PM: 'If you're looking for secrecy NZ is the wrong place''
John Key says a second phase of anti-money laundering measures may be brought forward in the wake of the Panama Papers, but denies the papers are evidence NZ is a tax haven.
John Key says a second phase of anti-money laundering measures may be brought forward in the wake of the Panama Papers, but denies the papers are evidence NZ is a tax haven.
But Minister Michael Woodhouse says disclosure rules on foreign trusts could change.
Confused by the latest Panama Papers developments - here's a Q and A to help explain.
A group of 300 economists have spoken out against tax havens ahead of the British government's anti-corruption summit.
Accountant Roger Thompson has offered a detailed response to his involvement with Mossack Fonseca's tax structures.
New Zealand is at the heart of a "global money go-round" for the wealthy to avoid tax.
Prime Minister dismisses Labour's position to ban all foreign trusts as a "knee-jerk" reaction to the Panama Papers.
The Prime Minister says the Panama Papers whistleblower is confused about his role in Cook Islands trusts.
If you believe the hype of our cottage foreign trust industry, it's bigger than avocados, bigger than flowers and world famous - but not in New Zealand.
John Key's personal lawyer cited a conversation with the Prime Minister when lobbying a Minister about a potential crackdown on the lucrative foreign trust industry.
The Labour Party says says it has identified the Mossack Fonseca client who got approval to buy sensitive land in New Zealand.
A poll shows 57 per cent of respondents were "concerned" about New Zealand being a tax haven and the misuse of our foreign trust regime.
COMMENT: The Panama Papers have renewed calls over the last few years to make all tax returns public. This is already so in Sweden and Norway.
COMMENT: The signs of wealth are easy to see in Panama - but how did it get that way, and is there a New Zealand connection?
New Zealanders who may have been involved in the offshore account arrangements are urged to come forward.
The Government has asked the OIO to review a 2014 decision to grant approval for a land purchase by someone linked to the Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca.
We have countless reporters feeding us information on New Zealand's involvement in the Panama Papers. But for the most part they don't seem to know what they're actually dealing with.
It would be useful to hear the conclusions of someone from outside, not least because the Panama Papers call into question New Zealand's good faith as an international citizen.
Labour leader Andrew Little has tabled his tax records in Parliament, but failed to convince Prime Minister John Key to follow suit.
COMMENT: Companies with operations in multiple jurisdictions will seek to maximise their opportunities to reduce their tax bill.
COMMENT: John Key has now ordered a tax expert to look into the trusts here, presumably to reassure us that there's not one rule for the rich and another for PAYE plodders, writes Barry Soper.
COMMENT: Switzerland has attracted foreign capital to its banking system offering a mixture of secrecy, preferential tax treatment and creative corporate structures.
Winston Peters says John Key's appointment of former PricewaterhouseCoopers chairman John Shewan to review trust disclosure laws is a soft option.
Some are calling it trolling, but there's a serious point behind the not-completely-crazy theory.