In Depth: Tax evasion - A day in the life of a tax collector in Germany - je 26.02.2008

Tax evasion is much more than just a pecadillo. It's a crime in almost every country in the world, punishable by fines or imprisonment. In China, it can even mean the death penalty. Here in Germany, former Deutsche Post CEO Klaus Zumwinkel is accused of having smuggled around a million Euros past the tax authorities to an account in Lichtenstein, a known tax haven. In addition to being morally questionable, evasion on that scale is basically stealing from your fellow citizens. Those million Euros in missing tax payments could have been used in state funded projects - for example for social welfare. But how easy is it to track down people who are cheating on their taxes? The German government paid an informant 5 million Euros for the tip that led them to Zumwinkel. Our report looks at a day in the life of a tax collector in Germany.