The Hypocritical Hegemon

In The Hypocritical Hegemon, Lukas Hakelberg takes a close look at how US domestic politics affects and determines the course of global tax policy. Through an examination of recent international efforts to crack down on offshore tax havens and the role the US has played, Hakelberg uncovers how a seemingly innocuous technical addition to US law has had enormous impact around the world, particularly for individuals and corporations aiming to avoid and evade taxation.

Through bullying and overwhelming political power, the US, writes Hakelberg, has imposed rules on the rest of the world but exempts domestic banks for those reporting requirements. It can do so because no other government wields control over such huge financial and consumer markets, and this power imbalance is at the heart of The Hypocritical Hegemon. The rest of the world, in particular the European Union, despite being frustrated about the redistributive impact of US hypocrisy, fears US retaliation against banks that depend on the American market and thus will likely not challenge US hegemony. In the end, the US now provides tax haven conditions at home, and it is the ordinary taxpayer who bears the brunt of this hypocritical policy. Hakelberg surveys what can be done to offset that burden.