| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Europe | |
| Swiss party wants to punish U.S. for UBS probe | |
| 2009-02-22 | |
| The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) called on Saturday for retaliation against the United States over a U.S. tax probe into the country's biggest bank UBS that threatens prized banking secrecy. The populist SVP, the country's biggest party, said Switzerland should not take in any detainees from the U.S. prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which the Swiss government said last month it could consider to help shut the camp down.
The SVP said gold stored by the Swiss National Bank in the United States should be repatriated and Switzerland should ban the sale of U.S. funds in the country to protect Swiss investors after the failure of U.S. regulators. The SVP has one minister in the seven-member Swiss government which is made up of the biggest four parties, but its populist policies have shaken up usually consensual Swiss politics. The comments came after UBS agreed on Wednesday to pay a fine of $780 million and to disclose about 250 names of U.S. clients it said had committed tax fraud to settle U.S. criminal charges that it had helped rich Americans dodge taxes. U.S. tax authorities said on Thursday they were still pursuing a civil case against UBS seeking access to thousands more names of U.S. citizens it says are hiding about $14.8 billion in assets in secret Swiss bank accounts. The SVP also said it would call for an urgent debate in parliament on ways to protect Swiss banking secrecy from "further foreign blackmail". | |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #9 Fuck the Swiss. They were neutral during the War. They couldn't decide whether to be on the Allies side or the Nazis. Fuck the Swiss. |
| Posted by: Glomotch Thavise2856 2009-02-22 22:55 |
| #8 I'm buying ammo. |
| Posted by: Hellfish 2009-02-22 21:21 |
| #7 "Because the backlash against these people is going to be savage." I certainly hope so, LC. And the sooner, the better. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-02-22 15:36 |
| #6 When did the American State start thinking it owned Americans? When the Public Schools stopped teaching American students that "The People" are "The State" and the government is...or was nothing more than public servants. Personally, I think the pendulum has just about reached the end of its swing left. When it starts back the other way I would not want to be viewed as a Liberal/Progressive/Democrat/Marxist anything. Because the backlash against these people is going to be savage. |
| Posted by: Lampedusa Chomomble1512 2009-02-22 15:19 |
| #5 "Swiss cannot determine current ownership" Yes indeed, bank depositor record keeping, accounts, addresses, etc. Nearly pandemic the world over I'm certain, that not knowing who's money you're holding. It must haunt them terribly. Strangely however, the Swiss keep the most |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-02-22 13:31 |
| #4 Besoeker, I'd settle for them publishing the names of all dormant accounts from the late 30's/early 40's for which the Swiss cannot determine current ownership (generally due to the Nazis refusing to issue death certificates, ahem.) |
| Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie 2009-02-22 13:12 |
| #3 Here's a recommendation for "punishment." Publish in the WSJ if you will, a list of all United States Congressional members with SZ bank accounts. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-02-22 12:08 |
| #2 When did the American State start thinking it owned Americans? |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles the flatulent 2009-02-22 10:57 |
| #1 The U.S. squeezes Switzerland for info on hidden bank accounts. Switzerland squeezes back. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-02-22 10:47 |