Cabinet approves pact between India, St Vincent and the Grenadines for tax info exchange

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved an agreement between India and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for the exchange of tax information and assistance in the collection.

The agreement between India and St Vincent and the Grenadines, which is an island nation, will help in facilitating the exchange of information between the two countries, including sharing of information held by the banks and other financial institutions encompassing the information regarding the legal and beneficial ownership.

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It will also facilitate the assistance in the collection of the tax claims between the two countries. Thus, it will strengthen India's commitment to fight offshore tax evasion and tax avoidance practices, leading to the generation of unaccounted black money, an official statement said.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved an agreement between the Republic of India and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for the exchange of information and assistance in collection with respect to taxes, it added.

The agreement also contains tax examination abroad provisions, which provide that a country may allow the representatives of the other country to enter its territory to interview individuals and examine records for tax purposes.

There was no such agreement with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the past and India was negotiating this agreement for a long time.

Finally, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines agreed to conclude this agreement with India, which will promote tax cooperation between the two countries through the exchange of information and assistance in the collection of outstanding tax claims between the two countries, the statement said.