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Europa & Palestine News « Kawther Salam
Liechtenstein: Alpine Principality Without Mercy
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An Afternoon in Liechtenstein by Kawther Salam
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The principality looks innocent like the tales of Heidi with its alpine beauty, the friendliness of its people, its bright-green scenery, the surrounding mountains covered in green and bright-white snow flecks and the low-hanging clouds slowly traveling along them, clean and well-kept cities and houses. Liechtenstein is about 160 square kilometers in size.
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Today it is still dependent in some areas of public service on the neighboring countries: the postal service and border issues are managed by Switzerland, Austria assists the emirate with aspects of the judicial system. The postal stamps are renowned worldwide among philatelists, the wine production is of good quality, there is industry of worldwide renown established here, one can see sheep and cows on the green pastures everywhere.
Note: Please click pictures to enlarge.
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But the breathtaking beauty makes it all too easy to forget the political dimension of this minuscule principality. The fairytale innocence of the place is only superficial as Liechtenstein is widely known to be one among of a small and select group of countries known as destinations for all kind of filthy hands, fat cats, criminals, dictators, kleptocrats, corrupt rulers and politicians, mass murderers, spooks and questionable companies from around the world who appreciate a discrete place where they can hide the money and wealth plundered from the poor of many nations, whose banks and trusts enjoy full immunity while doing business with the proceeds of war crimes, genocide and plunder worldwide. These banks and trusts, which are discreetly omitted from the postcard version of Liechtenstein, are its true economic backbone rather than agriculture and industry.
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In Liechtenstein the maximum tax rate imposed on capital gains is very low, about 20%. This is the lowest tax rate on capital in Europe. In addition, the laws for establishing and holding companies are encouraging to dictatorial regimes and favorable to persons who do not reside in Liechtenstein or do not carry its nationality. In the public discussion there appears to be a misconception about countries such as Liechtenstein or Switzerland, which are called “tax havens”. It would appear that people with legitimate business looking for a more favorable tax regime for their ventures (“tax evasion”) make up only a part, perhaps a minor part, of the clientele of such locations.
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Such businesses benefit the thieves, who get to stash away their loot in discretion, and the Emirate of Liechtenstein and the lawyers, who are paid handsomely for their assistance. The victims, who seldom know where all their wealth has gone, are whole nations such as Palestine, millions of victims of financial fraud or organized crime activity or corruption around the world.
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I laughed a lot during my trip to the small emirate of Liechtenstein, which is supposedly very well known to a number of Palestinian leaders. As the lore has it, certain Palestinian “leaders” have preceded me in honoring this emirate with their presence, to stash away their ill-gotten gains in bank accounts and in trusts managed by respectable lawyers, to check on their account movements and the value of their stocks, always assisted by certain discreet professional Liechtensteiners who know to never loose one single word about the identity of their fat cat clients.
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I was not able to buy a meal in Vaduz like those other Palestinians who own stocks and companies. Since I am not in the business of looting my people, I could not afford the restaurant prices 2-3 times of Austria. Touring the city was the only thing which occupied my mind.
A princess From The Gulf EmiratesIn the small capital Vaduz, I visited the Museum of the Post Office. When I left the Museum, I saw a princess from the Gulf emirates and her team sitting in one of the luxurious restaurants, several women wearing long black dresses “abayas”, obvious royalty given their attitude, which was different from the “normal” tourists from the gulf seen in Vienna.
They immediately covered their faces when they saw my camera, determined to hide their identities and misleading their nation. These are the same people and their families who fabricate fabulous tales about the “western disbelievers” (kuffar in Arabic) and their forbidden foods and rotten morality which are spread by the Sheikhs speaking at the mosques and at school which bear the names of princesses. What is never spoken about in these tales are the princes and princesses who appear so sanctimoniously before their people, but who come to Europe to stash away their fortunes at the same places used by the worst of criminals, of respectable rulers who frequent casinos and loose fortunes gambling, who inhabit joy-houses for weeks on end, who lay in 5-star hotels passed out for days on alcohol and the drugs which they bring in suitcases, of respectable wives and daughters who spend shovels of money on western food, lifestyle and clothes, eating, drinking and dancing and doing other things which they could never admit in public in their countries.
I had seen enough that afternoon. I finished my tour of the Vaduz and went to wait for the bus to return to Austria.
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