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25/04/2008 - Two new bilateral arrangements for the exchange of information for tax purposes, between Guernsey and the Netherlands and between the Isle of Man and Ireland, bring to fourteen the number of such agreements signed since the beginning of 2007 by jurisdictions committed to work with OECD countries. Other negotiations are ongoing and are expected to lead to further new agreements shortly.
The agreement with the Netherlands is the second such agreement signed by Guernsey, which concluded an agreement with the United States in 2002.  For the Isle of Man, the agreement with Ireland is its tenth tax information exchange agreement. 

Paolo Ciocca, Chair of the OECD’s Committee on Fiscal Affairs, welcomed these agreements as enhancing the international reputations of Guernsey and the Isle of Man as legitimate financial centres and thereby strengthening their integration into the international financial system.

“The trend towards greater transparency and tax cooperation continues as more and more countries and jurisdictions implement the OECD standards,” Mr. Ciocca said in a statement. “Recent events have put international tax evasion in the spotlight, demonstrating the pressing need for action to tackle tax compliance issues in an increasingly borderless world.  These agreements will better equip their signatories to address all forms of tax abuses.”

The OECD's work in this area is designed to enable countries to fully and fairly enforce their tax laws (see progress reports issued in 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2006). A total of 35 jurisdictions have committed to work with OECD countries under the auspices of the OECD's Global Forum on Taxation to improve transparency and to establish effective information exchange for tax purposes, and many other countries and international organisations have also endorsed these principles. A recent report, "Tax Co-operation:Towards a Level Playing Field - 2007 Assessment by the Global Forum on Taxation", shows that over the last year many jurisdictions have made progress in implementing the OECD’s high standards of transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes.

For further information, journalists are invited to contact: in Guernsey, James Falla (tel: +44 1481 717225) in the Isle of Man, Malcolm Couch (tel + 44 1624 685 350) in Ireland, Brendan McCormack (tel + 35 31 67 92 77 ) in the Netherlands, Jan Erik van der Werff  (tel: + 31 70 34 2 82 29) or Pascal Saint- Amans at the OECD (tel: + 33 1 45 24 97 46).