INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Overview
SVG has a proud history of being a responsible player in the worldwide arena of international cooperation. SVG has readily facilitated international cooperation through appropriate legal channels as well as through diplomatic channels. As early as 1993, SVG enacted the Mutual Legal assistance in Criminal Matters Act which made application for both Commonwealth and non- Commonwealth countries as since then has further developed and enhanced its legislative regime and administrative infrastructure to streamline effective responses by the jurisdiction to requests for international assistance.
SVG has enacted relevant legislation which demonstrates its commitment to international cooperation, namely the Exchange of Information Act, the Financial Intelligence Unit Act, Financial Services Authority Act and the International Cooperation (Tax Information Exchange Agreement) Act.
Our international cooperation mandate expanded with the advent of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Account (FATCA) and the Common Reporting Standards (CRS) or the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) initiatives. The Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance (Implementation and Enforcement of Inter-Governmental Agreement) Act and the Automatic Exchange of Information Act and Regulations were enacted to ensure SVG has a legal basis upon which it can effectively cooperate.
SVG has also signed on the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MAAC) the antecedent to the CRS/AEOI initiative.
SVG received a rating of Largely Compliant in the Global Forum’s Peer Review process which was concluded in 2015. SVG has been a member of the Global Forum since 2009, and prior to that, has been actively involved in OECD initiatives since 2002. SVG is also a member of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) and partners with other regional and international organizations and bodies such as the IMF, World Bank and CARTAC.
OECD – Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes
FIRST POINT OF CONTACT:
Executive Director
Financial Services Authority
2nd Floor Inland Revenue Building
Grenville Street
P.O. Box 356
Kingstown
Tel: 456 2577
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COPIED TO:
Minister of Finance
Ministry of Finance
2nd Floor Administrative Building
Kingstown
Tel: 456 1111
Email: office.finance@gov.vc with COPY TO info@svgfsa.com
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additional information
St. Vincent and the Grenadines has also signed the CARICOM Treaty – a multilateral Double Taxation Treaty signed by the following Member States: Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Guyana, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines remains committed to implementing the internationally agreed tax standards of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and to ensure a transparent and efficient tax information exchange regime.
In sum, SVG is compliant with relevant international standards:
- SVG has demonstrated its commitment to global tax transparency and accountability having been rated “Largely Complaint” by the OECD Peer Review Group after the completion of its Phase 1 Review (2011-2012) and Phase 2 Review (2013- 2014).
- SVG is FATCA compliant having signed the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Model 1B Agreement with the USA in August 2015 and has enacted relevant legislation to give effect to FATCA in SVG.
- SVG has committed to implement the OECD Global Forum’s Common Reporting Standard on Automatic Exchange of Information by 2018. To this end, SVG signed the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters and the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement and has enacted relevant legislation to give effect to these Agreements.