A SENIOR partner of an international accountancy firm in Jersey recently spoke about the major changes that will take place in the island’s tax system in the next few years.

CYPRUS, Ireland, and Switzerland are the top three countries in a league table of European tax systems compiled by KPMG International.

NINE countries have now signed Tax Information Agreements with the Isle of Man. The US was the first to do so in 2002, followed by the Netherlands in 2005 and Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Denmark and Finland last month.

Those of you who don't read Business Brief (and you really should, you know) won't have seen recent comments from experts about the different ways in which Jersey and Guernsey are tackling the zero-10 tax shortfall.

WILL Guernsey's tourism industry benefit from the growth in short-break holidays?

THE latest digest of statistics shows that the number of registered companies in the Isle of Man grew last year for the first time in seven years.

IoM funds review LIKE Guernsey, the Isle of Man is planning changes to regulations governing investment funds in the hope of attracting more business.

THE International Monetary Fund, which will shortly investigate Guernsey's finance industry, has endorsed Gibraltar's 'robust' regulatory environment in banking, insurance and anti-crime activities.

THE Isle of Man has launched an aircraft registry just 13 months after the government agreed to set it up.

It will come as no surprise to learn that I support the position of the media in the spat about a secret, i.e behind-closed-doors, meeting to discuss Guernsey's constitutional position.