Purchase of tax cheater data legitimate

The German government is willing to purchase a CD with illegally acquired data on presumed German tax evaders from Switzerland. The business paper Financial Times has no qualms about the purchase, stressing the effectiveness of such measures: "The German courts reject the Swiss charge of fencing. Were that not the case, Berlin would not be able to openly offer cash for data. But it is hard to get steamed up about this. It is surely legitimate to offer inducements for informers to testify. And it is in the public interest for tax cheats to be identified and forced to pay their dues. ... Tax evasion is high in the US and Europe. Merkel's put is a highly effective mechanism for achieving this. The Germans have raked in about 200 million euros so far from [Liechtenstein bank] LGT's clients for their 4.6 million euros, some of which they recouped by onward sales of data to other states. The Swiss are right to be worried."

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