Volume 9 No 2    /    Read Article

By Ibn Spicer (Guest Author)

The use of anonymous shell companies or “dummy companies” that may be availed of to conceal the true identities of the ultimate beneficial owners is viewed by financial regulators as a tool to facilitate money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The benefit of anonymity may soon be a thing of the past in the U.S. as well as in Europe. Amendments made to Recommendation 24 by the Financial Action Task Force, proposed regulations by FinCEN to require reporting on “beneficial owners,” and pronouncements on the I.R.S. website that explain the meaning of the term “responsible party” that must be reported when applying for an employer identification number in the U.S. all demand that a U.S. corporation report its controlling person. Ibn Spicer, an experienced attorney whose practice focuses on entertainment and corporate law, and who is currently enrolled in the LLM in Taxation Program of New York Law School, observes that the opportunities for hidden ownership are shrinking rapidly.  See more →