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Wikileaks To Name Swiss Bank Tax Evaders
eldavojohn writes "The old cliche that the rich and corrupt hold all their money in Swiss bank accounts (to avoid taxation) may finally have a bit of transparency, as the news today is that Wikileaks has been handed a list of account holders tendered by Rudolf Elmer, former banker of Julius Baer. Julian Assange promises a 'full revelation' while Elmer cited his motivation as being: 'I want to let society know how this system works. It's damaging society.' This appears to be real, as Mr. Elmer is soon to appear before a Zurich regional court on charges of coercion as well as violations of Switzerland's strict banking secrecy laws. The public may soon find out that their favorite celebrity, politician or employer doesn't feel responsible to contribute financially to the commonwealth at the expense of privacy."
Assange is looking more like a media whore everyday.
Outing honest people whose only so-called "crime" is wanting to avoid the theft of their hard and presumably legitimately-earned dollars is completely and totally wrong, and negates much if not all of the good Wikileaks has done in exposing actual government and corporate wrongdoing. It also makes Wikileaks, directly or indirectly, an accomplice to the very real crimes of the state that it has spent so much of its time trying to expose.
What sense does it make to out those crimes, but also at the same time sign what might as well be the death sentence for many, many honest people who were heroic and brave enough to, at great personal risk, try their best to avoid funding those crimes?
Nonaggression works!
This could be interesting. It's one thing to piss off governments and having made yourself so public you are afforded some protection by your celebrity. Pissing off some private citizens with deep pockets could mean you're found floating in a river.
Either way, Wikileaks is out of control. I just hoped they're caught and stopped. There are ways of whistle-blowing but this sure isn't the most most ethical by any means. They're wielding their information not just as an offense weapon (as most whistle-blowing would be) but also as a defense and sometimes as a preempt simply because they can. Just because you know something doesn't mean you should say it. Obviously, few on the board are married.
An individual who seeks to minimize his tax obligations or a government that feels that it is ENTITLED to tax everything that moves?
Corporatism != Free Market
you're an ignorant hypocrite.
ur mum's face realize how retarded it makes ur mum's face look.
to the individual responsible: present yourself to me; admit what you've done, then i will bring upon you the ultimate punishment for your transgressions.
you live in a fantasy world you've created relative to me.
you're completely pathetic.
You Americans need to fix your own poorly regulated financial system first,
and stop trying to interfear in the affairs of others.
I hope Elmer gets 20 years in the Zuchthaus, and if Assange enters Switzerland,
he should join him, inter alia for fraud at PostBank
who is "everyone"?
you are NOTHING.