New measures by the German legislator to detect tax evasion
In recent years, German lawmakers have developed many activities to clarify tax evasion abroad. An essential part of this was the law on the exchange between different states on financial accounts in tax matters. The states concerned have undertaken to inform each other about the accounts of the respective citizens. Following an announcement by the German Federal Ministry of Finance on 29.01.2019, this list has now been updated.
The risk that tax arrangements involving foreign banks might be uncovered is increasing. Affected account holders should therefore carefully examine whether they can be accused of tax evasion. If this is the case, German lawyers who specialise in criminal tax law should examine the possibility of voluntary self-disclosure to avoid penalty.
If there is a suspicion that money is being transferred abroad to evade taxes, German tax investigators currently have potential access to information on bank accounts of the following states:
Andorra
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Aruba
Azerbaijan
Australia
Bahamas
Bahrain
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Bermuda
Brazil
British Virgin Island
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Curacao
Denmark
Dominica
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Finland
France (France)
Ghana
Gibraltar
Grenada
Greece
Greenland
Guernsey
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Iceland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Japan
Jersey
Cayman Islands
Canada
Colombia
Korea, Republic of
Croatia
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Malaysia
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Mexico
Monaco
Montserrat
Nauru
New Zealand
Netherlands
Nigeria
Niue
Norway
Austria
Pakistan
Panama
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Samoa
San Marino
Saudi Arabia
Sweden
Switzerland
Seychelles
Singapore
Sint Maarten
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Saint Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
South Africa
Trinidad and Tobago
Czechia
Turkey
Turks and Caicos Islands
Hungary
Uruguay
Vanuatu
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Cyprus