taxes between matrimony patrimony and paradise... who wants to be a patriot.

      Meet us in paradise.
Three stories, three centuries and the same background.

1. The XVI century
The Vatican had the Fugger in the Renaissance:
Jakob Fugger offered to lend count Albrecht the money needed to buy his 3rd diocese. Fugger launched an indulgence campaign on behalf of St Peter’s project for the Vatican. Half the cash raised would go to the Vatican and the other half would pay back his loan in favour of Count Albrecht.
Martin Luther had a say on that.....

2. The XIX century
The USA had their “robber barons”:

the Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Gould, ... and above all Morgan,  since 1867
Adjectives we could use to describe them:

• bold, 
• guileful, 
• ruthless
•  inhibited by restraints of  conscience
• ................

Sometimes with related cases of moral hipocrisy
when they show the tip of 
the corruption iceberg such as 
from tax evasion to money laundering,
from drug trafficking to arms funding

but
What about the Hispanic branches 
on this side of Europe....

Born in Santander or Majorca,
but it could have been anywhere...

Judge for yourself

3. The XX century

Mr E. Botín - Banco Santander SA  since 1857

news_01
In 2011, the Botín family paid about EUR200 million in back taxes to avoid charges of tax evasion (for the last punitive years) against Mr. Botín and 11 of his relatives involving a Swiss investment account inherited from his father. Spain’s national court closed a tax fraud investigation focused on the family, without bringing charges.

news_02
The origin of the investigation of the Botín family dates back to 2006, when an HSBC Private Bank employee stole data on 24,000 clients who held secret accounts with the lender. The employee subsequently gave the information to the French authorities.


Mr J. March - Banca March  since 1926

(2010) news _03  The Guardian  
March started life as a local banker for Mallorca and the other Balearic Islands. His colourful past allegedly included pig-trading, smuggling and the secret refuelling of submarines (and general profiteering) during the first world war. 

(1961) News_04. TIME He was dubbed "the last pirate of the Mediterranean".

 the world's most mysterious and powerful billionaire. Shrewd and ruthless, the shadowy figure of Juan March has floated across the face of Europe for more than half a century, bringing public officials low, underwriting dictators, helping to finance two world wars