So-called 'tax havens' around the world will come under the scrutiny of the Group of 20 (G20) when it meets in London this Thursday.

Earlier this month, US Senator Carl Levin introduced a beefed-up version the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act, a bill which he originally co-sponsored with Barack Obama last year before he became President, with Bermuda was on the list of "secretive jurisdictions" targeted by the Act.

The G20 group has already agreed that there is a need for reform amongst the jurisdictions identified as 'tax havens.' A statement to that effect was released by a key US official at the weekend, ahead of the top level summit of countries in London, which starts on Thursday.

The G20 is encouraging countries that serve as 'tax havens' to increase transparency and adopt international standards.

And according to a report in a British Sunday newspaper, The Observer, earlier this month UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has a blacklist of such 'tax havens', which is set to be revealed and is expected to include offshore centres linked to Britain, including Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

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