Detailed conditions under which individuals may be suspected of intending to leave the country without paying the required flight tax were published today by the Exchange Control Office. Under a new law, passports and property of such suspects may be seized by the currency officials to ensure payment of the tax.
The conditions, embodied in instructions to currency officials, are listed as follows:
1.–When a person liquidates his holdings and does not invest the cash proceeds in a new enterprise;
2.–When he withdraws large sums from bank accounts for a non-ascertainable economic reason;
3.–When he purchases large quantities of jewelry and other valuables;
4.–When he ships merchandise abroad on credit for a longer period than the usual credit limits;
5.–When he exports merchandise on a credit basis although formerly such transactions were for cash.
When any or all of the above conditions are present, the currency authorities are empowered to remove the suspect from control of his realty, bank accounts, securities, mortgages, or any form of credits. They may, however, leave him in unhampered control of his business.
Persons registering formal declarations of intention to emigrate are not included as suspects, since their registration indicates an intention to leave legally, according to the instructions.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
