Wednesday, July 16, 2008

MORE U.S. CAPITALIST PIGS

(h/t Avedon)

In addition to Phil Gramm's bank UBS helping filthy rich Americans evade income taxes, Liechtenstein has also served as an illegal tax haven. Until now...

Day of Reckoning? Super Rich Tax Cheats Outed by Bank Clerk
Technician in Liechtenstein Turns Over Names of Americans With Secret Bank Accounts
By BRIAN ROSS and RHONDA SCHWARTZ
July 15, 2008
ABC News


Hundreds of super-rich American tax cheats have, in effect, turned themselves in to the IRS after a bank computer technician in the tiny European country of Liechtenstein came forward with the names of US citizens who had set up secret accounts there, according to Washington lawyers investigating the scheme.

The bank clerk, Heinrich Kieber, has been branded a thief by the government of Liechtenstein for violating the country's bank secrecy laws.

Washington lawyers say a number of prominent citizens have been subpoenaed to testify but have already indicated they will refuse to testify, asserting their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.


SPIEGEL ONLINE has a 4-part series on this story.

1 comment:

Benjamin Wright said...

Mr. Kieber's actions are a token of the information age. In the age of information, the rich, the powerful and the authoritative surprisingly find that they can keep no secrets. Therefore putative secrets become liabilities. What do you think? --Ben http://hack-igations.blogspot.com/2007/12/people-in-authority-sometimes-abuse.html