Skybird
07-21-08, 05:08 AM
Tax evasion is illegal in Germany, like in many other countries as well. To help defrauders transferring their money to tax paradises in Lichtenstein, the Bahamas, or to hide it in Switzerland, national and international banks have specialised in mechanisms that cover such operations, in case of Lichtenstein by investing the money of their clients in pretenced foundations that have no function at all, but because they are "foundations" enjoy privileges like not getting taxed.
some months ago the German FBI - the BKA - as well as the German BND (Germany's version of the CIA) engaged in operations against Lichtenstein banks giving refuges to german tax evaders (or more precise: to their money). It ended up with data obtained by the Germans from an ex-worker of LGT (who had stolen the data) being used to reveal the illegal practices, and uncovering a not mentioned number of wealthy German cheaters (amongst them you find the ex-boss of the german Post AG), roughly 800 of them so far having been confronted and started to pay back taxes and additional penalties. The result was that lichtenstein tried to attack the Germans for interfering with what was a lucrative source of income for them - nevertehless at the cost of economically betraying germany and violating legal standards, again at Germany's cost, and the Americans becoming alarmed and having started to investigate cases of american tax defrauders using Switzerland and Lichtenstein as well, and implying growing diplomatic pressure on Switzerland to chnage it'S system of bank secrecy that directly assists in illegal operations of it'S customers. Germany showed lichtenstein the cold shoulder, of course, and rightly so.
both Lichtenstein and Switzerland are not happy, of course, but who cares when they made money by assisting in illegal actions.
But what really angers me is that now german defrauders consider to sue the Lichtenstein bank for compensation! Obviously, there is not the smallest awareness of themselves having done something illegal, and that they violated the laws. Even more, since the German success in investigtions was possible only by getting banking account data from the man who had stolen them, the situation indeed could be interpreted as the defrauders having suffered damage that was created within the realm of responsibility of the bank, because it was one of its - back then still active - employees stealing the data, and by that causing harm to the bank's customers later on! If that is not queer.
The chances are not bad that the bank will need to pay compensations for tax defrauders, then.
At least that should teach a lesson to the bank itself. Nevertheless - criminal elements getting compensation for having been uncovered...?! I have some hard time to get over this, it is so... illogical, and totally queer.
some months ago the German FBI - the BKA - as well as the German BND (Germany's version of the CIA) engaged in operations against Lichtenstein banks giving refuges to german tax evaders (or more precise: to their money). It ended up with data obtained by the Germans from an ex-worker of LGT (who had stolen the data) being used to reveal the illegal practices, and uncovering a not mentioned number of wealthy German cheaters (amongst them you find the ex-boss of the german Post AG), roughly 800 of them so far having been confronted and started to pay back taxes and additional penalties. The result was that lichtenstein tried to attack the Germans for interfering with what was a lucrative source of income for them - nevertehless at the cost of economically betraying germany and violating legal standards, again at Germany's cost, and the Americans becoming alarmed and having started to investigate cases of american tax defrauders using Switzerland and Lichtenstein as well, and implying growing diplomatic pressure on Switzerland to chnage it'S system of bank secrecy that directly assists in illegal operations of it'S customers. Germany showed lichtenstein the cold shoulder, of course, and rightly so.
both Lichtenstein and Switzerland are not happy, of course, but who cares when they made money by assisting in illegal actions.
But what really angers me is that now german defrauders consider to sue the Lichtenstein bank for compensation! Obviously, there is not the smallest awareness of themselves having done something illegal, and that they violated the laws. Even more, since the German success in investigtions was possible only by getting banking account data from the man who had stolen them, the situation indeed could be interpreted as the defrauders having suffered damage that was created within the realm of responsibility of the bank, because it was one of its - back then still active - employees stealing the data, and by that causing harm to the bank's customers later on! If that is not queer.
The chances are not bad that the bank will need to pay compensations for tax defrauders, then.
At least that should teach a lesson to the bank itself. Nevertheless - criminal elements getting compensation for having been uncovered...?! I have some hard time to get over this, it is so... illogical, and totally queer.