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| François Hollande targets tax evasion as approval ratings plummet | François Hollande targets tax evasion as approval ratings plummet |
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| France is to create a new agency to fight financial fraud and force its banks to detail activities in tax havens, in a bid to clamp down on tax evasion and corruption after the disgraced budget minister confessed to hiding money in a secret foreign bank account. | France is to create a new agency to fight financial fraud and force its banks to detail activities in tax havens, in a bid to clamp down on tax evasion and corruption after the disgraced budget minister confessed to hiding money in a secret foreign bank account. |
| The Socialist president, François Hollande, has seen his approval ratings slide to record lows amid the biggest sleaze scandal to hit his presidency, after his budget minister, Jerome Cahuzac, confessed to hiding €600,000 (£512,000) in a secret foreign account and lying over it. | The Socialist president, François Hollande, has seen his approval ratings slide to record lows amid the biggest sleaze scandal to hit his presidency, after his budget minister, Jerome Cahuzac, confessed to hiding €600,000 (£512,000) in a secret foreign account and lying over it. |
| Cahuzac, who until last month headed the Socialists' crackdown on tax evasion, has been charged with laundering the proceeds of tax fraud. The scandal has proved damaging to Hollande, who campaigned on a promise to fight sleaze. The president continues to face questions from the media over why Cahuzac was able to stay in office and lie for so long. | Cahuzac, who until last month headed the Socialists' crackdown on tax evasion, has been charged with laundering the proceeds of tax fraud. The scandal has proved damaging to Hollande, who campaigned on a promise to fight sleaze. The president continues to face questions from the media over why Cahuzac was able to stay in office and lie for so long. |
| Hollande appeared on TV on Wednesday for the second time in a week to unveil a series of measures to ensure more transparency and integrity in public life, in an attempt to limit the fallout from the affair. He promised a "relentless fight" against financial crime, greed and opaque finance, acknowledging the mood of public suspicion and mistrust. | Hollande appeared on TV on Wednesday for the second time in a week to unveil a series of measures to ensure more transparency and integrity in public life, in an attempt to limit the fallout from the affair. He promised a "relentless fight" against financial crime, greed and opaque finance, acknowledging the mood of public suspicion and mistrust. |
| The measures include the appointment of a special prosecutor dedicated to financial crimes, corruption and fraud. He also promised that banks would be made to release annual lists of their international affiliates, country by country, in order to stamp out use of tax havens. | The measures include the appointment of a special prosecutor dedicated to financial crimes, corruption and fraud. He also promised that banks would be made to release annual lists of their international affiliates, country by country, in order to stamp out use of tax havens. |
| "In other words, it won't be possible for a bank to hide transactions carried out in a tax haven," he said. "Tax havens have to be eliminated in Europe and around the world." | "In other words, it won't be possible for a bank to hide transactions carried out in a tax haven," he said. "Tax havens have to be eliminated in Europe and around the world." |
| Hollande had suffered further embarrassment last week when his former election campaign treasurer, Jean-Jacques Augier, was found to have made personal investments in offshore businesses in the Cayman islands, which, although legal, added to the climate of mistrust in the political class. | Hollande had suffered further embarrassment last week when his former election campaign treasurer, Jean-Jacques Augier, was found to have made personal investments in offshore businesses in the Cayman islands, which, although legal, added to the climate of mistrust in the political class. |
| As part of Hollande's transparency drive, government ministers must publish details of their personal assets by next Monday, 15 April. France has been one of only a few European countries where politicians did not have to make public a list of their assets when taking office. Only the president was forced to go public on personal wealth while ministers only had to declare any conflict of interest. | As part of Hollande's transparency drive, government ministers must publish details of their personal assets by next Monday, 15 April. France has been one of only a few European countries where politicians did not have to make public a list of their assets when taking office. Only the president was forced to go public on personal wealth while ministers only had to declare any conflict of interest. |
| The move has seen some ministers detail their assets in the media already, with the industry minister, Arnaud Montebourg, telling Le Monde of flats jointly owned with his mother, half an underground parking space in Dijon and a Charles Eames chair bought for the equivalent of around €4,000. | The move has seen some ministers detail their assets in the media already, with the industry minister, Arnaud Montebourg, telling Le Monde of flats jointly owned with his mother, half an underground parking space in Dijon and a Charles Eames chair bought for the equivalent of around €4,000. |
| The Green party housing minister, Cecile Duflot, sparked an environmental debate on social network sites after she declared an old Renault 4 and a Twingo. The culture minister, Aurelie Filipetti, said on TV that she owned her 70 sq metre flat in Paris and a David Beckham T-shirt. Marisol Touraine, the housing minister, declared she was subject to France's wealth tax as she had wealth of around €1.4m, made up of several properties. | The Green party housing minister, Cecile Duflot, sparked an environmental debate on social network sites after she declared an old Renault 4 and a Twingo. The culture minister, Aurelie Filipetti, said on TV that she owned her 70 sq metre flat in Paris and a David Beckham T-shirt. Marisol Touraine, the housing minister, declared she was subject to France's wealth tax as she had wealth of around €1.4m, made up of several properties. |
| The former rightwing prime minister Francois Fillon declared his home in Sarthe worth around €650,000, less than €100,000 in savings in several bank accounts, and two cars, each more than 10 years old. But he criticised Hollande's move to force public declaration of MPs' wealth, saying it "throws discredit on all elected politicians in the nation, in order to dilute his own responsibilities". | The former rightwing prime minister Francois Fillon declared his home in Sarthe worth around €650,000, less than €100,000 in savings in several bank accounts, and two cars, each more than 10 years old. But he criticised Hollande's move to force public declaration of MPs' wealth, saying it "throws discredit on all elected politicians in the nation, in order to dilute his own responsibilities". |
| Jean-François Copé, head of the leading rightwing opposition party, the UMP, said the measure amounted to "voyeurism" and "hypocrisy". | Jean-François Copé, head of the leading rightwing opposition party, the UMP, said the measure amounted to "voyeurism" and "hypocrisy". |
| Some MPs, including those on the left, complained about the move to force public declaration of wealth, saying it was not fair on their partners' privacy. | Some MPs, including those on the left, complained about the move to force public declaration of wealth, saying it was not fair on their partners' privacy. |
| Under Hollande's new law, all MPs and key figures in local administration will be required to publish their assets at the start and end of terms. A new independent authority will monitor the declarations, after the disgraced Cahuzac lied in his declaration. | Under Hollande's new law, all MPs and key figures in local administration will be required to publish their assets at the start and end of terms. A new independent authority will monitor the declarations, after the disgraced Cahuzac lied in his declaration. |
| A list of banned professions for MPs will be drawn up, to prevent conflicts of interest. "For the sake of the French people, we aim to ensure that those who govern them, those they have elected … are not getting richer in the course of their mandate," Hollande said. | A list of banned professions for MPs will be drawn up, to prevent conflicts of interest. "For the sake of the French people, we aim to ensure that those who govern them, those they have elected … are not getting richer in the course of their mandate," Hollande said. |
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