News
In U.S.-Swiss Tax Dispute, 2012 Bank Indictment Proved to Be Breaking Point
By Colby Adams
printThe indictment of a now-defunct Swiss financial institution and threatened charges against the country's largest publicly-owned bank fueled Switzerland's decision last month to seek a broad data-sharing agreement with American officials. In May, the Swiss Federal Council disclosed plans to introduce a bill in June that would clear the way for as many as 13 banks to share client data with the United States in addition to likely paying millions of dollars in settlements. Swiss lawmakers will vote on the plan by June 18, in hopes of ending the 6-year tax standoff between the countries. Once seemingly unthinkable, the expected...
TO READ THE FULL STORY
Related News
Not long ago, U.S. settlements in the hundreds of millions of dollars for violations of American law by a foreign bank seemed unlikely, if not out of the realm of possibility altogether. Then came the $780 million deferred prosecution agreement with UBS AG in 2009.
Hundreds of Swiss bankers are suing to stop their old employers from turning over to the United States details of their interactions with suspected American tax evaders, according to a tax attorney.
Thirty-four nations disclosed a finalized model plan Monday to regularly share financial data for tax enforcement purposes as part of a broader crackdown on tax dodgers and offshore jurisdictions.
An influential Senate subcommittee will hear testimony on tax evasion through offshore banks, Switzerland agrees to follow automatic data exchange standards and more, in this week's news roundup.
The U.S. Justice Department seizes digital funds tied to an Internet black market, Republicans line up behind effort to fight FATCA and more, in this week's news roundup.
As a long-negotiated U.S.-Swiss tax settlement inches forward, some banks in Switzerland are asking themselves an unlikely question: can we disclose more?
China prohibits the trading of bitcoins by financial institutions over money laundering concerns, the U.K. closes 100 suspicious Bank of Cyprus accounts, and more, in this week's news roundup.
Financial trade groups are asking the U.S. Treasury Department for more time to comply with intergovernmental agreements intended to shine a light on bank accounts held by American tax dodgers.
The IRS can serve broad summonses to five of the world's largest banks as part of an effort to collect data on American tax evaders, the Southern District of New York said.
A U.S.-Swiss plan to resolve a tax evasion dispute may absolve Switzerland's government from further action but will prove costly and time-consuming for participating banks, say attorneys.
An expected plan to resolve a U.S.-Swiss tax dispute will likely prompt a wave of disclosures by American taxpayers and clear the way for banks to turn over data on their employees.
An expected pitch Friday by Switzerland's executive branch to clear the way for banks to share data with the United States is likely to face stiff domestic challenges, say Swiss attorneys.
The top European Union official for civil rights said Wednesday that the U.S. Justice Department has yet to answer all of her concerns about a controversial American surveillance program.
Ongoing negotiations between the United States and European Union on a broad data-sharing arrangement will likely be complicated following the leaked disclosure this month of a transnational American surveillance program.
Canada banned all imports and exports tied to Iran, the European Union agreed to drop an arms embargo on Syrian opposition, and more, in the midweek roundup.
Italian authorities arrested 20 individuals for alleged money laundering connected to organized crime, twenty out of 22 men convicted for their roles in one of the biggest bank fraud schemes in Afghanistan's history were given prison sentences, and more, in the midweek roundup.
Switzerland's oldest financial institution may be compelled to share data on its American clients after pleading guilty Thursday to helping customers hide revenue from the IRS, say attorneys.
As settlement negotiations with Swiss banks continue, the IRS is turning its attention to jurisdictions outside of Europe, including two set to eclipse Switzerland as the world's top secrecy havens.
Even as Swiss and U.S. authorities near an expected settlement over American allegations of tax evasion, some financial institutions in Switzerland are informing their clients how to disguise money abroad, say industry sources.
HSBC Bank will lay off 77 employees that serve on its AML team in Buffalo, NY, Belarus' central bank will audit Credexbank after the U.S. Treasury Department accused it of money laundering, and more, in this week's roundup.