St. John's -- Jan. 28, 2010 -- His Excellency, Dr. Carl B. Roberts, the High Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda, signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) on behalf of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda with Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 18 January, 2010. Signing on behalf of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was the Rt. Honourable Stephen Timms MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

Antigua and Barbuda’s High Commissioner in the UK has now signed a total of three Tax Information Exchange Agreements on behalf of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.

Other countries in the Caribbean Community, namely St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent & the Grenadines, which were represented by their High Commissioners, also signed the Agreement.

The purpose of the Agreement is to promote international cooperation in tax matters through the exchange of information. It was developed by the OECD Global Forum Working Group on Effective Exchange of Information.

The Working Group consisted of representatives from OECD Member countries as well as delegates from Aruba, Bermuda, Bahrain, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Isle of Man, Malta, Mauritius, the Netherlands Antilles, the Seychelles and San Marino.