German experts say about 2,500 people have confessed to tax evasion to avoid punishment amid a heated debate over whether authorities should buy stolen data from Swiss bank accounts.

The German Tax Union, an association of tax officials, said Friday the government could earn some euro300 million ($405 million) in extra taxes without even buying the data.

Union head Dieter Ondracek told Bayerischer Rundfunk Radio that "judging from the first cases, an average of euro100,000 to euro150,000 per case have been paid."

Authorities for weeks have publicly discussed buying at least two CDs with stolen data. One reportedly contains 1,500 names of tax evaders and is offered by an informant for euro2.5 million. The second contains 2,000 names, its price is unknown.