The Government of Dominica is extremely disappointed in the new list issued today by the European Council which unfairly and without proper justification names and shames countries as non-cooperative tax jurisdictions, and in particular by Dominica’s inclusion thereon.
The regional grouping of the EU decided in 2017 to adopt a new set of tax standards over and above that set out by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the international organisation mandated by a wide range of Member States to monitor and set standards of compliance on tax good governance. When this list was first issued in December 2017, Dominica and other Caribbean islands were put on a grey list and were asked by the EU to commit to making certain changes within one year to avoid being put on a blacklist.
Dominica was put on the grey list in December 2017 notwithstanding the complete devastation of Maria in September 2017. With our country shut down after Maria, electricity down island wide, communications disrupted, our people homeless and in desperate need of immediate assistance, 90% of homes damaged and in some instances destroyed, roads impassable, businesses shut down for an extended period, the EU gave us, in our devastated condition, no more time than any other country to comply with their demands.
Despite these very difficult and devastating circumstances and conditions we ensured that we complied with all the legislative changes that were requested by the EU. The proceedings of the Parliament were broadcast live where these changes were considered and debated.
