Greek coffers might benefit from a list of its citizens who hold accounts in Swiss banks.
Germany’s federal tax office provided the list of more than 10,588 named Greek depositors, including companies, who are suspected of tax evasion.
The bank accounts are reported to be worth €3.6 billion.
The data was handed over to the Greek finance ministry. The deputy minister responsible for tax revenues, Tryfon Alexiadis, said the information would be acted on quickly although the government had to assume the innocence of those named.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has pledged to tackle tax dodging which, at an estimated $35 billion a year, is a major problem. The economy is in its sixth year of recession, unemployment is staggeringly high, and unprecedented poverty abounds for ordinary citizens.
Many wealthy Greeks, it appears, have been able to deposit their funds abroad. Chancellor Merkel has decided to help the Greek government in obtaining fair revenue.
Berlin has contributed the most to the €326 billionn bailout funding Athens has received so far.
Deputy finance minister Alexiadis last month received a letter in the post with a bullet enclosed. The letter compared him to a Nazi collaborator.
Comments
But we never hear what happened to the Portuguese part of the Lagarde list or if they are also benefiting from this German largesse. Or, in Portugal's case, will it open too many cans of worms? So best keep hounding the little people and not go after a well known big fish.