20/02/2002 - The OECD is pleased to announce that Antigua and Barbuda has made a commitment to transparency and effective exchange of information for tax matters with OECD countries by 31 December 2005. The OECD looks forward to working with Antigua and Barbuda and encourages other jurisdictions to come forward with similar commitments.

Antigua and Barbuda joins 11 other jurisdictions which have made similar commitments.

Antigua and Barbuda will be invited to participate, together with the other committed jurisdictions and OECD Member countries, in the meetings of the OECD's Global Forum to discuss the design of standards for the implementation of these commitments. The OECD will continue to engage in discussions with other jurisdictions interested in co-operating to address the issues raised by harmful tax practices.

The full text of the commitment is available on the OECD's website (see www.oecd.org/pdf/M00026000/M00026448.pdf).

For further information, journalists are invited to contact Nicholas Bray in the OECD's Media Relations Division (tel. [33] 1 45 24 80 90).

More on Harmful Tax Practices.