Monday, August 17, 2009

UBS Tax Crackdown Widens to Hong Kong

Just weeks after reaching a settlement with the U.S. government, Switzerland’s largest bank UBS AG is running into even more problems. This time reports suggest that American taxpayers used illegal bank accounts and fake businesses in Hong Kong to avoid reporting their income. Check out the following story from the Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. crackdown on clients of UBS AG is widening into a global hunt, with the government detailing in court documents how the Swiss bank and outside advisers helped Americans hide money using enterprises set up in Hong Kong.

For the first time in the government's long-running bid to ferret out the names of U.S. tax-evaders from the Swiss bank's client list, plea agreements entered in the case are providing a clearer picture of UBS's sophisticated efforts to help Americans hide income or the existence of foreign bank accounts.