We invite you to read the new document called “Trusts and other complex structures. Risks for transparency, tax evasion and avoidance”, sponsored by CIAT, LATINDADD and the Norwegian Cooperation (NORAD), and written by Andrés Knobel.

The purpose of this document is to address needs derived from the discussions held within the framework of the XI Regional Meeting on International Taxation, held in Santiago de Chile in 2022.

The focus of this new report is to analyze the tax abuse committed using trust structures, mainly for illicit or illegitimate activities, which are based on two fundamental elements: opacity and the ability of trusts to isolate assets from creditors (especially of the discretionary trust), as well as to avoid and evade taxes.

Additionally, the document addresses the fundamental concepts of the trust figure in various countries, other complex structures to hide final beneficiaries, the steps to identify and analyze these structures, and some proposals on how to regulate them.