Abusive Tax Shelters: An Ethical, Historical, and Legal Analysis

Abstract

In recent years, the line between tax advisory and illegal tax shelter services has become increasingly blurred. The ethical dilemmas that tax shelters present challenge professionals to maintain their integrity and objectivity. This essay explores tax shelter services from historical, legal, and ethical viewpoints. It also examines litigation, both recent and long-standing, that has blazed the path for the tax shelter advisory that is currently provided by business professionals. The discussion in this paper is especially apropos given the state of international tax shelter controversies that have emerged in the past year.