Account inquiries by tax offices are rising steadily

Tax authorities are permitted to inspect bank accounts in cases of discrepancies and suspected tax evasion. In 2022, there were around 294,000 inquiries from tax offices to banks, and the trend is clearly upward. For comparison: in 2010, all authorities combined submitted just 58,000 inquiries. The risk that untaxed capital gains—for example from foreign securities accounts or cryptocurrency transactions—will come to the tax office's attention is therefore growing steadily. In principle, where capital gains have not been taxed, there is the option of a voluntary disclosure with exemption from prosecution, provided the tax office is not yet aware of the matter. However, such a disclosure should only be made with professional assistance.