The need for taxes has always been there. Along with that need, there always have been people and businesses who do not want to pay taxes. One of the United States’ most historical moments, the Boston Tea Party, was fuelled by the colonists’ desire not to pay the taxes that were imposed on them by Great Britain. Although the idea of tax heavens is a little different, the point remains clear: There will always be individuals who have issues with paying taxes, regardless of the situation. Tax havens, which are countries that feature very low tax rates and sometimes the availability to have financial secrecy, have been around for years. According to the chapter, From Haven to Blacklist: UK, EU and Caribbean Co-operation on tax avoidance, after BREXIT, the Caribbean is one of the largest areas that features tax havens, and an area that has played a very large role in global tax avoidance for a long time. These tax havens gained popularity over the years for several reasons: chiefly some people did not want to pay taxes, plain and simple; others did not want to pay a certain amount of taxes; others did not want their financial information revealed. Although in our imagination, and as it is often portrayed, only the very wealthy or criminals might want to avoid taxes or have their financial information hidden, this may not be the case. Before legislations were passed and the issue was truly tackled, it is very possible that many “common men” had offshore bank accounts in one of the Caribbean heavens because they did not want to pay taxes in their home country. However, it is much more common for wealthy individuals and criminals to have these offshore accounts. Luckily, in the late 1990s, concerns about these tax havens started to escalate. Countries all over the world began to take action to tackle tax avoidance. The European Union seemed to take the reins in order to take care of things and set the world straight. Although the EU seemed to have taken the lead in tackling tax havens, thing would look much different if the United Kingdom had not helped in the efforts. The UK had relations with many of these Caribbean countries and was able to “be the bridge” between the EU and the Caribbean. It took a group effort to make things right, or as right as they can be. No matter what is done, there will always be those who will go out of their way to avoid taxes or to keep their financial information secret. Nowadays it is much more difficult to do so, but it is not impossible. As the old saying goes, “where there is a will, there is a way.”
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