The reach of Uncle Sam?s taxman in pursuit of unpaid revenue has apparently extended even to Singapore, despite the banking secrecy laws here in the U.S..

The Republic has reportedly become involved in an attempt by the United States tax authorities to identify tax evaders among an estimated one to two million American citizens who have opened offshore bank accounts.

The fact the taxman is going to this extent may seem astonishing to Singaporeans. But it makes sense when you realize that all income earned by US citizens is taxable, whether it is held locally or in other countries.

The information, which the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) hopes will stem the loss of between US$20 billion and US$40 billion each year in tax revenues, is being sought from MasterCard International. This is because offshore bank account holders often use credit cards issued by MasterCard, Visa, American Express and other payment specialists to gain access to their funds from the US.

But whether the IRS will succeed in obtaining information such as the names and transaction records of such account holders is still an open question, because of the present US banking secrecy laws.

The aim of the US tax authorities

Brazil's presidential election does not take place until October, but investors are already voting with their feet at the prospect of victory for the leftwing opposition candidate, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The presidential contender from the Workers' Party, better known simply as Lula, holds a commanding lead over José Serra, the ruling Social Democratic party candidate. The possibility that Lula, a former metalworker, will become leader of Latin America's most important economy has got the markets - which consider him a leftwing firebrand - rattled.

Stocks have tumbled and the currency, the real, has slumped in recent weeks. Last week, credit rating agencies - which access the ability of borrowers to repay their debt - downgraded Brazilian debt.

Investors fear that if Brazil goes off the rails, the rest of Latin America will descend into chaos as the economic contagion spreads. Although Argentinians are suffering terribly from economic turmoil and a once-proud country is reverting to a barter economy, Argentina's problems have not spread to the rest of the continent so far.

The author says that the Brazilian currency has slumped in recent weeks, which means it

Identifique a única opção errada relativa à Lei Complementar nº 101, de 04 de maio de 2000, conhecida como Lei de Responsabilidade Fiscal.

The reach of Uncle Sam?s taxman in pursuit of unpaid revenue has apparently extended even to Singapore, despite the banking secrecy laws here in the U.S..

The Republic has reportedly become involved in an attempt by the United States tax authorities to identify tax evaders among an estimated one to two million American citizens who have opened offshore bank accounts.

The fact the taxman is going to this extent may seem astonishing to Singaporeans. But it makes sense when you realize that all income earned by US citizens is taxable, whether it is held locally or in other countries.

The information, which the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) hopes will stem the loss of between US$20 billion and US$40 billion each year in tax revenues, is being sought from MasterCard International. This is because offshore bank account holders often use credit cards issued by MasterCard, Visa, American Express and other payment specialists to gain access to their funds from the US.

But whether the IRS will succeed in obtaining information such as the names and transaction records of such account holders is still an open question, because of the present US banking secrecy laws.

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