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BERLIN (AP) — The high-profile tax evasion trial against former Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has prompted a surge in the number of Germans turning themselves in to authorities for failing to properly declare their taxes.
Munich daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported Wednesday that some 13,000 sought to escape prosecution by submitting amended tax returns during the first three months of the year. The paper says the figure is three times higher than during the same period in 2013.
Hoeness was sentenced to 3½ years in prison last month for evading about 28.5 million euros ($39.6 million) in taxes via an undeclared Swiss bank account.
Under German law taxpayers can avoid serious punishment for evasion if they turn themselves in before authorities begin proceedings against them.
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