Huck talks about Caymans banking
Posted: Monday, February 18, 2008 9:54 AM by Mark Murray
From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger
MILWAUKEE -- Huckabee didn't have time to get a tan while in the Cayman Islands this weekend, but he did have time to talk about the island's notorious financial services industry.
Huckabee met with whom he referred to as the island's equivalent to a prime minister. Campaign officials have not confirmed the actual name or title. But Huckabee said Sunday night they had a "good discussion of many of the efforts the Caymans are making to clean up their banking industry and to make themselves a financial services center."
"To their credit, they've got the job done," he said, particularly in the last 15 years.
Most of what concerns Americans is not illegal practices, he noted.
"My whole point is not to say don't put money there because it's illegal, its perfectly legal," he said. "The problem is why should US investors have to put their money in places other than the United States to save. Because our tax system is choking the daylights out of any investments."
Huckabee said his "fair tax" proposal would change that. But making it easier for corporations in the United States probably wouldn't make him very popular on the island, he acknowledged.
"I'm sure he would rather not see us have the fair tax," he said.