IHT: Germany to rich tax cheats: We've found you - by Carter Dougerthy and Mark Lander

Angela Merkel hunting down tax cheats

For the complete report from the International Herald Tribune click on this link

The taxman has turned the unusually sunny winter in Germany this year into a time of high anxiety for its political and industrial elites. And his work has barely begun. A fast-spreading scandal has toppled one of the country's most prominent executives, the head of the postal service, Klaus Zumwinkel, and shined an unflattering light on what was long an open secret among wealthy Germans - that dodging the country's high personal income taxes is a sport they play gleefully. A favorite destination for their money is Liechtenstein, the tiny principality at Germany's doorstep known for its Alpine scenery and discreet banks. After an opening phase that bore all the hallmarks of a thriller novel, with payoffs to a mysterious informant who gave German spies a computer disc with incriminating banking data, a tax evasion investigation went nationwide over the weekend. Prosecutors are now nearly certain that they can obtain convictions of hundreds of wealthy tax cheats and blow the lid off of Liechtenstein's role in the scams.

Note EU-Digest: Everyone is expected to pay their taxes, also the wealthy among us. Good job Mrs. Merkel!