Swiss Banks Making Concessions On Secrecy

Aryabhata writes in with news that should chill the hearts of evil dictators and tax cheats everywhere: one of the last bastions of strong banking secrecy, Switzerland, is bowing to international pressure and agreeing to cooperate with some foreign investigations of wrongdoing. "...the Swiss government announced on Friday that it would cooperate in international tax investigations, breaking with its long-standing tradition of protecting wealthy foreigners accused of hiding billions of dollars. Austria and Luxembourg also said they would help. ... The famed 'numbered accounts' that do not bear the owner's name will still be available for clients willing to pay for added anonymity. ... Over the past month, leaders have made similar promises in Singapore, Liechtenstein, Bermuda, the British islands of Jersey and Guernsey, and tiny Andorra... other 'offshore' banking centers are still available in the Caribbean, Panama, Dubai and elsewhere."

Comments

Re:Tax Cheats?

[Anonymous Coward]

And what's wrong with that, exactly?

Why can't I just pay for the government services I actually use, like the roads and water?

Why do I have to pay for some poor schmuck who decided to get a loan that he couldn't afford to buy a house he couldn't afford? Why should I have to pay to help some city somewhere build a useless tunnel to replace a perfectly functional, but "ugly," road? Why should I pay for someone to sit around and do nothing all day, because they failed to save for the possibility that their employer might be forced to cut their job?

The "withholding" system used in the US is brilliant, because almost no one actually realizes just how much money the government is taking from them. To compound this, the government actually takes MORE THAN YOU REALLY OWE off each paycheck, and then gives it back once a year. And people are GRATEFUL for this!!

Now I know someone is going to come up with a long list of "important services" but what they forget is that with more money available to people, charitable giving will be up, and far more efficient and effective charities can replace the useless government institutions that they list.

Re:Tax Cheats?

[darjen]

I guess people wouldn't want to build roads unless they're forced to by the government (who does a terrible job of maintaing roads anyway)

Nobody would help out the permanently disabled without the government (who does a terrible of it)

Nobody would be able to teach their kids school or pay for health card without the government (who does a terrible job at both of those)

Nobody would want to extinguish any fires without the government (who does a terrible job of it)

Nobody would want to catch criminals without the government (how often does your local law public law enforcement catch them?)

And finally, nobody would care about people who can't help themselves without the government.

In summary... the government does a terrible job at all the things you mention, and assuming none of them would be available wihtout the government is ridiculous and intellectually lazy.

Re:Tax Cheats?

[Atario]

Funny how someone who has "enough wealth behind me" to game the system would consider paying one's rightful share into the system that allowed him to get that wealth in the first place to be the activity of "useful idiots" who are also "disciples of authoritarianism".

You got rich in this system, and now you want to hoard your riches away from that same system. I say, pay the fuck up or get the fuck out, freeloader.