Cheryl on the Web

The German government’s media watchdog is criticizing the song competition “Germany Looks for the Superstar” (in other countries known as “Pop Idols” or “Idols”) as “a conscious portrayal” of “antisocial behavior” as “cool” and “promising” (Spiegel.de). According to the leader of the Commission for Youth Media Protection, the popular TV show chooses which candidates are shown to the public and how they are portrayed in such a way that a quota of humiliation and mortification is met. “It is everything but normal, to overrun a candidate with descriptors of the foulest category, to make him look ridiculous due to supposed outward deficits, and to portray this as socially preferable [behavior]”. A leftist member of the Parlament in Germany has called the show “disruptive to the life dreams and self-confidence of rejected candidates”.

Interesting, is my first standard reaction on reading this news article. The criticism isn’t without a basis. (more…)

I thought I’d heard it all when, on Thursday of this week, the CEO of the German postal service was taken in for questioning on a warrant for tax evasion: tax evasion to a sum of more than 10 million euro. The man, named Klaus Zumwinkel, had (until this week) a prestigious reputation in the business world, and he is (or was until this week) member of the Board of many large companies such as German Telecom, Lufthansa and Morgan Stanley. Apparently he grounded foundations in Liechtenstein and used them to hide money from German tax authorities. It has come as a huge shock to most of Germany that this man would commit tax fraud to such an extent, not to mention the resentment felt by many that someone with so much money would find it necessary to avoid paying taxes, so that the less well-to-do can pick up the slack.

Yesterday the story took a new turn worthy of consideration: it seems that the information which lead to the case against Zumwinkel (and against many others German tax “sinners”, not yet named) was turned over to the German government by a secret informant in Liechtenstein for the sum of between 4 and 5 million euro, paid by the German secret intelligence service. The information included memo’s, details of financial transactions, and Liechtenstein bank account numbers that were involved in the tax evasion schemes. Two large Liechtenstein banks are implicated by the information, and the press as well as the banks have yet to establish how the information was obtained by the informant. Tax evasion is not officially a crime in Liechtenstein; foundations incorporated there are allowed to benefit the founder; and Liechtenstein banks have a strong policy of secrecy and confidentiality - so the value of this information to German tax authorities and the embarrassment it presents to Liechtenstein should not be underestimated.

This entire saga brings to mind a number of fascinating moral questions. (more…)