North Rhine-Westphalia’s Finance Minister Marcus Optendrenk (CDU) wants to stick to the practice of buying data carriers with information about tax evaders. “I would have no reservations about accepting a promising data medium,” said Optendrenk of the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post” (Saturday). At the moment, however, he has the impression that the whistleblowers are turning to the media. “It is important to me that ordinary citizens must know that the state takes a very close look at tax evasion and, above all, at systemic tax evasion on a large scale and fulfills its tasks.”
Optendrenk was cautiously positive about the plans of Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) to establish a Federal Financial Criminal Police Office: “The details are still very vague. But it’s good that the federal government has finally woken up to the issue of money laundering.”
