The New Leviathan Blog

 Headlong flight and false solutions 1) Quick to denounce Germany which had purchased customer lists from an IT specialist from the LGT bank – its president Pierre Mirabaud had even spoken of “Gestapo” before retracting – the Swiss Banking Association (ASB) remains silent when the United States promulgated, in 2007, a law financially rewarding tax denunciation (LT of 1.07.2008). She did not react further when the report of the Senate subcommittee (US) revealed that more than 500 Swiss travelers were tracked by the Department...Read More >>

  Hospitals deadlier than the road 1) Victim of a serious infection, Mariana Bridi da Costa, a 20-year-old Brazilian model who was a candidate to represent her country in the Miss World competition, had to undergo amputations of her feet and hands and is still in a critical state. Treated at the end of December for kidney stones, Mariana Bridi saw her condition worsen, forcing her to return to hospital two days later. It turned out that the girl was actually suffering from a very serious infection, which led to the amputation...Read More >>

The mayors say no The mayors of the 19 Brussels municipalities will not collaborate in the implementation of the new federal law on rents as long as the federal state does not give them the means to do so. The mayors of the 19 Brussels municipalities will not collaborate in the implementation of the new federal law on rents as long as the federal state does not give them the means to do so. Municipalities are supposed to carry out checks on compliance with the obligation to speci...Read More >>

The efficient State at its own service KBC, this leading Flemish bank, is definitely lacking in luck. Unless it is the victim of a corporate culture that is too pragmatic, on the profit side, and too tight, on the ethical side? Still, she was once again indicted as a legal person on Tuesday, “La Libre” learned. It is a question of money laundering, forgery and use of forgery as well as tax fraud... The case dates back to 2005. At that time, two people who, around ten years ...Read More >>

State, Community, and Filial Piety  Authorities in the Changyuan region in central China are considering granting social promotions to civil servants based on criteria favoring parental love, the Xinhua news agency announced on Saturday. Half a thousand family members, friends, colleagues and neighbors will be specially questioned by investigators who will be interested in the behavior of all ci...Read More >>

The collusion of politics and the judiciary A complaint with the establishment of a civil party targeting suspicious real estate transactions attributed by the press to Nicolas Sarkozy was filed by an individual in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) but was declared inadmissible, we learned from the public prosecutor's office in this locality on Thursday. This complaint filed by Marc Salomone was administratively registere...Read More >>

Fines: state diversions Last year, fines brought in 311.5 million euros for the federal state, or 12.6 million more than in 2005 (+4.2%). Half of this amount comes from traffic fines, according to figures from the Federal Public Service Finances published by Het Laatste Nieuws. The immediate collection of traffic fines, particularly in the event of an offense relating to wearing a seat belt or speeding, made it possible to collect 185.9 million euros last year. “Transaction...Read More >>

France: the excesses of the tax system The implementation of the withholding tax on income will take time and meets with "little enthusiasm", according to a new report on the issue submitted Tuesday to the Minister of the Economy Thierry Breton, for whom this reform nevertheless goes “in the direction of history”. A major promoter of withholding tax, which consists of having household taxes collected in real time directly by companies or pension funds, and no longer by th...Read More >>

To detox from tobacco or from the State? Smoking at work, in high schools, shopping centers or even hospitals is now prohibited in France, but “nicotine addicts” can still “toast one” at the local café, at least for a few months. The ban initially concerns businesses, educational establishments, administrations, shops, shopping centers, health establishments, train stations, airports, sports halls, performance halls, etc., and all means of public transport. In eleven months...Read More >>