Tuesday 22 October 2013
Guernsey's Chief Minister, Deputy Peter Harwood, signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement with his Gibraltar counterpart, Hon Fabian Picardo, today.
The agreement between the Crown Dependency and the British Overseas Territory was signed at Gibraltar House in London.
Deputy Harwood said:
"I am delighted that we have concluded this TIEA with Gibraltar. We have many business and cultural links, and our friendship will be further strengthened by this important agreement. The agreement also demonstrates that post-G8 Guernsey has maintained its momentum on greater tax transparency.
"It was also a great pleasure to meet my counterpart from Gibraltar. Guernsey and Gibraltar share many similar challenges and I am pleased that we have agreed to discuss further how we might be able to work together to better meet those challenges together."
Guernsey's Chief Minister also signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement with Slovakia. The agreement was concluded with the Slovakian Ambassador His Excellency Miroslav Wlachovský at the Slovakian Embassy in London.
Deputy Harwood said:
"Slovakia has been an independent state for only 20 years, but it is influential as a member of the European Union within the Eurozone, as well as being a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Trade Organisation. The agreement is important in ensuring Guernsey has strong tax transparency agreements in place with EU Member States."
The two agreements were signed just a fortnight after Guernsey's Commerce & Employment Minister, Deputy Stewart, signed two partial Double Taxation Agreements with Poland, an influential EU Member State.
Deputy Stewart signed those agreements at the Polish Embassy in London with the Polish Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Witold Sobków.
Deputy Harwood said:
"It is very important for Guernsey to able to continue to extend its network of tax related agreements with the members of the European Union. These two double taxation agreements build on the exchange of information relationship that Guernsey already has with Poland following the signature of a TIEA some time ago. They show that we are prepared to take action on tax evasion, and prepared to continue to lead on tax transparency."
ENDS
