Offshore Accounting Industry vs Narcotics Industry

I continue to sit on the sidelines of the financial markets as I can't see a blinding trade out there at the moment so I will move off into the other field of finance that has everyone's attention today - that of how you handle the money you have made and how and to whom you report it for taxation. The release of the 'Panama Papers', naming names in the world of profit maximisation, has been a gold mine for anyone looking for change,  as the status quo of a lot of individuals has been shaken.  Even if the legal army are going to have problems nailing down some of those named, the moral army is pitchforked up and demanding action. The reaction of the press and public to those named is, in my eyes, much as it is when a famous person is found to have consumed drugs. It really depends on who they are and how their actions marry up against their previously public stated opinions on the issue. If a rock star is busted for snorting a line of coke off a 19yr old's body then no one tends to blink an eye. But if it's a UK House of Lords geriatric who has previously loudly sponsored anti-drug legislation, then of course the hypocrisy is rightly exposed to the point or career annihilation.

So it is with offshore banking and the use of every trick in the book to maximise personal gain. Some of those on the published list I would be surprised not to see there and I doubt that seeing a relative of the Syrian President fingered is hardly going to change the state of Syrian presidency. With those listed spread globally there is no 'one case fits all', as differing local laws mean different legal scenarios, but in general the Panama Papers are questioning the boundaries of legal and moral perceptions. I have a basic autistic belief when it come to legal versus moral debate. If it's legal and you don't want it to happen then try to make it illegal. If you fail then it is because your beliefs are in a minority, so get over it. Morals are hugely subjective. If they weren't, they would be laws.

I have taken a slightly glib look at the differences between the offshore accounting industry and the drug industry and deduced that the similarities outweigh the differences.

	Drugs	Offshore Accounting
Is it illegal	Generally Yes but depends upon your country of residence.	Generally No but depends upon your country of residence.
Is it morally wrong	Generally Yes but depends upon your morals	Generally Yes but depends upon your morals
Users	Across all classes	Mostly the rich
Public perception of users	Mix of sympathy and revulsion depending on intensity, with the 'well we all did it a bit, though I didn't inhale, and a little bit doesn't really harm does it?' clouding the picture	Revulsion with the 'well we all use our ISA allowances and max out our own personal tax choices to greatest advantage' doing little to counter the feeling that those who have more find it easy to get more.
Government's response to users.	It's a problem and we must be seen to be doing something about it but we also understand that if we bang up every user no matter how trivial, then we will lose voters and have a huge increase in costs for enforcement, Justice and internment.	It's a problem and we must be seen to be doing something about it but we also understand that if we bang up every user no matter how trivial, then we will lose party funding and have a huge increase in costs for enforcement, Justice and internment.
Suppliers	Shady people in Latin America	Shady people in Latin America
Marketing	On the quiet 'who you know'	On the quiet 'who you know'
Need for discretion	Total, unless you control your own legal system and don't give a damn about what anyone thinks of you	Total, unless you don't give a damn about what anyone thinks of you
Reaction of those caught whose position is based on popularity	Embarrassment, excuse that someone else told you it was Ok, remorse, commitment to change and offer of full support to clean up your act ( though it wasn't really your fault you got caught up in it). Employment of PR agency to manage a positive spin to potential custodial sentences.  Explore new legal highs	Embarrassment, excuse that someone else told you it was Ok, remorse, commitment to change and offer of full support to clean up your act (though it wasn't really your fault you got caught up in it). Employment of PR agency to manage a positive spin. Explore other legal ways to achieve the same results.
Reaction of those caught to whom popularity doesn't matter	Do what you can to avoid a custodial sentence but apart from that carry on as normal after working out how to do it again without being caught next time.	Carry on as normal after working out how to do it again without being caught next time.
Reaction of those caught who control own legal system and don't care about opinion	Carry on as usual and leave those beholden to you to sort out such trivial matters	Carry on as usual and leave those beholden to you to sort out such trivial matters
Those who aren't caught	Stay quiet and carry on as usual but recheck security and communication channels for potential risks in light of the other suppliers and users being taken down	Stay quiet and carry on as usual but recheck security and communication channels for potential risks in light of the other suppliers and users being taken down
Legislative response	Introduce new laws increasing punishments. Crack down on money laundering and search all cross border shipments for signs of illegal activity.	Introduce new laws increasing punishments. Crack down on money laundering and search all cross border payments for signs of illegal activity.
Supplier response	Invest in more ingenious ways to supply that bypass cross border detection. Tighten internal data security and invest in unconventional money transfer systems	Invest in more ingenious ways to supply that bypass cross border detection. Tighten internal data security and invest in unconventional money transfer systems
Risk reward response	Price of supply increases as does cost of being caught. Risk reward shift sees reduction in use by marginal users but those at the top with enough money and influence carry on as usual and absorb the increased costs of use.	Price of supply increases as does cost of being caught. Risk reward shift sees reduction in use by marginal users but those at the top with enough money and influence carry on as usual and absorb the increased costs of use.
New industry status	Evolution has weeded out the weak in the chain leaving only the strongest to take over the landscape. Increase in cost to both supplier, users and enforcement agencies who are trying to crack down on ever more devious methods of concealment. International agreements are sought and agreed to loosely with the odd high status bust cited as success of policy, meanwhile corruption and greed carries on subverting from the inside.	Evolution has weeded out the weak in the chain leaving only the strongest to take over the landscape. Increase in cost to both supplier, users and enforcement agencies who are trying to crack down on ever more devious methods of concealment. International agreements are sought and agreed to loosely with the odd high status bust cited as success of policy, meanwhile corruption and greed carries on subverting from the inside.