Barbados
Barbados has 31 tax agreements in force as reported in its response to the Peer Review questionnaire, including the multilateral agreement among the members of the CARICOM concluded with ten treaty partners (the CARICOM Agreement). Agreement Among the Governments of the Member States of the Caribbean Community for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, Profits or Gains and Capital Gains and for the Encouragement of Regional Trade and Investment, St. Michael Barbados, 6 July 1994; between: Antigua and Barbuda (18 February 1998), Barbados (7 July 1995), Belize (30 November 1994), Dominica (19 June 1996), Grenada (1 March 1996), Guyana* (26 November 1997), Jamaica (16 February 1995), St. Kitts/Nevis (8 May 1997), St. Lucia (22 May 1995) St. Vincent (12 February 1998) and Trinidad & Tobago (29 November 1994). Nineteen of those agreements comply with the minimum standard.
Barbados can legally issue the following five types of rulings within the scope of the transparency framework: (i) preferential regimes; Credit for foreign currency earnings. (ii) cross-border unilateral APAs and any other cross-border unilateral tax rulings (such as an advance tax ruling) covering transfer pricing or the application of transfer pricing principles; (iii) rulings providing for unilateral downward adjustments; (iv) permanent establishment rulings; and (v) related party conduit rulings.
Barbados has 31 tax agreements in force as reported in its response to the Peer Review questionnaire, including the multilateral agreement among the members of the CARICOM concluded with ten treaty partners (the CARICOM Agreement). Agreement Among the Governments of the Member States of the Caribbean Community for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, Profits or Gains and Capital Gains and for the Encouragement of Regional Trade and Investment, St. Michael Barbados, 6 July 1994; between: Antigua and Barbuda (18 February 1998), Barbados (7 July 1995), Belize (30 November 1994), Dominica (19 June 1996), Grenada (1 March 1996), Guyana* (26 November 1997), Jamaica (16 February 1995), St. Kitts/Nevis (8 May 1997), St. Lucia (22 May 1995) St. Vincent (12 February 1998) and Trinidad & Tobago (29 November 1994). Fifteen of those agreements comply with the minimum standard.
Barbados can legally issue the following five types of rulings within the scope of the transparency framework: (i) preferential regimes; Credit for foreign currency earnings. (ii) cross-border unilateral APAs and any other cross-border unilateral tax rulings (such as an advance tax ruling) covering transfer pricing or the application of transfer pricing principles; (iii) rulings providing for unilateral downward adjustments; (iv) permanent establishment rulings; and (v) related party conduit rulings.
This report analyses the implementation of the AEOI Standard in Barbados with respect to the requirements of the AEOI Terms of Reference. It assesses both the legal frameworks put in place to implement the AEOI Standard and the effectiveness of the implementation of the AEOI Standard in practice.
Barbados has 31 tax agreements in force as reported in its response to the Peer Review questionnaire, including the multilateral agreement among the members of the CARICOM concluded with ten treaty partners (the CARICOM Agreement). Agreement Among the Governments of the Member States of the Caribbean Community for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, Profits or Gains and Capital Gains and for the Encouragement of Regional Trade and Investment, St. Michael Barbados, 6 July 1994; between: Antigua and Barbuda (18 February 1998), Barbados (7 July 1995), Belize (30 November 1994), Dominica (19 June 1996), Grenada (1 March 1996), Guyana* (26 November 1997), Jamaica (16 February 1995), St. Kitts/Nevis (8 May 1997), St. Lucia (22 May 1995) St. Vincent (12 February 1998) and Trinidad & Tobago (29 November 1994). In total, Barbados identified 40 "agreements" in its List of Tax agreements: 30 bilateral agreements and the CARICOM Agreement concluded with ten of its treaty partners. One of those agreements, the agreement with Mauritius, complies with the minimum standard.
Barbados can legally issue the following five types of rulings within the scope of the transparency framework: (i) preferential regimes; Credit for foreign currency earnings. (ii) cross-border unilateral APAs and any other cross-border unilateral tax rulings (such as an advance tax ruling) covering transfer pricing or the application of transfer pricing principles; (iii) rulings providing for unilateral downward adjustments; (iv) permanent establishment rulings; and (v) related party conduit rulings.
Barbados’ legal framework implementing the AEOI Standard is in place but needs improvement in order to be fully consistent with the requirements of the AEOI Terms of Reference. While Barbados’ international legal framework to exchange the information with all of Barbados’ Interested Appropriate Partners (CR2) is consistent with the requirements, its domestic legislative framework requiring Reporting Financial Institutions to conduct the due diligence and reporting procedures (CR1) has deficiencies significant to the proper functioning of elements of the AEOI Standard. Most significantly, Barbados’ legal framework includes categories of jurisdiction-specific Non-Reporting Financial Institutions that are not in accordance with the AEOI Standard and there are some deficiencies with respect to the enforcement framework.
Barbados does not yet have legislation in place to implement the BEPS Action 13 minimum standard.
Barbados has 31 tax agreements in force, including the multilateral agreement among the members of the CARICOM concluded with ten treaty partners (the CARICOM Agreement). In total, Barbados identified 40 "agreements" in its List of Tax agreements: 30 bilateral agreements and the CARICOM Agreement concluded with ten of its treaty partners.
Barbados can legally issue the following five types of rulings within the scope of the transparency framework: (i) preferential regimes; Credit for foreign currency earnings. (ii) cross-border unilateral APAs and any other cross-border unilateral tax rulings (such as an advance tax ruling) covering transfer pricing or the application of transfer pricing principles; (iii) rulings providing for unilateral downward adjustments; (iv) permanent establishment rulings; and (v) related party conduit rulings.
Barbados was reviewed as part of the 2017/2018 and the 2018/2019 peer reviews. This report is supplementary to those previous reports (OECD, 2019[1]) (OECD, 2018[2]).