A la suite d’une visite en Chine, M. Eric Woerth, Ministre du Budget, des Comptes Publics et de la Fonction Publique, a séjourné à Singapour du 10 au 11 juillet.
Pendant ce séjour, M. Woerth s’est entretenu notamment avec M. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Ministre singapourien des Finances, et a rencontré les représentants de la communauté française à l’ccasion d’une réception à Raffles Hotel le 10 juillet.
La visite du Ministre du Budget a donné lieu à l’article suivant dans le Straits Times du 13 juillet 2009 :
Straits Times
July 13, 2009
S’pore, France to sign tax pact
SINGAPORE and France will collaborate on a pact to facilitate the exchange of information between the two countries for tax purposes.
The announcement came on Friday when Singapore’s Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam met France’s Minister for the Budget, Public Accounts, Civil Service and State Reform of France, Mr Eric Woerth.
They agreed that both countries will ’work expeditiously to sign a protocol’ to incorporate the internationally agreed standard for exchanging information for tax purposes.
This will be done under the existing bilateral agreement over avoiding double taxation.
Singapore has previously indicated its commitment to the new standard, and aims to amend legislation to allow it to cooperate with other countries, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Friday.
Both ministers also agreed that a multilateral, transparent framework will be needed to drive and monitor the implementation of the standard.
That will make the exchange of information for tax purposes by all jurisdictions, whether onshore or offshore, work better, said MOF.
Apart from tax issues, the ministers exchanged views on economic developments in Asia and Europe amid the global economic downturn.
Mr Woerth, who expressed interest in Singapore’s e-government policies and initiatives, visited the Supreme Court (e-Justice system) and the PSA (TradeExchange system).
JESSICA CHEAM
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