The publication of the Panama Papers has turned the spotlight on one of the world’s greatest global governance challenges. No country, rich or poor, is immune to the corrosive effects of practices associated with off-shore centres. Yet while media attention has tended to focus on the tax affairs of high profile individuals, some of the most damaging consequences of off-shore activities are to be found in the world’s poorest countries. Off-shore registered companies are at the heart of a web of aggressive tax planning, tax evasion and corruption that is diverting financial resources away from productive investments and governments revenue, and into the bank accounts of national and global elites.

This event examines the evidence to emerge from Africa and other regions. Less than a month ahead of an international anti-corruption summit in London, speakers will examine the national actions and international cooperation needed to develop an effective multilateral response to the global epidemic of aggressive tax planning, tax evasion, and corruption associated with off-shore activities.