The Modern Monarchy of Monaco(b)

by William Ryan

The glitzy playground of the rich and famous had humble beginnings.

　　Casino gambling in Monaco dates back to 1858 with the opening of the now famous Le Grand Casino de Monte Carlo. In its early days, the gaming house benefited from the arrival of tourists on the newly-built French railway system. After just 10 years of operation, Le Grand Casino de Monte Carlo was attracting sufficient numbers of gamblers for the government to do away with income tax for its citizens. This pivotal move quickly attracted affluent European residents in droves. Monte Carlo now boasts several additional casinos, with the newest and largest addition being the floating Monte Carlo Bay Casino situated on four hectares overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. A little known fact is that the citizens of Monaco are not permitted to gamble in the casinos.

　　Not only is there no personal income tax in Monaco, but business taxes there are among the lowest in the world. The city-state's reputation as a tax haven is well known. Wealthy Europeans who generate the lion's share of their income outside of Monaco have drawn unwanted attention as tax refugees. While Formula One race car drivers and other celebrities have received plenty of publicity in this regard, most of those who have come under scrutiny are business owners. It has been alleged that Monaco's casinos have lax policies with respect to money laundering and that the government has been less than enthusiastic when it comes to investigating suspected cases. In 2003, Monaco was identified by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as one of the world's 37 tax havens.

　　摩纳哥赌场的历史可以追溯到 1858 年，也就是现在著名的蒙地卡罗赌场开幕的时候。在成立初期，这个游乐场所的获利来源是搭乘新建的法国铁路系统前来的游客。经过短短十年的经营，蒙地卡罗赌场为政府吸引了数量充足的赌客，如此其国民便可以不用缴所得税。这个重要的措施很快就吸引大批富裕的欧洲居民前来。蒙地卡罗现在以拥有一些额外兴建的赌场而自豪，其中最新且规模最大的是座落在占地四公顷的土地上、俯瞰着地中海的浮动蒙地卡罗海湾赌场。一个鲜为人知的事实是，摩纳哥国民去赌场赌博是不被允许的。

　　在摩纳哥不但不用缴个人所得税，该国的营业税也是全世界最低的。该城邦逃税天堂的名声可说是众所皆知。在摩纳哥境外取得大多数所得的欧洲富人逃税的事情已引起了不必要的关注。在这方面，虽然一级方程式赛车手及其他名人都受到了高度的注意，但大多数接受调查的都是企业主。据称，摩纳哥的赌场对关于洗钱的政策把关十分松散，而提到调查可疑案件，政府也一直不甚热衷。2003 年，摩纳哥经国际货币基金组织认定为全球三十七个逃税天堂之一。