The European Union has removed Antigua and Barbuda from its tax haven blacklist, which has been criticized as ineffective by anti-poverty groups in the past.
The list, approved by the EU’s member states, now includes 11 jurisdictions considered non-cooperative for tax purposes, especially in terms of sharing tax information.
The current list comprises American Samoa, Anguilla, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Panama, Russia, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, the US Virgin Islands, and Vanuatu.
“The Council regrets that these jurisdictions are not yet cooperative on tax matters and invites them to improve their legal framework to address the identified issues,” the council, consisting of the EU’s 27 member states, stated.
The list was established in 2017 following a series of scandals, including the Panama Papers, which prompted Brussels to take action against tax evasion by the wealthy.
Charity Oxfam has previously criticized the list as “toothless,” claiming that countries that should have been included were often omitted.