Imprint: Bodley Head
Published: 11/10/2018
ISBN: 9781847925381
Length: 368 Pages
Dimensions: 240mm x 35mm x 162mm
Weight: 691g
RRP: £20.00
*SELECTED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE FINANCIAL TIMES*
'Hard-hitting, well written and informative' Martin Wolf, Financial Times
Global finance is a system that works for the few and against the many.
We need finance – but when finance grows too big it becomes a curse. The City of London is the single biggest drain on our resources; it sucks talent out of every sphere, it siphons wealth and hoovers up government time. Yet to be ‘competitive’, we’re told we must turn a blind eye to money-laundering and appease big business with tax cuts. We are told global finance is about wealth creation; the reality is wealth extraction.
Tracing the curse back through economic history, Shaxson uncovers how we got to this point. He exposes offshore tax havens; the uncontrolled growth of monopolies; the myths around the Celtic Tiger and its low corporate tax rate; the bizarre industry of wealth management; the destructive horrors of private equity; and the sinister ‘Competitiveness Agenda’.
Nicholas Shaxson revealed the dark heart of tax havens long before the Panama and Paradise Papers. Now he tells the explosive story of how finance established a stranglehold on society and points us towards a way out.
This is a book that none of us can afford to ignore.
Imprint: Bodley Head
Published: 11/10/2018
ISBN: 9781847925381
Length: 368 Pages
Dimensions: 240mm x 35mm x 162mm
Weight: 691g
RRP: £20.00
"Utterly convincing… The Finance Curse is a radical and important manifesto for improving Britain"
"This is a splendid polemic against modern finance, in general, and the City of London, in particular. It is hard-hitting, well written and informative. Instead of enabling productive investment, the predominant activity of contemporary finance is rent extraction. This comes in many different guises: modern finance does not only promote tax avoidance and evasion, but, argues Shaxson, enables gangsterism and corruption on an enormous scale. I fear he is right."
"This superbly written book shows definitively how global finance has been grossly mis-sold to us all. It’s a must-read for anyone who lives, works and spends in this country"
"Gripping . . . a superbly written overview"
"Searing… Shaxson has form on being prescient ... his ideas should not be dismissed lightly"