800 HSBC clients told to pay up for Swiss tax dodge

It might be bogus, but not necessarily so. In fact that was exactly my point in the first place. I said it was easy to come up with evidence acceptable to the banks which shows that you live in a country when you don't actually live there at all.

Despite that, you cannot claim that such bills are bogus simply because the person doesn't hold a residence visa. Some countries don't even issue such things as residence visas. Many people have their homes in and live for long periods of time in countries while they are technically classed as visitors. If someone lives in a country for eleven months out of the year it would be misleading of them to claim to live anywhere other than the place where they spend the vast majority of their time. In these cases phone and electricity bills show the banks exactly what they want to see.

Give it up man. You're constantly moving the goalposts. The thread started off talking about HSBC and I provided documentary evidence which showed that HSBC accept utility bills. Then you decided you wanted to narrow it down to "a Swiss bank" so I gave you evidence of what Credit Suisse require. Now you apparently want to narrow it down to something else. You have failed to come up with a single shred of evidence to prove your claim that utility bills are unacceptable to any bank.

The fact is that documents such as electricity and telephone bills are the "industry standard" as far as evidence of a customer's address is concerned. I could come up with numerous other example of where this is the situation with banks all over the world. Your claims to the contrary are nothing but hot air.

Reply to
Chris Blunt
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You've yet to show that it's acceptable to a bank in Switzerland.

Such as?

Technically, visitor status has a time limit.

Except that you haven't shown this to be the case in *Switzerland*.

HSBC in Switzerland, where the disclosure of customer data occurred.

Not in Switzerland.

Call it a bank operating in Switzerland if you prefer.

In India, of all places.

You, on the other hand, have failed to come up with a single shred of evidence that a bank in Switzerland, operating under Swiss law, whether it be HSBC or any other, will accept utility bills as proof of evidence.

All you have managed to come up with is irrelevant examples from the Isle of Man and India. Neither of those are relevant to the Swiss banking system.

Perhaps you could come up with numerous examples of how this applies in *Switzerland*. Or are you a troll?

Reply to
The Revd

The client is trying to show that he lives *outside* Switzerland, so he would come under the rules that Swiss banks apply to their customers who live outside the area covered by the European Union Savings Directive.

The particular example I gave was the rules that Credit Suisse AG use for their customers who claim to be resident in India. Credit Suisse AG is a bank "in Switzerland". The rules were decided on by their management headquarters in Switzerland for clients living in India and wanting to open accounts at their Mumbai branch. If they apply a different set of rules for clients claiming to actually live in Switzerland itself that is irrelevant as far as this discussion is concerned.

Reply to
Chris Blunt

That's not the way I see it. The rules appear to be specifiic to the Credit Suisse branch in Mumbai. There may be advantages to NOT being resident in India when opening an account there. There is no evidence to show that they apply to Credit Suisse worldwide.

Anecdote regarding HSBC: I once walked into their Luxembourg office with the intention of opening an account. They thought I was somebody else and handed me the statements of a complete stranger. I went elsewhere.

Reply to
The Revd

Well you're the one who claims to have had personal experience of opening accounts with Swiss banks so I would have thought you should be in a position to know. I did invite you to produce some evidence to substantiate your claims, but you haven't been able to come up with anything yet.

I bank mainly with HSBC, although I've held various accounts with several other banks as well. I know what I've been asked for to prove my address and I was able to show what their requirements are.

Definitely not good. I've been affected by the most appalling breaches of security by banks in the past. They like to be judgemental of others but are often not so good at putting their own house in order.

Reply to
Chris Blunt

I am.

Nor, for that matter, have you.

Not really relevant in this context.

The HSBC head office in London was just as bad. If you had to get something done, it was always best to go there in the morning. People used to come back from lunch drunk.

Reply to
The Revd

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