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A Crack In The Swiss Vault

January 3, 2010 5:30 PM

Switzerland's largest bank has given authorities formerly sacrosanct info on its U.S. customers because of tips provided by a whistleblower, who tells Steve Kroft the secrets Swiss bankers never tell.

Banking: A Crack In The Swiss Vault
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by rightbehind August 19, 2010 12:11 PM EDT
This is common practice amongst the wealthy and corporations. They end up paying back 10 cents on the dollar. In this case it pays to steal.
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by lucifersshadow August 16, 2010 7:03 PM EDT
Justice is suppose to deal evenly with the law, but when it comes to people with big pockets, they always get off. Just one more proof that America is a plutocracy, not a democracy. When they own the media, they control the vote. We Americans are getting ripped off when we pay our taxes because we are not getting representation - that should come with paying our taxes - while the rich evade taxes, and buy themselves into office.
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by hailstorm-harry April 16, 2010 2:16 PM EDT
The tax cheaters bribed the Justice Dept. which is why they got off easy and no jail time. They also bribed them to prosecute Birkenfeld!
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by hailstorm-harry April 16, 2010 2:14 PM EDT
His real crime is exposing the tax cheaters in the first place. The corrupt Justice Dept. doesn't want anyone blowing the whistle on tax cheats because many of them are high-level American execs and politicians, so they punished Birkenfeld for doing so.
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by km63 February 6, 2010 10:45 AM EST
This whistle blower should be put in prison for life for his crime in helping 19,000 Americans cheat the US taxpayers. In war a "turn coat" or a spy gets a bullet directly in the temple. He should consider himself lucky he's going to prison where is safe because maybe one of the 19,000 people he snitched on after he knowingly helped them cheat the US taxpayers and government may just put a bullet where it belongs. Throw the key away on this worthless turn coat.
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by cbs_bull February 1, 2010 5:47 AM EST
This is not fair. Can we trust the US government anymore?
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by JamesB621 January 8, 2010 2:26 PM EST
So typical, the real lawbreakers and tax cheats cross a few palms then walk away scot free while the whistle blower loses everything and goes to jail. I'll just bet that the Justice Department won't give him one thin dime for exposing some of the wealthiest tax cheats in America and securing for the government billions in unpaid tax money. His reward? 40 months in a federal prison and probably no whistle blower funds either.
Potential whistle blowers are taking note and probably going to elect to not say anything about anything.
Good going Justice Department, you may have just shot yourselves in the foot really good this time.
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by I_Am_No_One_Special January 8, 2010 11:49 AM EST
This blog sight is the slowest one I have ever participated with on the internet. What is so difficult about live chat? CBSNEWS chat is lame. I am out of here guys...there is no later.
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by I_Am_No_One_Special January 8, 2010 11:47 AM EST
where is my comment?
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by sectorseveng January 4, 2010 7:03 PM EST
60 minutes where did you publish the list of names? Why couldn't you pressure the AG as to why they cherry picked only a few names from the massive list, and did not request the entire list? Why is a guy who tried to steal 56 million really going free, and the whistle blower going to jail?

Why is there a forgiveness plan for the wealthy to come forward and reveal their crimes, repay, and go free, yet if the average American were to deliberately hide say $1000 he would be facing jail and IRS penalties?

Why wasn't UBS given a fine of one year of exclusion from US markets?

Why is it that doing the wrong thing is always rewarded in America, and doing the correct thing always punished?
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