Matti Kohonen's Avatar

Matti Kohonen

@mattikohonen.bsky.social

I'm working at the Financial Transparency Coalition, interested in all things tax justice to fund public services, financial transparency to end illicit financial flows, austerity, a Rights-Based Economy and feminist, green and decolonial economies.

167 Followers  |  130 Following  |  24 Posts  |  Joined: 16.10.2023  |  1.7835

Latest posts by mattikohonen.bsky.social on Bluesky

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Starbucks likely avoided taxes on $1.3 billion in profit using a Swiss subsidiary, a new report finds Starbucks booked millions in profit at a Swiss subsidiary, where the company likely paid less in taxes than it would have elsewhere, a report found.

It's crazy that this Swiss subsidiary isn't even listed as existing in Starbucks consolidated accounts in the US.

Great digging by @cictar.bsky.social and @itep.org www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-us...

10.03.2025 10:31 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

yksinkertaisesti toimiva hyvinvointivaltio, jota rahoitetaan verotuksella kerΓ€tyillΓ€ julkisilla investoinneilla ja veronkierron suitsemisella, ja yritysten kolmikantaan sitouttaminen auttaa palkkakehityksellΓ€. Menisi pohja pois siirtolaisten vastustamisesta.

06.03.2025 09:51 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Happening today and excited to participate. Warwick Business School event in London 'From Baku to BelΓ©m'. Greater coherence needed between the UNFCCC and the negotiations for the UN Tax Convention to mobilise resources via internatinal tax cooperation and advancing ownership and asset transparency.

04.03.2025 10:39 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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A great morning run by the Basingstoke Canal, frosty in -5 but no snow in Surrey.

10.01.2025 12:55 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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London has a congestion charge – and traffic in gridlock. We need other ways to end the obsession with cars | Jonn Elledge The charge was seen as draconian, but new thinking is now essential. Look to the cities trying a range of bold ideas, says author Jonn Elledge

Cities like London should invest in pedestrianisation, cycling, and cheaper public transport, making drivers pay isn't enough. I went to London on New Year's day by car due to expensive and unreliable trains and no CC/ULEZ on the day for EVs, I'd not go on any other day to the CC zone. rb.gy/tflyga

10.01.2025 10:26 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Ditching of Facebook factcheckers a β€˜major step back’ for public discourse, critics say Mark Zuckerberg’s decision regarding Meta platforms condemned as β€˜a full bending of the knee’ to Donald Trump

The end of fact checking and content moderation on Meta platforms (FB, Insta, Threads) spells the end of meaningful conversation. They just become enablers for hateful, and abusive intent. With many secretive accounts, and hidden ownership, we won't know who even know who is behind it.
rb.gy/tflyga

08.01.2025 10:16 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Luxury London Properties Linked to Family of Azerbaijan's President Are Hidden Behind an Offshore Trust The family and associates of Azerbaijani strongman Ilham Aliyev acquired U.K. real estate worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Are they still holding onto their property empire? Despite new transpar...

Who owns London’s luxury real estate? Sometimes there's no way to know.

The family of Azerbaijani dictator Ilham Aliyev held properties in the British capital worth millions of dollars. Do they still own them?

We can't tell. They’re hidden behind a secretive offshore trust.

Our latest storyπŸ§΅πŸ‘‡

19.12.2024 18:29 β€” πŸ‘ 57    πŸ” 35    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 3

@stevejgoodrich.bsky.social @bcowdock.bsky.social Checking you saw this from the Isle of Man, given mention of Isle of Man trust in your latest story with OCCRP. Happy Christmas!

20.12.2024 09:26 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Dirty money’s hiding spots: How corruption funds disappear overseas -… How dirty money disappears overseas and corruption-linked African assets are hidden in wealthy nations

Instead of building schools and hospitals, billions in public funds from Africa vanish into offshore accounts, luxury real estate and shell companies.

We have analysed 78 cases, revealing where stolen funds end up. Check it out! ⬇️ https://buff.ly/3BoJPZ0

18.12.2024 09:00 β€” πŸ‘ 34    πŸ” 24    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
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HMRC should focus on tax dodging by the richest Figures out in October showed that HMRC has issued fines to 83,000 self-employed people on low incomes for failing to file a tax return on time.Β These people were earning too little to pay any tax at ...

HMRC fined 83,000 people who earned below the tax threshold for failing to file a tax return.

They should be fighting tax dodging by the richest – not penalising the poorest. taxjustice.uk/blog/hmrc-sh...

12.12.2024 12:17 β€” πŸ‘ 85    πŸ” 95    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 3
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UK sanctions Angola’s Isabel dos Santos and associates for β€˜stealing country’s wealth for personal gain’ - ICIJ The British government’s decision follows a series of criminal charges and asset freezes brought by multiple governments against the daughter of Angola’s former president following ICIJ’s 2020 Luanda…

Last month, a statement from the U.K.’s foreign secretary said that Isabel dos Santos β€œsystematically abused her positions at state-run companies to embezzle at least [$443 million], depriving Angola of resources and funding for much-needed development.”

15.12.2024 22:57 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The public has the right to know who is developing this building, and if we have public access to BO, asset registries like vessels, aircraft, land and crops, logging licences, real estate registries in all countries so that we can trace how this wealth was made. 4/4

14.12.2024 10:07 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Most countries now start to have a centralised BO registry due to the update in the FATF recommendation 24, but it is not required to be public, and to make matters worse an EU Court of Justice ruling in 2022 invalidated public access in EU countries. But the UK still has it. 3/4

14.12.2024 10:07 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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AROLAND HOLDINGS LIMITED persons with significant control - Find and update company information - GOV.UK AROLAND HOLDINGS LIMITED - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity

This is an example of how as a result of more than a decade of advocacy and campaign work the UK has a public beneficial ownership registry, accessible free of charge at the Companies House under "beneficial owners" tab related to the company, see, tinyurl.com/8ejmykez 2/4

14.12.2024 10:07 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Shard to share title of tallest building in UK as new skyscraper gets green light The new building, 1 Undershaft, will be 309.6m tall, matching the height of the Shard to the centimetre

Why we need public beneficial ownership transparency! "Aroland Holdings is a" ... BVI-registered company whose BO ... " is listed as Kuok Khoon Hong, the co-founder of Singapore’s Wilmar International, one of the world’s largest oil palm plantation owners."
tinyurl.com/5fz3krct 1/4

14.12.2024 10:07 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

A great opportunity to publish a paper on offshore secrecy, esp. if you're into social theory, Georg Simmel, econ sociology or socio-economics.

09.12.2024 16:50 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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In the 1980s–90s, many previously prominent social scientific questions on power and inequality faded into the background. Our brand-new article w/ @phdskat.org at @ripejournal.bsky.social probes into this dynamic through the concept of 'corporate escape' 🧡 1/10 www.tandfonline.com/doi/metrics/...

08.12.2024 09:53 β€” πŸ‘ 85    πŸ” 30    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 3

But this all needs a shift in the mindset from funding to financing, as it should really be about systemic reforms and enabling a more representative, transparent and rights-based Global Financial Architecucture (GFA) allowing for financing to be levied via taxes, not lost in debt payments, etc. 8/8

02.12.2024 10:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Similarly financing for education, financing for health, fiancing for social protection and care economies are better achieved through systemic reforms, increased taxing rights, dealing with debt, greater financial and tax transparency,transparency of private finance flows. 7/8

02.12.2024 10:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

As COP29 in Baku failed on climate financing, we can expect aligning climate financing with systemic reforms in the debt, tax architecture e.g. higher and better allocated global min tax esp. for fossil fuel companies, high net-worth individual taxation, rather than asking global North directly 6/8

02.12.2024 10:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Grappling with an unprecedented debt crisis, we can expect that in establishing their role as a rule-maker, African states together with other G77 countries will push for changing the international debt architecture this time at FfD4. A UN Framework Convention on Debt enabled by language in FfD4 5/8

02.12.2024 10:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

1st FfD conference in Monterrey 2002 already saw the request for creating an International Tax Organisation (ITO) solidarity levies like financial transaction taxes to fund development, all vetoed by rich countries in a consensus process. It did lead to a debt cancellation and increases in aid 4/8

02.12.2024 10:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

2nd FfD Conference in Doha 2008 was a response to the Global Financial Crisis, but UN led response to the crisis was overtaken by the G20-OECD in financial regulation, reforms of international taxation benefiting mostly rich countries. This partly led to BRICS countries forming greater ties 3/8

02.12.2024 10:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

The 3rd FfD Conference in Addis in 2015 set in motion the road for the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (UNFCITC), a more equal tax system for Global South countries in allocating taxing rights and revenue, and align tax systems with human rights, environment, and gender 2/8

02.12.2024 10:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

This week is the 2nd Prep Committee for 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD) taking place in Seville, 30 Jun-3 Jul. This matters for tackling Illicit Financial Flows, the international tax and debt architecture and transparency of private finance, tinyurl.com/3b8fpenr 1/8

02.12.2024 10:37 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Amazon will make billions from Black Friday.

Their workers across the country are protesting today, highlighting poor working conditions and Amazon's tax avoidance.

It's time the government stop the tax breaks and #MakeAmazonPay

29.11.2024 10:47 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Setting the global agenda for tax, debt and international aid through 2035 THE FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Why should funders prioritise the #UN #FfD4 conference in Seville, Jul/2025? The Global Financial Architecture on international tax and debt co-operation, regulating private finance and trade flows is being framed (if not directly defined) starting negotiation tracks, processes:
bubs.live/FGyxHxGa3

25.11.2024 16:28 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Livestreamed/Geneva event! "Exploring the Linkages between the Human Rights Economy with and the Right to Development" 26 Nov, 15:30-16:45 CET, Room XXVII, Palais des Nations. UN SR Right to Development, Act Alliance, CIDSE, @hrw.org, @cesr.bsky.social, Franciscans Intl. Stream: tinyurl.com/yrrpe3r7

22.11.2024 10:17 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

It's one of the better databases on tax info world wide, but it lacks the tools to see if levying taxes is progressive. For that we need deeper analysis on tax progressivity.

22.11.2024 10:01 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Yes!!! πŸ‘ EU governments reject the amendments that would weaken the EU deforestation law! πŸƒπŸŒ²

#EUDR #deforestation #NatureLoss #biodiversity #Amazon

20.11.2024 16:04 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

@mattikohonen is following 20 prominent accounts