In the time-honored French sport of tax-as-tax-can, the government has historically been a heavy loser. But eight months ago, as part of a campaign called "Operation Embarrassment," French Finance Minister Antoine Pinay opened the nation's previously secret tax records to public scrutiny, was soon inundated by anonymous letters from citizens who wondered how their neighbors could afford a new car on an income of $600 a year. Last week came the payoff: picking up their evening papers, three French businessmen and an elderly widow found themselves the subjects of headline stories branding them as consistent tax evaders.
Selected at random, the hapless...
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