British tax authorities are studying details of accounts held at the Liechtenstein LGT bank

British tax authorities are studying details of accounts held at the Liechtenstein LGT bank. America, Australia, France, Spain, Italy and Sweden are also trawling for information about their tax exiles. The Germans paid €4.2 million for the DVDs and are using the information to spearhead a campaign against tax havens across Europe. Next in line is Prince Albert of Monaco, who is due in Berlin this week. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, is set to read him the riot act. Soon, German officials say, the Chancellor will be on her way to Switzerland to make her case there. German secret agents have information from a second bank, the Vaduz subsidiary of the Swiss private bank Vontobel, according to the Süd-deutsche Zeitungnewspaper yesterday. Germany threatens to impose sanctions against Liechtenstein if it does not seal up its tax loopholes. The Liechtensteiners are stubborn. However, if Germany is going to continue to use espionage to end anonymous bank accounts in fellow European states, then it is going to threaten the very existence of the principality.