After leaking documents online, several Swiss media revealed a few days ago the conflict between the owner of SFR and Altice, Patrick Drahi, and the Geneva tax authorities.
According to the
Heidi.news site
,
they have claimed, since June 2021, 7.4 billion Swiss francs, or 7.5 billion euros.
A sum that would exceed the fortune of Patrick Drahi, gauged by
Forbes
at 3.7 billion dollars.
And which would be made up half of tax arrears, dating from the years 2009-2016, and half of penalties.
If this is only an estimate
,
this information has been disputed by the entourage of Patrick Drahi with the Swiss media.
Read alsoPatrick Drahi increases his stake in the British operator BT
So what is the subject of this showdown?
A tax package, reserved for wealthy foreigners and which would benefit Patrick Drahi.
According to the tax authorities, the billionaire would officially live in Zermatt, in the Canton of Valais, - an area which allows a lighter tax -, while he would most often stay in Cologny, in the canton of Geneva.
In the Valais, Patrick Drahi would therefore not be taxed on his income or his fortune, but on seven times the tenant value of the accommodation he occupies and which he owns.
Heidi.news
also states that the businessman has accumulated chalets in Switzerland over the years.
He would therefore have moved a lot between the different cantons, which leads to fairly fierce tax competition between them.
