of harmful tax regimes.

Finance Minister Eugene Cox told MPs in the House of Assembly that he believed there had been a change in attitude towards the Island, with regard to the register being released next year.

Mr. Cox was reporting on his visit to the OECD forum on Tax Havens and Harmful Tax Practices in Paris recently.

He said Bermuda was given a chance to put its case, as it tries to avoid being one of a possible 34 countries placed on the list, whose domestic tax structures the OECD believes undermines the tax bases of member countries.

"Various jurisdictions, including Bermuda, were contacted and invited to show why they should not be included on the list when it is finally compiled,'' he said.

"The Government believes that our visit has caused some positive shift in opinion about Bermuda and a recognition that certain countries, including Bermuda, are prepared to assist in addressing problems faced by the world's economies.'' The Minister added that the Government had shown that the OECD criteria did not apply to it, how different it was and why it should not be included on the list.

In addition, he said that helping the problems faced by the world's economies would not sacrifice Bermuda's interests.

The delegation, which also included Attorney General Lois Browne Evans , the Financial Secretary and Assistant Financial Secretary of international business, was also able to clarify a number of points arising from the description of Bermuda given previously by the USA, as chair of a OECD study group.

"While there is still a commitment to the production of the list, it is clear that there are significant differences between many of the countries contacted, that were not apparent to the OECD at the beginning.'' The forum also enabled Bermuda to confirm its pledge of cooperation in sharing information for civil and criminal tax matters, and its interest in negotiating new treaties to enable that to happen.