Tax authorities chasing Jersey account holders

The tax authorities are attempting to obtain information on Maltese with offshore accounts at HSBC Bank’s Jersey branch, The Times has learnt. A list with the names of people holding offshore bank accounts in Jersey was leaked by a whistleblower to the UK tax authorities last week. The list is purported to include people who opened accounts with HSBC Jersey to avoid the taxman or to deposit funds obtained through illicit means. The existence of the list was revealed last week by The Daily Telegraph. It showed that 94 Maltese residents held bank accounts in HSBC Jersey with funds totalling almost €15 million. The Finance Ministry confirmed that the tax authorities were chasing the information. “The Inland Revenue Department is in the process of obtaining the necessary information and will take the appropriate action required in this case,” a spokesman said. Asked whether the IRD was willing to pay for the information, the spokesman said the department did not want to prejudge its actions. Although not all Jersey account holders are tax evaders or fraudsters, The Daily Telegraph highlighted the names of a few suspect British account holders. The investigation by the UK tax...