Tax havens are the most important single reason why poor people and poor countries stay poor.Investigative journalist Nicholas Shaxson exposes the hidden architecture of the global financial system - the offshore networks that allow corporations and elites to avoid tax, hide wealth and distort democracy.From the City of London to the Caribbean and beyond, Treasure Islands reveals how trillions vanish into secret offshore tax havens every year. Engrossing, urgent and deeply researched, it's essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the corruption at the heart of the global economy and how it can be stopped.'An utterly superb book' Jeffrey Sachs'Fascinating, chilling' Paul Krugman