(UBS) Canadians Disclose UBS Accounts

Canada’s Revenue Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said on Wednesday that around 88 Canadian clients of UBS AG (UBS) have voluntarily disclosed their UBS accounts to Canada’s revenue agency. The government has reached settlement with around 41 of these clients who have reported C$15 million ($14.3 million) in previously undisclosed income.

Canada has been trying to get details of Canadian clients who have accounts in UBS AG. Swiss banks such as UBS AG have enjoyed large foreign deposit inflows over the years as a result of the country’s tax system, which emphasizes extreme secrecy. However, the adoption of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development standards for tax cooperation coupled with the US Internal Revenue Service’s lawsuit against UBS has led to a dilution of secrecy.

If required, Canada will take UBS AG to court to extract details of indigenous clients who have accounts in the bank. In August this year, UBS AG agreed to disclose account details of 4,450 American clients, who have allegedly evaded taxes. Last month, around 14,700 Americans have surrendered themselves under a government amnesty program, according to the U.S. officials, fearing a crackdown on offshore tax evasions.

UBS’s third quarter results were disappointing as the company reported its fourth consecutive quarterly loss. The company is experiencing large fund outflows as worried investors are eyeing a safer refuge. The ongoing global economic turmoil has severely hurt the Swiss banking major’s balance sheet when the subprime crisis led to record losses. In particular, the investment banking arm of UBS experienced large trading losses.

The company had to take a financial aid package from the Swiss government. In addition, the issues emanating from the dilution of Swiss banking secrecy will significantly challenge the company’s return to profitability.

Zacks Investment Research

More on this topic (What's this?)
D-Day for US Citizens with Swiss Bank Accounts
Why Does UBS Still Employ Phil Gramm?
Read more on UBS AG, Investing in Canada at Wikinvest

Related Posts:

  1. (UBS) Moody’s Investors Service Cuts UBS AG’s RatingsMoody’s Investors Service has cut various ratings on UBS AG (UBS) pointing out the significant...
  2. (BCE) iPhone Deploys to More Canadian CarriersBell Canada , the subsidiary of incumbent Canadian telecom carrier BCE Inc (BCE), and Telus...
  3. ($UBS) Swiss Banks Choose Safety Over SecrecyOn Wednesday, the US and the Swiss governments officially signed the new dual tax treaty...
  4. (UBS) Swiss Exchange Probing UBSUBS AG (UBS) is currently being probed by the Swiss Stock Exchange over possible violation...
  5. (UBS) U.S. Asks UBS for Detailed Taxpayer DataThe United States has officially started the process of gathering account details on 4,450 American...
  6. CDARS Accounts: How To Protect Your Assets From FDIC Insurance Limitsby David Fessler, Advisory Panelist As regular readers know, I have a passion for nearly...


Search Posts by Tag: | | Financial | Foreign Money Center Banks

RSS Feeds by Tag: UBS | UBS AG | Financial | Foreign Money Center Banks |

Other Posts by: | RSS Feed for this author