Evolution of the EU list of tax havens

Following this latest revision, as at 6 october , 2020, the EU blacklist comprises the twelve jurisdictions and the greylist now ten juridictions…

Background

The first ever EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions was agreed by Member States on 5 December 2017.

This list is part of the EU's work to fight tax evasion and avoidance and aims to create a stronger deterrent for countries that consistently refuse to play fair on tax matters.

Monitoring process

The list is a result of a thorough screening and dialogue process with non-EU countries, to assess them against agreed criteria for good governance.

These criteria relate to tax transparency, fair taxation, the implementation of OECD BEPS measures and substance requirements for zero-tax countries.

The aim is not to name and shame countries, but to encourage positive change in their tax legislation and practices, through cooperation.

Changes ?

Barbados was added to the black list. Anguilla moved from the grey list to the black list. Having delivered on their pending commitments, Cayman Islands and Oman were completely delisted. Seychelles’ entry in the list has been updated to include concerns with tax transparency. The entry for Samoa has been revised to acknowledge their commitment to remove harmful features from their tax system. Previously on the grey list,

Member States found Bosnia & Herzogovina and Mongolia compliant with all of their commitments and removed them from the EU list completely.

Black list of tax havens : 12 jurisdictions

The countries in the list below are those that refused to engage with the EU or to address tax good governance shortcomings :

American Samoa, Anguilla, Barbados, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Panama, Samoa, Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu, US Virgin Islands

Grey list of tax havens : 10 jurisdictions

Jurisdictions that do not yet comply with all international tax standards but have committed to reform are included in this list :

Australia, Botswana, Eswatini, Jordan, Maldives, Morocco, Namibia, Saint Lucia, Thailand, Turkey

Related links

• Common EU list of third country jurisdictions for tax purposes
• Q&A sheet (situation on 6 October 2020)
• Fact-sheet, showing the evolution of the list
• Detailed explanation of the methodology the scoreboard
  External Strategy for Effective Taxation
  EU anti-tax avoidance requirements on financing and investment operations