Talk:Tax evasion
From Academic Kids
I'm not sure tax protesters should be here at all. There was a moral edge in the text about them which I have tried to neutralise. Psb777 04:19, 30 Jan 2004 (UTC)
Switzerland
How can it be that in Switzerland, tax evasion is not considered a crime, whereas tax evasion is defined as "by breaking the law"? Is it not a crime to break the law in Switzerland??
And is it legal to "undeclare assets" for tax purposes there? Does anyone actually pay any tax at all in Switzerland??
simon 00:53, 23 Dec 2004 (UTC)
- In a sense, using the term "tax evasion" is a bit misleading: most countries differentiate tax avoidance (legally reducing your tax liability) from tax evasion (illegally reducing your tax liability, including fraud), but the Swiss treat most tax transgressions as civil matters, so many acts that would amount to criminal tax evasion in other countries are treated as civil matters in Switzerland and are dealt with in the Swiss tax courts, not the criminal courts. Dishonestly underestimating or failing to report income in a tax return is not considered a crime, unless it amounts to tax fraud (e.g. deliberate falsification of records). [1] (http://switzerland.isyours.com/e/banking/secrecy/tax.html)[2] (http://www.offshore-manual.com/taxhavens/Switzerland.html)[3] (http://www.euractiv.com/Article?tcmuri=tcm:29-117943-16&type=News) -- ALoan (Talk) 10:24, 23 Dec 2004 (UTC)
By definition it is only a crime to break the criminal code. So there is no contradiction. Tax evasion is not a crime in Switzerland even though the law is being broken. Similarly libel, in most jurisdictions, is not a crime. And trespassing is (was?) not a crime in England. Paul Beardsell 19:10, 23 Dec 2004 (UTC)
