emails, UK high court rules.

More on this story here.

Demands for US government control of the Internet.

More on this story here.

In spite of promises, Bush government backs national ID cards.

More on this story here.
Previous News Digest Index Next
Back to top

W.I.L.