Lax on Tax

Frances Weaver — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:34:20 +0000

Author:Mara Delius

"So, you've crossed over to the dark side," my friend remarked with a sneer, and for a moment I thought he was referring to the delicate tan I was sporting, which clashed somewhat provocatively with the pale skies of a wintry Berlin afternoon. "Why would one go to the British Virgin Islands and support a tax haven thousands of miles away?" Here we go again, I thought to myself as I waited for him to unleash the familiar marriage of eco-consciousness, europhilia and Protestant concern for an individual's duty to support the nation state, which has become fashionable among many Germans of my generation. But he went further: "A place like that epitomises all the evils of our time," my friend continued ecstatically, "it's beyond postcolonial! Just take the offshore businesses."

European Eye

Lax on Tax