French tax cheats come forward
Source: Agencies |
January 4, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
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MOST of the 3,000 French taxpayers whose names appeared on data stolen from a Swiss branch of bank HSBC have contacted authorities to legalize their financial holdings, French Budget Minister Eric Woerth said yesterday.
Switzerland protested about the use of the information and France has promised to return the data, but Woerth said the majority of those on the lists had already contacted tax officials to resolve any fiscal problems.
"Closer to 3,000 (people have stepped forward) rather than 1,500," Woerth told Europe 1 radio.
"This is a great success," he said, adding France would prolong its drive to persuade taxpayers to step forward voluntarily and declare hidden, offshore accounts.
At the start of December, officials said some 1,400 taxpayers with accounts stashed away in neighboring Switzerland had settled their affairs with French authorities, raising 500 million euros (US$717 million) in tax arrears.
However, news that France had obtained complete data from HSBC's offshore banking headquarters in Geneva emerged early last month and officials indicated there was a subsequent upsurge in contacts with the tax authorities.
HSBC has confirmed ex-employee Herve Falciani stole client data in 2006 and 2007 and have launched legal proceedings against him.
Falciani fled to France and the data fell into the hands of local officials last year after French police raided the man's house at the request of Swiss magistrates.
Switzerland was furious over France's decision to use the stolen information to track down fraudsters and has threatened to suspend ratification of a treaty aimed at helping France catch tax cheats unless the data was returned.
France says it will hand back the files, but will nonetheless continue to use the lists.
Switzerland protested about the use of the information and France has promised to return the data, but Woerth said the majority of those on the lists had already contacted tax officials to resolve any fiscal problems.
"Closer to 3,000 (people have stepped forward) rather than 1,500," Woerth told Europe 1 radio.
"This is a great success," he said, adding France would prolong its drive to persuade taxpayers to step forward voluntarily and declare hidden, offshore accounts.
At the start of December, officials said some 1,400 taxpayers with accounts stashed away in neighboring Switzerland had settled their affairs with French authorities, raising 500 million euros (US$717 million) in tax arrears.
However, news that France had obtained complete data from HSBC's offshore banking headquarters in Geneva emerged early last month and officials indicated there was a subsequent upsurge in contacts with the tax authorities.
HSBC has confirmed ex-employee Herve Falciani stole client data in 2006 and 2007 and have launched legal proceedings against him.
Falciani fled to France and the data fell into the hands of local officials last year after French police raided the man's house at the request of Swiss magistrates.
Switzerland was furious over France's decision to use the stolen information to track down fraudsters and has threatened to suspend ratification of a treaty aimed at helping France catch tax cheats unless the data was returned.
France says it will hand back the files, but will nonetheless continue to use the lists.
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