VOA标准英语2009年-Swiss Bank to Turn Over Account Data to US

（单词翻译）

A major Swiss bank has agreed to turn over information on thousands of accounts targeted by the United States for possible tax evasion¹.
　
US government official says Swiss banking² giant UBS will give the IRS the details of more than 4,000 client accounts

From Nazis³ to modern-day criminals, Switzerland's legendary⁴ bank secrecy⁵ has long been exploited by those with assets to hide. For decades, Swiss banks have had a no-questions-asked policy when it comes to deposits, and a no-questions-answered policy when it comes to investigations⁶ of their customers.

Those policies are changing. The latest evidence: Swiss banking giant UBS has agreed to hand over details on more than 4,000 accounts to the U.S. government.

America's top tax official, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner⁷ Doug Shulman hailed the accord on Bloomberg television.

"It is a huge victory for the U.S. government. This is an unprecedented⁸ agreement," he said.

The accounts are believed to hold as much as $18 billion in undeclared assets that until now were hidden from U.S. taxes.

Shulman praised reforms in Swiss banking.

"Until this year, we [U.S. authorities] had no access into any country that had banking secrecy laws," he added. "We are very pleased, and it is part of our ongoing⁹ effort to crack down on off-shore tax evasion. You can expect to see a lot more from us in terms of investigations of individuals and institutions over the next several years."

Switzerland's bankers association issued a statement in support of UBS' agreement with the United States. The accord effectively suspends a federal court case against UBS that could have dealt a severe blow to the bank's international operations and the Swiss economy, which relies heavily on the country's robust¹⁰ banking sector¹¹.

Under the agreement, targeted UBS bank customers will be notified before information on their accounts is released.