Why Harmful Tax Practices Will Continue After Developing Nations Pay: A Critique of the OECD\u27s Initiatives Against Harmful Tax Competition

Offshore tax havens have recently become the target of international criticism and reform efforts due to their role in eroding foreign tax bases through competitive tax practices. William Brittain-Catlin’s book, Offshore: The Dark Side of the Global Economy, discusses how offshore tax laws have been exploited and explains measures taken by international groups, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), to counteract harmful tax competition. This Book Review critiques the efforts of the OECD to mitigate offshore tax havens’ contribution to harmful tax competition by expanding on two of Brittain-Catlin’s conclusions. In doing so, the Book Review will demonstrate that the OECD’s actions have not only caused severe economic harm to numerous developing nation economies, but they have failed to elicit sufficient support to successfully curb harmful tax competition