A German regional official’s plan to allow authorities to receive anonymous information online about possible tax evaders has sparked a flood of hate mail
BERLIN – A German regional official’s plan to allow authorities to receive anonymous information online about possible tax evaders has sparked a flood of hate mail, and some have accused him of reviving the habits of Germany’s totalitarian past .
Danyal Bayaz, the finance minister of the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, on Thursday retweeted some of the messages sent to him on social media that included racist references to his Turkish family roots.
Bayaz, a member of the Green environmental party who took office in May, announced this week that a new online portal will allow people to send anonymous advice to state tax inspectors.
Although these tips could already be sent by e-mail, regular mail and telephone, the latest move sparked outrage from political opponents and some media outlets in Germany, where tax evasion is considered a “national sport.” widely practiced, including the former president of the Bayern Munich Football Club.
The newspaper Tabloid Bild led the charge against Bayaz, accusing him of creating a “fiscal stasis”, a reference to the East German secret police that famously got neighbors and relatives to report the private lives of the people.
Michael Theurer, regional legislator for the neoliberal Free Democratic Party, told the newspaper that the plan would harm German society and compared it to the Nazi-era practice of having a political supervisor, known as a “blockwart,” parked at all the neighborhoods. .
Bayaz defended the plan and noted that Germany loses about 50 billion euros ($ 59 billion) each year in tax evasion.
He has received the support of the anti-corruption group Transparency International, which said that discovering tax evasion is in the public interest.