【禁聞】貪官霹靂﹗ 避稅天堂瑞士告別保密制

2014年05月10日時政
【新唐人2014年05月10日訊】瑞士不再是避稅天堂了,身為全球最大離岸金融中心的瑞士已經承諾,將自動向其他國家交出外國人帳戶的詳細資料。分析指出,這對各國政府來說,是一個福音,但對中共貪官而言,卻是一個晴天霹靂。

6號,在巴黎舉行的經合組織年度部長會議上,瑞士和其他46個國家,共同簽署了一份有關自動交換信息的全球新標準,就是「信息透明協議」。這份協議要求各國收集並交換銀行賬戶、公司的實益擁有權及其他法律結構等信息。

這像徵著瑞士將告別幾百年來堅持保護銀行客戶隱私的做法。據了解,瑞士各銀行普遍採用密碼賬戶、化名代號等管理方式,儲戶只須在第一次存款時寫真實姓名,之後便把戶頭編上代碼。這一保密制度贏得了客戶的信任,目前,瑞士共管理著2萬2000億美元的離岸資產,規模為全球之最。

北京天則經濟研究所副所長馮興元:「有利有弊,對一些產權制度不好的國家,如果有瑞士這樣的保密制度,對於這些想把自己的資金保存的更安全來說,可能是好的。但是,產權制度不好的國家,可能會有大量的貪官污吏,他們也想藏匿財富。這樣看的話,透明化還是好的。」

瑞士政府表示,這份協議體現了瑞士打擊稅務欺詐和逃稅行為的決心。「瑞士銀行家協會」則表示,瑞士銀行業願意與其他金融中心自動交換信息,但只限於稅務理由。

大陸《新京網》報導指出,儘管瑞士將自動交換信息的範疇,限定在「稅收」目地,但嚴查偷漏稅行為,還是可以從中發現大量貪腐線索。

馮興元:「它如果公布取消保密制度,它有個時限,那可能會引起很多資金從瑞士銀行露出,露出是一件好事情,它一露出,你就可以跟蹤了,打草驚蛇吧,它不露出,到時候也是有問題的,因為瑞士要公布來源,這個信息一出來,對反腐必然是有好處。無論你現在轉移資產,你不要轉移資產,總會有一個痕跡。」

據了解,從2002年到2011年的10年間,中國大陸因逃稅、腐敗和犯罪等而產生的非法資金外流,達1萬800億美元,約佔全球份額的1/6,是全球非法資金外流最多的國家。

《維基解密》幾年前披露,中共高官在瑞士銀行大約有5000個賬戶,其中三分之二是中央級大員。從中共的副總理一級、銀行行長、部長到中央委員,幾乎人人都有一個賬戶。此外,在香港工作過的局一級官員,大部分也都有瑞士銀行賬戶。另據美國中文雜誌《中國事務》早前透露,前中共黨魁江澤民在瑞士,有3億5000萬美元的祕密賬戶。

也有媒體披露,前國資委主任蔣潔敏利用執掌「中石油」的權力,向中共前政治局常委周永康家族輸送利益,令周氏家族通過海外公司賺取上百億美元,並將巨款洗到瑞士銀行。

中國時政評論員楊寧在博文中指出,瑞士銀行終結保密制度,給江澤民和周永康家族以及眾多高官帶來惶恐。

謝田:「瑞士銀行的保密體系是全世界公認的,眾所周知的,有上百年的歷史,這些中共官員一定會選擇瑞士來存放他們的錢,所以現在,恐怕中國所有的官員都會驚惶失措的。」

保密制度雖然奠定了瑞士銀行「最可信任」的形象,不過,也讓瑞士飽受批判。美國「南卡羅萊納大學艾肯商學院」教授謝田指出,瑞士是被迫終結保密制度的。

謝田:「 世界各國政府,包括美國政府,都對瑞士銀行施加壓力,施加壓力已經很久了。本來為客戶保密是非常好的客戶服務的方式,現在已經變成獨裁者、暴君和毒梟、毒販者洗錢的天堂,所以瑞士銀行業一直在壓力之下。」

報導說,大多數「避稅天堂」國家都簽署了這一次的協議,而對於少數堅持當「避稅天堂」的國家,經合組織可能年內公布「黑名單」,進一步施加壓力。

採訪/陳漢 編輯/陳潔 後製/黎安安


Switzerland May Share Bank Information to Trace Chinese Black Money

Switzerland is no longer considered as a “tax haven”.

Being the world’s largest offshore financial center,
Switzerland has agreed automatically to share foreigners’
account information with other countries.

Analysts say that this is good news for the other countries,
however, for the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) corrupt
officials, it seems a “thunderstorm”.

At a ministerial meeting of the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris on May 6,
with Switzerland joining, 47 countries have signed up to a new
global standard on automatic information exchange.
This is the information transparency treaty.

The agreement requests each member to collect and exchange
bank data, company beneficial ownership,
other legal structures and more.

Switzerland will lift its centuries-old commitment to
protecting the privacy of banking clients.
Sources say that Swiss banks commonly use bank
secrecy management.
Its clients only needed to register their true identities the first time,
then their accounts were assigned a code.
This secrecy system has won the trust of customers.

Currently, Switzerland has about US$2.2 trillion offshore assets,
the largest in the world

Feng Xingyuan, Deputy Director of the Beijing Unirule
Institute of Economics: “It is good and bad.
For some countries if its property system isn’t good,
clients using Swiss banking secrecy to protect their wealth
may be a good deal.

However, if the countries without a good property system,
have many corrupt officials who want to hide their assets,
in this case, transparency is good.”

Swiss government says that this move shows their
determination to fight tax fraud and tax evasion.
Swiss Bankers Association says that “the banks in
Switzerland are willing to adopt the automatic exchange of
information along with other financial centres,
provided that the exchanged information
is only applied for tax purposes.”

Beijing News reported that although Switzerland limits
the exchange data only in the tax area,
it still can find some clue of corruption while
investigating tax evasion.

Feng Xingyuan: “If Switzerland opens its secrecy system,
it may trigger many assets to be exposed.
It is good, once it is exposed, it can be traced.
If it had never been exposed, it is a problem.
Now because Switzerland will open the data, once it is done,
it is certainly good for anti-corruption.
No matter how many assets are being
transferred from China, they are traceable.”

Sources say that from 2002 to 2011, US$1.8 trillion illegal
funds from tax evasion, corruption and crimes were out flowed China,
it accounts for one-sixth of global amounts.

China is the biggest country with illegal fund
outflows in the world.

WikiLeaks revealed several years ago, 5,000 CCP high-ranking
officials have accounts in Swiss banks.
Amongst them, two-third are officials
in the central government.
From CCP’s deputy premier level, presidents of the banks,
to ministry level officials, almost everyone has bank accounts in Switzerland.
In addition, of top level officials working in Hong Kong in the past,
the majority have Swiss bank accounts.
A US-based Chinese magazine China Affairs reported that
former CCP leader Jiang Zemin has US$350 million deposits in a Swiss bank.

Some media exposed that Jiang Jiemin, former director of
State-owned Assets Commission and chairman of
China National Petroleum Co. using his power transferred benefits
to Zhou Yongkang’s family.
The Zhou’s made billions of dollars profit via some overseas
company, then laundered money to Swiss banks.

Yang Ning, current affairs commentator says in his blog that
as Swiss banks lifted their secrecy system,
it brought great panic to Jiang Zemin, the Zhou Yongkang’s
and other high-ranking officials.

Frank Tian Xie, Professor of the University of South Carolina
Aiken: “Switzerland's banking secrecy system is recognized
by the international community.
As we know, it has centuries-long history.
Thus the CCP officials chose Switzerland to deposit their money.

Now I am afraid that all the CCP officials
will feel panic.”

Although the banking secrecy system gave Swiss banks
the “most trusted” image, it has also been criticized.
Professor Frank Tian Xie says that Switzerland has been
forced to lift the secrecy system.

Frank Tian Xie: “Governments including the US have
pressured Swiss banks for a long time.
To protect clients confidential information
should be considered good service,
However, it becomes a money laundry haven for dictators
and drug dealers.
Thus Swiss banks have always been
under pressure of criticism.”

Sources say that most countries considered as
“tax havens” have signed the treaty this time.
Only a few countries still insisted on “tax haven”status,
and the OECD will likely announce them in a”black list” this year.
Further pressure could be applied.