Yves Petignat sees tax evasion as deeply rooted in German culture

The editorialist Yves Petignat analyses the consequences of the tax evasion scandal that is currently shaking up Germany. "Up until now, the tax evasion of a few celebrities such as Boris Becker, or Steffi Graf's father, was welcome material in the tabloid press. But by exploding like a bomb with almost a thousand names, including that of the manager of Deutsche Post, as well as high-ranking officials and business executives, the scandal of the Liechtenstein bank LGT is very revealing. Political authorities are saying that the behaviour of the economic elite threatens the trust placed by citizens in the German model of a social market economy. ... Hence the current calls, in Germany, for a penalty that punishes tax dodgers socially : prison. The same as for bag-snatchers. This also allows politicians to avoid soiling the image of the State that citizens have."

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