Barbados Government Tax Consultant Appointed To UN Tax Committee

by Amanda Banks, Tax-News.com, London

06 September 2005

Ben Arrindell, International Tax Partner with Ernst and Young and consultant to the Barbados Government was recently appointed to the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters.

In accordance with a Resolution passed in November, 2004 by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the former Ad Hoc Group of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters was transformed into the new committee, which comprises 25 members nominated by Governments, appointed by the UN Secretary General and acting in their personal capacity.

The committee will report directly to ECOSOC on an annual basis. The former group was selected by and reports to the UN Secretary General.

The experts are drawn from the fields of tax policy and tax administration and are selected to reflect an adequate equitable geographical distribution, representing different tax systems. Their four-year term of office commenced in July 2005.

The creation of the committee was described as historic by many delegations which witnessed its establishment. The ECOSOC Resolution acknowledged the call made by a number of countries, including Barbados, for an inclusive, participatory and broad-based dialogue on international cooperation in tax matters.

Among the responsibilities of the committee is the making of recommendations on capacity-building and the provision of technical assistance to developing countries and states with economies in transition.

Mr. Arrindell worked as a Higher Executive Officer with the United Kingdom's Inland Revenue (International Division). Locally and regionally, he also served on a number of government and private sector committees including the CARICOM Working Group on Fiscal Policy and the Barbados Direct Tax Review Committee. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Barbados Private Sector Agency.

Recommended