Whereas Montserrat and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (hereinafter referred to as “the Contracting Parties”) recognise that present legislation already provides for cooperation and the exchange of information in criminal tax matters;
Whereas it is acknowledged that Montserrat under the terms of its Entrustment from the United Kingdom has the right to negotiate, conclude and perform a tax information exchange agreement with the Netherlands;
Whereas the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands welcomes the conclusion of this Agreement with the Government of Montserrat, which represents an important step in delivering the commitment the Government of Montserrat made to the OECD on the 27th February 2002 to respect the principles of transparency and exchange of information;
Whereas the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands considers that this Agreement demonstrates Montserrat’s commitment to high standards for effective exchange of information with respect to both criminal and civil taxation matters, consistent with the aims and objectives of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information;
Whereas the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands also recognizes that Montserrat is committed to combating tax abuse by putting in place mechanisms which enhance transparency, including by amending the domestic legislation of Montserrat for the purpose of fulfilling this Agreement, and therefore the Netherlands considers Montserrat is not engaging in any harmful tax practices and is not a tax haven;
Whereas the Contracting Parties wish to enhance and facilitate the terms and conditions governing the exchange of information with respect to taxes;
Now, therefore, the Contracting Parties have agreed to conclude the following Agreement which contains obligations on the part of the Contracting Parties only:
