The European Council has listed Antigua & Barbuda in the list of uncooperative tax jurisdictions for 2023. Antigua appears alongside with Vanuatu and Samoa which run citizenship by investment programs. Jurisdictions are assessed on the basis of a set of criteria laid down by the Council. These criteria cover tax transparency, fair taxation and implementation of international standards designed to prevent tax base erosion and profit shifting.
This EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions (Annex I) includes countries that either have not engaged in a constructive dialogue with the EU on tax governance or have failed to deliver on their commitments to implement the necessary reforms.
Antigua and Barbuda does not have a rating of at least “Largely Compliant” by the Global Forum for exchange of information on request.
European Council
On 19 July 2023, the Global Forum published the outcome of its peer review process to assess Antigua and Barbuda’s compliance with international standards for EOIR. In that context, Antigua and Barbuda was downgraded to “partially compliant” in the second round review. The Group therefore recommends including Antigua and Barbuda in Annex I with regard to criterion 1.2
Antigua’s placement EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions which raises reputational risks and may accentuate negative perceptions by international bankers. The Council invites countries in the blacklist to improve their legal framework in order to resolve the identified issues.
