The European Union on Tuesday removed the Bahamas, Belize, Seychelles and the Turks and Caicos Islands from its blacklist of tax havens, a mechanism regularly criticized by NGOs for its ineffectiveness. The instrument, intended to fight tax evasion by multinationals and wealthy individuals, was created in December 2017 after several scandals, including the “Panama Papers” and the “LuxLeaks.”
Sanctions against “blacklisted” countries may include freezing European funds.
Twelve jurisdictions remain on the blacklist
The blacklist, updated twice a year, now includes 12 jurisdictions considered non-cooperative: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Panama, Russia, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States Virgin Islands and Vanuatu.
The Council of the EU, a body that brings together the 27 member states, invited these countries “to improve their legal framework to resolve the problems identified,” in a statement.
Source: BFM TV
