The UK has signed automatic tax information sharing agreements with Jersey and Guernsey as part of a continuing fight against offshore evasion.
The UK today (Tuesday 22 October) signed automatic tax information sharing agreements with both Jersey and Guernsey as it continues to close in on those attempting to hide their money offshore, says HMRC.
The agreements represent a bolstering of HMRC's ability to clamp down on tax evasion, says the government department, which added, "they form an important building block of the new global standard to be agreed early next year which will remove the hiding places for those who seek to evade tax."
Financial information on UK taxpayers holding accounts in Jersey and Guernsey will now be automatically provided to HMRC to ensure that the correct amount of tax is being paid.
The announcement follows a similar agreement signed between the UK and Isle of Man on 10 October and means that all the Crown Dependencies have now entered into automatic tax information sharing with the UK. They have also agreed to be part of the G5 multi-lateral information sharing pilot.
The government will look to sign additional agreements with other jurisdictions as soon as possible, it says, and is currently in discussions with the overseas territories.
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, said: "The UK has been leading the way in pressing for a new global standard of tax transparency and automatic tax information sharing.
"These agreements build on the progress already made and send a clear signal to anyone thinking they can evade their responsibilities: the opportunities to hide your money offshore are disappearing and the net is closing in."
The UK put tax and transparency at the heart of the G8 agenda during its chairmanship in 2013. At the summit in July, leaders from the world's largest eight economies agreed on co-ordinated action to combat tax evasion and avoidance. This work is being taken forward by the OECD.