Germany and Switzerland signed an amendment to their deal on taxing secret offshore accounts on Thursday, toughening terms for tax dodgers after the main German opposition party blocked the original accord, saying it was too lenient.

The amendment makes it more likely the deal will get the backing from opposition-ruled states and be approved by the German parliament, ending years of tortuous negotiations and netting the country billions of euros.

The German finance ministry said Germany and Switzerland had agreed to raise the retroactive levy on German funds stashed away in Swiss bank accounts to a rate between 21 and 41 percent, from a previously agreed range of 19 to 34 percent.

They also agreed a one-off tax of 50 percent for those who inherit Swiss bank accounts and do not want to declare them, the finance ministry said.

Under the revised deal, German officials will be allowed to put in up to 1300 requests with their Swiss counterparts to investigate cases of fiscal evasion, versus a previously agreed 999.

Germans will have to alert the Swiss authorities when they move their money out of Swiss bank accounts from Jan. 1 2013, versus a previously agreed May 31, in order to prevent an exodus into other offshore accounts.

Germany re-opened negotiations with Switzerland over the deal, which it signed last September, after the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) said they would block it in the Bundesrat upper house of parliament, where Chancellor Angela Merkel's government no longer has a majority.

Read more: reuters.com 

Other links:Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer , Frank Franz , Katja Kipping , Thilo Sarrazin , Generalstreik in Deutschland , Internationale Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte ,Steffen Heitmann , Alfred Dregger , Gewerkschaften in Deutschland , Veit Wolpert , Erich Honecker , Sahra Wagenknecht , Sebastian Nerz , Torsten Albig ,Philipp Rösler , Bernd Posselt , Winfried Kretschmann , Steffi Lemke

Germany welcomes the compromise reached at the weekend by the United States to raise the country's debt limit and avoid default, government spokesman Christoph Steegmans said on Monday.

"The government is pleased that there was political agreement in the United States over this difficult question," he said at a regular news conference. "I do not want to comment about the details of this agreement -- they are internal American decisions."

  More information on reuters.com  

Other links:
Hannelore Kraft Politikerin der SPD und Ministerpräsidentin des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen. / German politician (SPD) and Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Norbert Lammert Deutscher Politiker (CDU) - Präsident des Deutschen Bundestages. / German politician (CDU) - the President of the Bundestag.
Rentenreform - Deutschland Klicken Sie, wenn Sie die aktuelle Rentenreform in Deutschland unterstützen. Die Reform ist notwendig, sonst ist das Rentensystem unhaltbar...
Atomkraft in Deutschland Klicken Sie, wenn Sie die Kernenergie (Atomkraft/Nuklearenergie) und ihre Nutzung unterstützen. Sagen Sie warum?!

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has agreed to raise health insurance premiums and trim profits for medical professionals as part of efforts to control a deficit in the health care system.

Merkel's Cabinet formally signed off Wednesday on a package drawn up by the governing parties in July to try to ward off a euro11 billion ($14 billion) financing shortfall projected for 2011.

Health Minister Philipp Roesler said the overhaul would help sustain the system, but the opposition criticized the package for overcharging workers and failing to address problems behind rising costs.

More information on foxnews.

Other links:
Christlich-Soziale Union , Die Republikaner , Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands , Freie Demokratische Partei , Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands , Bündnis 90/Die Grünen , Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands , DIE LINKE , Freie Wähler , Piratenpartei Deutschland

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