As you can see in the excerpt below, HSBC,s first action when faced with the truth being revealed, was that HSBC tried to intimidate the journalists, then ask them to destroy evidence, evidence that prooves how this bank, a criminal itself, colluded with other criminals from various facets, to DEPRIVE common people of money, by forcing the common people to pay higher taxes to compensate for the tax dollars that HSBC was helping others avoid. You must also consider here, the Canadian governments actions as well, which sees the CRA and RCMP pension funds use the SAME METHODS at tax avoidance, while perhaps their pension funds grow nicely, and your Canada pension fund, hardley grows at all. In reality, YOUR TAX dollars are as high as they are, BECAUSE you have to compensate for the tax losses to the government through these many types of schemes that are entertwined around the world. The whole way the corruption operates, really is blatant, and it could have been stopped a long time ago, perhaps a century ago, if politicians wanted it, but the governments didn't want that, because they are part of it and would have been cutting their own throat, sort to speak.

"Well, that, and the trepidation that comes with challenging some of the world’s large and powerful institutions. HSBC’s first reaction was legal threats and a demand that we destroy the data. But then they essentially ‘fessed up with a letter explaining how the global powerhouse was cleaning its house."

http://www.icij.org/blog/2015/03/how-icij-reminded-me-why-i-became-journalist