According to the Associated Press the U.S. and Swiss government are close to reaching a deal over recent allegations that American taxpayers were using accounts to avoid paying taxes on the funds. The Federal government had planned to take UBS (the largest Swiss bank) to trial, but a Florida judge has canceled the trial after word broke that negotiations between the governments had been fruitful.
Justice Department attorney Stuart Gibson said Friday in a conference call with the judge that major issues have been resolved. He did not disclose details.
U.S. District Judge Alan S. Gold agreed to cancel a trial that was supposed to begin Monday.
The dispute involves about 52,000 Americans the U.S. believes are hiding billions of dollars of assets in UBS accounts. The bank and Swiss government say the names cannot be disclosed without violating long-standing Swiss bank secrecy laws.
