Hoekstra, from tax haven investor to EU anti-evasion commissioner | EUROtoday

Then-Prime Minister Mark Rutte had been knowledgeable through the formation of the federal government in 2017, Hoekstra, who was accountable within the government for the struggle in opposition to the abuse of tax havens and had been vice-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, had defended himself.

In 2009, Hoekstra had purchased shares in Candace Management Limited within the British Virgin Islands, within the Caribbean, along with Tom de Swaan, chairman of the supervisory board of ABN Amro, and different senior executives of the Dutch financial institution.

The British Virgin Islands

Candace was a automobile by way of which a gaggle of greater than 40 traders purchased shares in Asilia, a safari firm with about 900 staff. Hoekstra invested as a result of he was an excellent good friend of one of many founders. The Virgin Islands are a preferred tax haven as a result of the nation imposes no taxes and shareholders can stay nameless. But when the Pandora Papers had been launched, Hoekstra claimed he by no means had a tax rationale for his funding. And extra importantly, he by no means knew the corporate was domiciled within the Caribbean offshore hub.

According to the Pandora Papers, Hoekstra purchased Candace's shares in 2010 and bought further shares in 2013 and 2014. He then offered his stake in 2017, per week earlier than turning into minister, and donated the €4,800 revenue to charity.

In the Netherlands, Hoekstra has typically attacked Italy within the identify of monetary rigor, calling for extra cuts and better austerity to cut back Italy's public debt. And when he was a minister, he backtracked by publicly criticizing offshore finance, declaring his help for the European Union's proposals to fight worldwide tax evasion and avoidance and to ban nameless corporations. The similar ones he had additionally used up to now.