UBS Chairman and former German Central Banker Axel Weber has confirmed that UBS has a zero-tolerance policy against bankers helping tax evaders.
Mr Weber's assertion comes immediately after allegations from German tax officials and left-wing politicians that Swiss banks are helping German clients to shift their assets from Switzerland to Asian jurisdictions, especially Singapore. German Social Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel has even compared practices in Swiss banks to “organized crime”.
"The bank requires that all employees in the cross-border asset management business abide by legal fundamentals, including the German-Swiss tax deal […] Whoever transgresses is severely sanctioned”,
Mr Weber told German newspaper Handelsblatt in an interview.
Furthermore, UBS has clearly indicated that it backs the German-Swiss tax deal, which provides for a one-off withholding tax and a further withholding tax on non resident bank interest on Swiss bank accounts in exchange for continuation of the existing Swiss bank secrecy regime, but which has not been ratified yet.
Mr Weber's assertion comes immediately after allegations from German tax officials and left-wing politicians that Swiss banks are helping German clients to shift their assets from Switzerland to Asian jurisdictions, especially Singapore. German Social Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel has even compared practices in Swiss banks to “organized crime”.
"The bank requires that all employees in the cross-border asset management business abide by legal fundamentals, including the German-Swiss tax deal […] Whoever transgresses is severely sanctioned”,
Mr Weber told German newspaper Handelsblatt in an interview.
Furthermore, UBS has clearly indicated that it backs the German-Swiss tax deal, which provides for a one-off withholding tax and a further withholding tax on non resident bank interest on Swiss bank accounts in exchange for continuation of the existing Swiss bank secrecy regime, but which has not been ratified yet.
