Minister: UK Involved In France ‘BlackList’ Issue
With the support of the Governor, the Ministry has secured the involvement of the UK Government which is engaging the French authorities at the diplomatic level, Finance Minister Bob Richards said on Friday [Sept 20] in the House of Assembly.
Last month France added Bermuda to its “list of uncooperative tax havens”, joining Botswana, the British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Guatemala, Jersey, the Marshall Islands, Montserrat, Nauru, and Niue on the list.
It was announced via the international press, and Minister Richards said the Government was “concerned in the manner in which this matter was announced to the international media without any initial consultation with the UK and not going through the proper channels that exist between the UK and France.”
In a Reuters report about the matter, they noted that according to data compiled by the French government through to August 2011, Bermuda had responded to all French requests for information.
Answering a Parliamentary Question from Shadow Finance Minister David Burt over what actions are being taken over the ‘blacklist’, Minister Richards said the Ministry has secured the involvement of the UK Government who are engaging the French authorities, and also noted that Ministry of Finance officials have arranged meetings with their French counterparts to resolve France’s concerns.
The full response given by Minister Richards in the House of Assembly is below:
Ministry of Finance officials have contacted counterparts within the French Ministry of Finance to seek clarification regarding this action as we seek an early resolution to this matter.
The Government of Bermuda is surprised by reports that we are to be included in France’s list of offshore financial centers with which France has issues, particularly as Bermuda has an existing exchange of information agreement (TIEA) with France. We currently have 39 bilateral transparency agreements, which includes 90% of the G20 countries.
The Government is also concerned in the manner in which this matter was announced to the international media without any initial consultation with the UK and not going through the proper channels that exist between the UK and France.
With the support of His Excellency, the Governor, we have secured the involvement of the UK Government which is also engaging the French authorities at the diplomatic level as we seek answers on this matter.
I can advise that Ministry of Finance officials have arranged meetings with their French counterparts to take place in the very near future to resolve France concerns.
I will update this Honourable House and Bermuda via a press statement when there is additional news to report on this matter, which l anticipate to be before the next legislative House Session.
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Have there been requests for information here concerning TIEAs? If so, how were those requests handled?
get over yourself france, you should be blacklisted because of your horrible dirty country, letting dogs in the back of your resturant, where are your health concerns for westerners. i dont like dog hair in my food. sad country lol
France loves pointing fingers at everyone but itself. Bermuda should make it clear to france that they are far from perfect by telling them, “vas te faire encule” I’ve only visited France once & will never go back because of their disgusting treatment to everyone non french plus I can’t stand having to constantly watch out for dog poop every time I go for a walk.
For the number of times Bermuda has been investigated & cleared of such allegations. The number of treaties signed for open exchange of such information (including the one we have had in place for years now with France), we should sue them for defamation of character. Have they made clear on what grounds they are making such allegations considering all records show that we have cooperated fully to all requests for such information to date?