Timothy V. Addison (J.D 2009, Indiana) has published Note, Shooting Blanks: The War on Tax Havens, 16 Ind. J. Global Legal Stud. 703 (2009). Here is the abstract:
The U.S. Treasury conservatively estimates that tax havens cost the United States over $100 billion annually in lost tax revenue. In response to this epidemic, the United States and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have entered into Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEA) with countries considered to be tax havens.
These agreements have gained widespread recognition as a means to eventually remedy this ever-growing problem. However, these agreements are largely symbolic and provide very few additional weapons to combat tax evasion enabled by tax havens. As evidence of this, the estimated annual loss of tax revenue due to tax havens has been increasing since these agreements were first enacted.
In essence, this article argues that TIEAs are a reactionary policy and will never truly eliminate or curb tax evasion through haven countries. To effectively combat the tax haven problem, policies must be adopted that address why tax havens exist. These policies should focus on domestic solutions and should strengthen the already existing laws which, at present, are far too weak and underutilized.



