OFFICERS from the Chief Minister’s department plan to visit the United States soon to counter fresh attacks on offshore finance centres.
And finance chiefs are arguing that Jersey should make sure it is heard before the next G20 summit in London in April. Newly-appointed US President Barack Obama is expected to attend the London summit, which promises to be a high-profile event chaired by the UK government and focusing on the current global financial crisis.
The election of Mr Obama, who is sworn in today, has been the cause of some concern in the offshore finance world because of his support for the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act, which lists Jersey as an ‘offshore secrecy jurisdiction’.
Geoff Cook, chief executive of Jersey Finance (pictured), said: ‘Jersey is not a member of the G20 so the Island is not allowed in but people can be involved in side meetings and talk to the media.’ Martin de Forest Brown, director of international finance at the Chief Minister’s department, said that Mr Obama’s visit to London would give Jersey an opportunity to ‘do something useful on the fringes’.
