The little secret of the Swiss banks
In the head of the Swiss Conference of Free Churches and communities, where I found the Vineyard - represent motion, was discussed by banking secrecy. The impetus for this was a group of people who see the bank secrecy as a violation of God's justice, and therefore this link directly to the question whether Switzerland available in the future under God's blessing or a curse will. First
said Dr. Christoph Winzeler as a member of Switzerland. Bankers Association, the background of banking secrecy and the current situation. Then I told my critical position, supporting myself on a dossier of VBG Institute of Jan. 06 " The little secret of the Swiss banks .
To make it short. The Switzerland. Money Laundering Act is best practice internationally. Today, the banks must be aware of the origin of the funds and to whom they belong. Anonymous accounts are not.
But the ethical core problem of the Swiss financial center is not the criminal money laundering, but that we assist customers with foreign domicile is entirely legal, to evade taxes. We encourage this by the distinction between tax evasion and tax fraud. While in most countries both are punishable by law, we have to decriminalize in Switzerland this distinction to the simple tax evasion and the business with her. If a state wants to cases of suspected tax evasion by our banks accounts, information about its citizens, he received no help from Switzerland. Because is not (for example, did not register an account with the tax authorities) tax evasion prosecution in Switzerland, you must then ensure no legal assistance abroad over pay. While for tax fraud, the provision of legal aid is given to help with tax evasion to the outside world is expressly excluded. These two instruments - the removal of tax evasion and tax fraud, then the explicit exclusion of legal assistance in tax evasion - so open to Switzerland as a location for emergency funds are particularly attractive and abroad logically perceived as unfair competition.
that save customers to manage their money in Swiss banks to hide such a can, I think, is really an injustice.
Because taxes have the sense to government services and infrastructure finance. It is therefore logical that taxes should not be on a deserted island in the South Pacific, but there paid where someone lives or where a company produces. In modern states is also clear that taxes, unlike charges are not directly linked to a performance. This is a tax according to the principle of economic efficiency. Who earns more pay more taxes. This principle I think is good for our country, and it should be so in other countries.
It is a meaningful expression of poetic justice.
Switzerland has run, however, the efforts of other States to collect their rightful taxes. This contradicts the testimony of Jesus concerning the Roman "criminal state" Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and God what belongs to God "Jesus would give us today probably no other advice..
Now customers can therefore hide their money in Swiss banks or less. We increase our prosperity so that, when that money or taxes owed to the countries of origin - countries lacking. Even if it is decided democratically in these countries, that all citizens under the same criteria have to pay taxes, the States may not enforce their right because the Swiss banks do not need help.
It's perfectly logical that other states have the impression that the Switzerland is not in accordance with standards of justice, but according to the scale of self-interest.
The excessively high tax rate is occasionally mentioned as a legitimation for tax evasion. Because states rip too much, tax evasion was justifiable legitimate and ethical.
In democratic states of law is negotiated, the tax rate but politically. Every State has the taxes he deserves. The fact that majorities play the decisive role is an expression of democracy. Who else other than the state is in political and economic issues of "place of ethics"? To take the law into their own hands and to evade taxes can not be so seriously the way out.
The fear of glass taxpayers is another argument for banking secrecy. I criticize not the banking secrecy as such, but only that you can rely on to cover up criminal activity. By the way - the "transparent tax payers" are already available. The income of the employee - and this group forms the majority - is to be in the salary statement from the tax office and openly declared its integrity must be taxed. Why labor income should be treated differently than capital income?
They want the same honesty and personal responsibility of citizens to promote ... That it
happert with the honesty in connection with money is like a truism. Switzerland is therefore attempted to promote honesty in financial incentives instead of dishonesty, the Treasury reported. The one piece of work far beyond the so-called withholding tax. This is taken off on our bank and delivered to the state. If we do our bank accounts, honestly, we can reclaim this withholding tax return. Otherwise, the state has at least the Verechnungssteuer in the bag. Foreign governments had not been this way!
vacuum you can now find at least within the EU from this solution. But in the view of many other states is still no settlement in sight.
questions of ethics and justice
The English development organization Oxfam suggested that developing countries alone lost taxes on investment income - considered so without taxing the assets themselves - $ 15 billion annually escape. About a third of the offshore funds are invested in Switzerland. Assuming that this also applies for funds from the South, the South escape through tax evasion in Switzerland each year $ 5 billion. This is five times more than the total amounts to public development aid from Switzerland. (By the way: One of the assets managed in Switzerland, estimated at 4,000 billion francs.)
I also see in dealing with our responsibilities as the world's leading banking center a matter of justice. However, along with many other topics.
The abolition of the distinction between tax evasion and tax fraud would be an important signal and a small step toward more justice in our world.
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