Issues Regarding the Task Force

Swiss Bank Accounts

July 20, 2009

Washington Post Editorial: A compromise with the United States on disclosure would be in the public interest.

Offshore Tax Evaders Deserve No Sympathy

July 15, 2009

James B. Stewart: Do you know anyone with a Swiss bank account? I don’t, which is probably no surprise since the whole point is secrecy. But evidently there are plenty of Americans who do—at least 52,000 at UBS alone—whose identities the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice are trying to learn.

Swiss banks’ veil of secrecy slips

July 14, 2009

For more than a year, the Internal Revenue Service, the feared tax-collecting agency of the US government, has been revving the engines and aiming a bulldozer at Switzerland’s historic banking secrecy laws.

U.S. trial delay seen bringing UBS tax deal nearer

July 13, 2009

ZURICH/MIAMI (Reuters) – A federal court judge in Miami approved a delay in a high-profile trial on Monday in which U.S. tax authorities hoped to force UBS AG to reveal the identities of thousands of Americans suspected of using the Swiss bank to evade taxes.

What is financial transparency?

July 6, 2009

Recent press reports suggest Cayman is at the eye of a storm. To take an article from the UK’s Daily Telegraph of 28 May 2009 as an example1, it reported:

Swiss banks drop U.S. clients due to UBS case: report

July 4, 2009

ZURICH (Reuters) – Swiss banks including ZKB and Mirabaud are pulling out of business with individuals who pay U.S. taxes, newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung (NZZ) reported on Saturday.

A no-brainer bill to fight crime: Require corporations to disclose who runs them

June 29, 2009

By Robert Morgenthau – The U.S. Senate Committee for Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is considering a bill that would require the states, when they allow someone to create a corporate entity, to obtain information about the true ownership of the corporation.

Florida Man Pleads Guilty in UBS Tax Case

June 25, 2009

A wealthy American client of UBS pleaded guilty on Thursday to tax fraud, the latest victory for the federal government in its crackdown on UBS and its offshore private banking accounts.

Delaware offers tempting tax refuge

June 25, 2009

Have you ever had the feeling you’re being chased? That’s probably how it seems right now if you’re a tax cheat.

French Government Forces Banks To Increase Transparency

June 22, 2009

Intensifying the pressure on its banks, the French government is introducing a new measure requiring all French banks to disclose information regarding their links to tax havens. Indeed, eager to make this compulsory measure widespread, the French government is expected to try to convince other countries to follow suit at the next G20 summit meeting.

UBS suggests giving IRS anonymous client data

June 16, 2009

Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, has proposed giving United States tax authorities banking data on some of its clients but with no names or account numbers attached.

As U.S. turns up heat on tax laws, Americans in Israel start to sweat

June 12, 2009

An increased commitment by the U.S. to enforce more strictly tax laws regarding the declaration of offshore accounts have some American-Israelis who never bothered filing the appropriate form worrying about the right way to proceed. While some accountants with worried clients say it is time to come clean, others say the government is focusing on those trying to use Israel as a tax haven.

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