Bild reveals €200 billion Greek capital flight

Published on 19 October 2011 at 10:46

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Unsparing in its criticism of Greece, Bild launches another broadside against its favourite target: "Greeks stash 200 billion euros in Swiss bank accounts!" headlines the Berlin tabloid, whose influence on the Chancellorship is an open secret. "While Europe struggles to help Greece with multi-billion euro bailout plans, more and more Greeks are transferring their money out of the country” to avoid the consequences of a crash in the national economy, announces Bild. “Stop the capital flight!” insists the tabloid’seditorial, which lambasts the Greek elite for refusing to introduce a tax on money transfers or penalties for tax evasion.

This capital should be tracked down in Switzerland, remarksFinancial Times Deutschland, which argues that "Switzerland should extradite the Greek money.” The daily reports that Bern is preparing to hold negotiations with Athens to prevent the flight of Greek capital, which will be inspired agreements already concluded with Germany and the UK: the goal will be to tax revenues generated by capital belonging to Greek clients. In exchange, Greece will drop plans to pursue tax evaders and implicated banks. "Athens is hoping that this measure will help to calm social dissent in the country, where the government has been criticised for placing the bulk of the burden of the crisis on the middle and working classes,” explains FTD.

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