St. Vincent and the Grenadines is among 30 territories that the European Union has placed on its first list of international tax havens.
The list, published on Wednesday, includes others Caribbean nation and comes as part of a crackdown on multinational companies trying to avoid paying tax in the 28-nation bloc.
The European Commission proposals also include reforms to end sweetheart tax deals following a series of investigations into arrangements between EU countries and firms including Amazon, Apple and Starbucks.
“We are today publishing the top 30 non co-operative jurisdictions consisting of those countries or territories that feature on at least 10 member states’ blacklists,” EU Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici told a news conference.
He said the publication of the blacklist was a “decisive step” that would “push non co-operative non-EU jurisdictions to be more co-operative and adopt international standards”.
The other Caribbean nations on the list are: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The list also includes Andorra, Liechtenstein, Guernsey, Monaco, Mauritius, Liberia, Seychelles, Brunei, Hong Kong, Maldives, Cook Islands, Nauru, Niue, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, and Panama.
Critics say the publication of the list risks being seen as an attempt to distract from the EU’s need to tackle its own issues with tax avoidance.
Wednesday’s tax proposals are a response to the so-called “LuxLeaks” scandal that exposed deals with the tiny EU state of Luxembourg that saved some of the world’s largest companies, including Apple, IKEA and Pepsi, billions of dollars in taxes.
When you have corrupt people running a country you will have corruption. Anyone remember the soap powder that the Venezuelans killed for in Bequia? And all kinda other nonsense. Vincentians it’s time to get rid of these guys, the country can’t go anywhere with them. They are in office for 15 years now, just look around the place and tell me if they did a good job. Nothing going on, Agriculture dead, Tourism dead, businesses shutting down left and right.
All they care about is lining their own pockets and putting their sons and daughters in high position while the rest of the country suffer. Enough of this nonsense.
Billionair life styles on Vincentian Member of Parliament salary, impossible but a fact for a few of them.
Peter,
I thought you said that you live in London.
Let this day go down in your foolish history, that you are a ” blind female donkey “, and a spoilt brat.
If you chose to be blinded from the progress that’s on in St. Vincent you will keep that ” donkey cart “thinking blindness to yourself.
I suggest to you, that from here on, your thinking has no place in Lord’s year 2015.
Any body with eyes can see, clearly you should SHUT THE HEEL UP, and open your eyes.
I wanted to use some stronger word there, but I respect this web site.
So I’ll say this to you, You are a man with a ” donkey cart mentality ” a stupid , bigoted , blind, and bad minded Vincentian.
Ha.