At G8, U.S. pledges to seek legislation on company ownership

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland, June 18 (Reuters) - The United States pledged on Tuesday to press for legislation that would cut down on the "criminal" use of shell companies by forcing firms to declare their actual or beneficial ownership as part of a G8 push for greater transparency.

"The U.S. will continue to forcefully advocate for comprehensive legislation to require the disclosure of beneficial ownership information, including a requirement to identify and verify beneficial ownership information at the time a company is formed," the White House said in a statement.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton; editing by Kate Holton)

((jeff.mason@thomsonreuters.com))

Keywords: G8/US TAX