Le Liechtenstein accepte d'assouplir son secret bancaire
[ 12/03/09 - 11H06 - Reuters ]
ZURICH (Reuters) - Le Liechtenstein annonce un nouvel assouplissement de son secret bancaire en les adaptant aux normes définies par l'OCDE sur la transparence et l'échange d'informations fiscales.
La principauté nichée entre la Suisse et l'Autriche espère être retirée de la liste noire des paradis fiscaux et prévoit de nouer des accords bilatéraux de coopération dans les enquêtes pour fraude ou évasion fiscale.
Cette décision suit la signature, en décembre, d'un accord de coopération avec les Etats-Unis. Le Liechtenstein s'efforce d'améliorer son image internationale après le scandale de fuites de données qui avait frappé l'an dernier sa principale banque, LGT.
"Notre secret bancaire a toujours été destiné à assurer la protection légitime de la vie privée de nos citoyens, que nous continuerons à garantir", a affirmé le Premier ministre Otmar Hasler dans un communiqué.
"Par cette déclaration, nous tenons cependant à affirmer que la confidentialité bancaire ne pourra plus à l'avenir être utilisée pour faciliter la fraude fiscale."
La principauté propose également d'aller au-delà des exigences de l'OCDE, à condition que les clients de ses banques qui détiennent des comptes secrets soient autorisés à rapatrier leurs fonds et à remplir leurs obligations fiscales dans de bonnes conditions.
Ces engagements surviennent à moins de trois semaines du sommet du G20 à Londres, lors duquel les dirigeants des vingt premières économies mondiales devraient entre autres se pencher sur la question des paradis fiscaux.
Le Liechtenstein, de même qu'Andorre ou Monaco, figure toujours sur la liste de l'OCDE des centres financiers non-coopératifs.
La banque LGT, qui héberge notamment les actifs du prince Max von und zu Liechtenstein, a subi l'an dernier une importante fuite de données confidentielles lorsqu'un de ses anciens employés a vendu des fichiers aux autorités judiciaires allemandes.
Le scandale qui avait suivi a entraîné le retrait de milliards de francs suisses gérés par la banque. Les établissements du Liechtenstein gèrent au total 129 milliards d'euros.
Sam Cage, version française Gregory Schwartz
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Andorre s'engage à lever le secret bancaire d'ici à novembre 2009
[ 12/03/09 - 11H22 - AFP ]
Le gouvernement andorran s'est engagé à lever le secret bancaire d'ici à novembre 2009, dans le cadre de sa politique visant à faire sortir la principauté de la liste des paradis fiscaux, a-t-il annoncé jeudi.
Le Premier ministre libéral, Albert Pintat, a signé une déclaration dans laquelle il s'engage à faire approuver par le gouvernement, avant le 1er septembre, et par le Parlement andorran, "au plus tard le 15 novembre 2009", un projet de loi qui lève le secret bancaire dans le cadre d'accords bilatéraux d'échange d'information fiscale avec d'autres Etats, selon un communiqué gouvernemental.
Dès approbation de cette loi, la Principauté proposera à ses partenaires, "et en premier lieu à la France", de signer un accord bilatéral d'échange de renseignements fiscaux.
La signature de la déclaration unilatérale andorrane a eu lieu mardi à Paris en présence du représentant du coprince français et du conseiller fiscal du Premier ministre français François Fillon, précise le texte.
Le président de la République française Nicolas Sarkozy est coprince de la principauté d'Andorre avec l'évêque d'Urgell en Espagne.
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Changing weather patterns disrupt farming
Grace Natabaalo
Kampala
Changing weather patterns in Uganda over the last 30 years have led to increased uneven distribution of rain and a rise in temperatures that has resulted in some areas becoming warmer, statistics from the meteorology department indicate.
Meteorologists now warn that the changes are likely to continue increasing climate variability, which could result in frequent and extreme weather and climate events such as drought, floods, landslides and heat waves.
“The events of the past few years have clearly demonstrated the increased frequency and intensity and also the magnitude of the problem (Climate Change),” says the latest Uganda National Adaptation Programmes of Action report, which contains Uganda’s strategy to combat climate change.
Statistics compiled over the past 30 years by meteorologists in Uganda show an increasing occurrence of droughts.
Between 1991 and 2000, Uganda experienced seven droughts as opposed to two in the preceding decade and three between 1971 and 1980. In each of the decades between 1971 and 1911, Uganda experienced one drought.
The report, which was released in 2007, further notes that, “whereas there are still high chances of normal rainfall particularly in central and south west, the probability of dry conditions is more than wet conditions in all the regions.
This implies higher probability of crop failure.” According to national farmers’ representatives, the unpredictable rainfall patterns no longer guarantee farmers favourable farming conditions.
The president of the Uganda National Farmers Federation, Mr Frank Tumwebaze, also a Kibale County Member of Parliament, told Daily Monitor that many farmers were giving up agriculture, hitherto the backbone of Uganda’s economy as it employs more than 80 per cent of Ugandans, due to unreliable rainfall.
Mr Tumwebaze said many farmers have been planting in anticipation of rains but end up with the dry spells.
“Due to the unreliability of the weather in terms of drought and rainfall, many farmers are losing because of no yields yet there is no compensation from the government,” he explained.
“The farmers are resorting to other enterprises. Many are leaving due to frustrations. Many of our crops are not drought resistant.”
An official in the Prime Minister’s office who is in charge of Uganda’s Adaptation to Climate Change, Paul Isabirye, said that while the annual rainfall in many parts of Uganda has remained the same, its distribution is baffling many farmers.
“You can easily get 80 per cent of the annual rainfall in a place within a few months. The onset of the weather seasons shifted and people are failing to catch up. Sometimes the rain comes sooner or the rains withdraw at a critical stage when the plants need it,” he said.
Mr Isabirye identified Masaka district in the central region, which he said was one of Uganda’s food baskets, as one of the areas that has suffered. “We found out that some of the counties in Masaka had continuously experienced drought for 3 years consecutively and production was low. People’s welfare had become so bad,” he said.
Mr Isabirye said that before, many farmers could predict the weather patterns and know when to plant crops unlike today. “With climate change, it is becoming more difficult for them to plan. They are continuously losing because they put in so much and get little.”
Studies also show significant changes in temperatures. Mr Isabirye explained, “In Uganda studies have shown that minimum temperatures are changing much faster than maximum temperatures.
That is why in the south-western and mountainous areas like Kapchorwa, which have been so cold, temperatures have changed significantly and they have warmed up.”
Temperature sensitive crops like coffee, cassava, maize and soya are likely to suffer a drop in outputs as a result of the weather changes.
The statistics show that in Kabale District in south western Uganda, temperatures have been on the increase from an average temperature of 10.9C between 1977 and 2007 to 11.5C in 2008 showing an increase by 0.6C.
Mr isabirye said that while these maybe slight changes, their effects have already been felt.
The rise in the temperatures is also already threatening one of Uganda’s natural resource, the Rwenzori Mountains with the Ice Caps located in south western Uganda. Experts have said that the ice caps have been receding over the years and could disappear by 2025.
In Soroti District, the records from the weather department show that temperatures have slightly increased from an average of 18.4C over the 30 year period to 18.9C in 2008 showing an increase by 0.5C.
In Lira District, temperatures increased from 13.7C during the 30 year period to 17C in 2008, showing a high increase by 4C.
The change in temperatures has been attributed to the ongoing climate change, which according to Mr Isabirye, took Uganda by surprise.
“It is beyond what we expected,” lamented Mr Isabirye. “We did not expect it to take us by storm because we thought it would come at a much lower pace.”
Mr Isabirye says they have set up a climate change unit in the disaster preparedness ministry to combat the problem but need about Shs40 billion in the next 3-5 years to implement their intervention plan.
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