From: Vincent Cate <vince@offshore.com.ai>
Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 02:28:04 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Rumors of death of Anguilla Data are greatly exaggerated
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.3.91.960813094509.8391A-100000@offshore>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.91.960813094536.8354A-100000@offshore>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Greg Kucharo <sophi@best.com>
>  In the Swiss system, who dictates to the banks thier policies about who
> and what they can store?  Do the banks have enough influence to sway
> lawmakers?

It is not that any banks have something on some politician or anything
sneeky like you suggest. 

It is just that in a taxhaven, the government and the country are making
good money from the industry.  For example in Anguilla there might be
3,000 companies with the government averaging maybe $300 each per year, or
$1 mil/year (not sure of the real numbers). Also, the lawyers,
accountants, bankers, etc all make up a sizable part of the economy.  If
the Anguilla government ever make someone give information to the IRS it
would destroy this industry.  This would be bad for both the governments
revenue and the voters income, and so it is very doubtful they ever would. 

Also, the British want Anguilla to be a taxhaven.  They realize it is
a good way for a small country to make money.  They currently send
money to Anguilla every year, and if Anguilla can make plenty of money
from the taxhaven industry they won't need to.  So the British are
actually helping in a number of ways to get Anguilla established as 
a taxhaven.

  --  Vince

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Vincent Cate   vince@offshore.com.ai  http://www.offshore.com.ai/vince/
Offshore Information Services         http://www.offshore.com.ai/