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UK Crown Dependencies Review Leader Announced,
by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London
Friday, December 05, 2008
The United Kingdom government announced on Tuesday that Michael Foot, currently Chairman of the UK
office of Promontory Financial Group, will lead the independent review of British
offshore financial centres announced in the pre-budget report 2008. The review
will look at the immediate and long-term challenges facing British offshore financial
centres in the current economic climate, including:
financial supervision and transparency;
taxation, in relation to financial stability, sustainability and future competitiveness;
financial crisis management and resolution arrangements;
international cooperation.
The government assured that the variety of existing constitutional arrangements
in place across these territories will continue to be respected, including their
independence in fiscal matters and the setting of their own rates of taxation.
Welcoming the launch of the review, the Financial Services Secretary, Paul
Myners, said:
"I welcome the appointment of Michael Foot who brings significant experience
in financial regulation to this task. Offshore financial centres must play a
responsible role in the global financial system. This review will take a serious
and constructive look at the challenges these centres face in the current economic
climate, and how they can best respond to these. "
The Minister for the Crown Dependencies, Lord Bach, said:
"This review is an opportunity for the Crown Dependencies to demonstrate
their strong track record in the regulation of their financial services industries.
The review will allow the Crown Dependencies to participate in an open debate
about how they can best be equipped to withstand the current difficult economic
climate without calling into question their constitutional arrangements. In
this regard, I am pleased to see that the review specifically excludes constitutional
change from its scope."
The Minister for the Overseas Territories, Gillian Merrion, said:
"I am impressed by the positive discussions I have had with the Overseas
Territories on financial services regulation recently, and hope that the review
may be helpful to those overseas territories, with significant financial services
industries, to prepare for the challenges of the future."
Michael Foot said:
"After working as a financial regulator in the UK and overseas, I have
direct experience of the achievements of the Crown Dependencies and Overseas
Territories. I am looking forward to working with them to see how best the important
contribution of their financial sectors can be underpinned and strengthened
for the future in these challenging economic times."
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