Antigua And Barbuda's Prime Minister Named "Man Of The Year"

Lisa Ugur, Tax-news.com, London

08 January 2001

The newspaper "Caribbean Week" reported last week that Antigua's Prime Minister Lester Bird has been named Man of the Year 2000 by local radio stations, and that the accolade is largely down to Mr Bird's stance on domestic taxation and, on the international stage, his handling of the initiatives of the OECD and FATF on harmful tax competition and money laundering.

The Prime Minister was proclaimed "Man of the Year" by Greville Radio Ltd's editor-in-chief, Maurice Merchant, who said that Mr Bird had made a profound impression on Antigua and Barbuda. He commented that Mr Bird had skillfully tackled the nation's private sector over the planned reinstatement of a 2 per cent tax on the gross sales of businesses. Tax-news.com reported back in October 2000 that the propoals had reluctantly been dropped by the government following a good deal of mud-slinging between the two sides.

There's no doubt that the Prime Minister had his work cut out for him in 2000. In the latter part of the year, he instigated high-level talks between Antigua, delegations from the US and UK Treasuries, and private sector representatives, to address the the status of Antigua's offshore financial sector. The major subjects up for discussion were the International Financial Sector Regulatory Authority (IFSRA), the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy, and the staffing and monitoring of International Business Companies operating in Antigua.

Mr Merchant said: 'The US Treasury Secretary has praised his efforts to strengthen the nation's laws against money laundering and a Working Group was also established during the year to review Antigua and Barbuda's capacity to cooperate internally in the fight against money laundering'. He added that further recognition was awarded by the US International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, and from the Prosecutor General of the Ukraine.

Whilst Antigua and Barbuda did not appear on the OECD's blacklist of countries deemed to possess "harmful" tax practices, Mr Bird has been a vocal opponent of the OECD's tax competition policy, and even established a preparatory team in Antigua to examine the OECD's initiative.

The greatest praise lauded upon Mr Bird was that he had been instrumental in moving Antigua and Barbuda out of the shadow of poverty to a successful international finance centre with per capita annual income of around US$10,000.

.

Recommended

Write a comment