Entries by Manager

US-Switzerland Bank Program: Migros Bank, Bank Coop, Linth Bank, Berner Kantonalbank and Vontobel Holding

Several weeks ago, in another article, I detailed some of the recent developments in the US-Switzerland Bank Program, officially called The Program for Non-Prosecution Agreements or Non-Target Letters for Swiss Banks (the “US-Switzerland Bank Program”) between the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the government of Switzerland, and noted that Valiant Holdings AG had officially […]

FBAR Penalties: Outrageous, Draconian but Real

If you have undisclosed foreign financial accounts that should have been reported on the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (“FBAR”), you may be facing FBAR penalties. By far, the FBAR contains the most severe civil penalties and significant criminal penalties among all international tax forms. It is important to understand that these penalties, despite […]