Short Abstract:

The panel explores how Preferential Tax Regimes influence development in post-colonial tax heavens. It invites critical inquiries that explore how offshore baking, export processing zones or profits shifting operations, enhance the vulnerability of countries supporting these economic strategies.

Long Abstract:

Recent years have witnessed greater academic interest in examining how the 'offshore world' has negatively influence developing countries development. However, many existing studies tend to focus on how Tax Havens erodes fiscal resources in developing countries, but not so much attention has been paid to the issue of how the use of Preferential Tax Regimes for luring Foreign Investments influence the development of countries using these policies as an economic strategy. This panel seeks to take a more critical perspective on the influence Tax Havens have on development and encourages contributions that explore the complex power relations that lead colonial or post-colonial countries to use Preferential Tax Regimes as an economic strategy, the impact that becoming a low tax jurisdiction had on these countries development, analyses on how these countries are exposed to growing external vulnerability and how these countries are asymmetrically integrated to the global economy. Of particular interest are contributions that examine how the colonial past (or present) of these countries influenced their making as low tax jurisdictions that became offshore financial centres, export processing zones or bases for transnational firms profits shifting operations. If there is any chance to counter global tax avoidance by shutting down tax havens or via unitary taxation, then to understand why some developing countries adopted Preferential Tax Regimes and the impact this economic strategy have on their socio-economic development could be vital to understand the power dynamics, values and ideas that influence this process to begin a reflection on the possible alternatives.