News from Anguilla.
3 April 2000. Issue #12a

This special issue contains a Press Release issued by the Government of Anguilla which is self explanatory and which will be of importance to some readers.  After a lot of lobbying behind the scenes over the last 12 months, the dawn of a new Government is enabling Anguilla, with its inbuilt advantages, to play catch-up with other jurisdictions in this arena such as Bermuda, BVI, Cayman and the Isle of Man.

Apologies, then, to readers who were relieved to think they were getting issues once every 2 weeks, as mentioned in issue 12 ;-)

GOVERNMENT OF ANGUILLA

PRESS RELEASE

The Secretariat, The Valley
Thursday, March 30th, 2000

The Government of Anguilla announces the formation of a Task Force
for the Development of e-Commerce.

The Hon. Victor Banks, Minister of Finance, Economic Development, Investment and Commerce in the Government of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, today announced the appointment of a joint government – private sector committee, the e-Commerce Development Task Force, to advise and assist the government in promoting and developing e-commerce as a leading sector in the Anguillian economy

The Task Force’s mandate is to draft and assist government to, develop, and implement a comprehensive legislative, regulatory, and infrastructure development strategy for Anguilla with the aims of diversifying the economy and attracting new e-businesses.

The Task Force is led by the Permanent Secretary for Economic Development, Investment, and Commerce in the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Fabian M. Fahie. The Hon. Minister of Finance, Mr. Victor Banks, is an ex officio member of the Task Force.

"This early initiative demonstrates the commitment of our new Government to developing e-commerce as a vital industry for our island. It will complement our existing high-end tourism and international financial services sectors," said the Minister of Finance. "Anguilla will implement this strategy at Internet speed by employing our e-advantages, for example our indirect taxation base. E-Commerce provides a wide range of viable business opportunities to those who move aggressively in this expanding global market and we intend to be a leader."

Mr. Fahie commented, "e-commerce can be the catalyst that will lift the economic and social development of Anguilla to a new level. This is an industry of which human resources are the most vital component and Anguillians have consistently demonstrated their high rank in this regard."

Mr. Banks concluded, "We have long held the belief that Anguilla provides a solid platform for e-commerce and the world markets it serves. We are dedicated to widening that base – Anguilla is open for e-business."

For further information contact: e-commerce@gov.ai or Mr. Brent Davis, Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, Investment and Commerce at telephone no. 1 264 497 3635, fax no. 1 264 497 3761 or email: bdavis@gov.ai

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The membership of the Task Force is set out below. The seniority of the public sector members reflects the seriousness with which the Government of Anguilla is treating this matter. The private sector members have wide experience in e-commerce and related matters.

The scope of the Task Force’s mandate is wide. The terms of reference include: setting out a comprehensive strategy framework; recommending, drafting and guiding on implementation of necessary legislative and regulatory changes; and, developing a marketing strategy.

The Task Force recognizes the existing high-end tourism and financial services sectors. It will ensure complementary development for e-commerce. The approach is multi-disciplinary addressing amongst others, intellectual property, consumer protection, alternative dispute resolution, technological and personal privacy issues. Balancing the requirement to maintain high, internationally accepted standards for legislation and regulation with the need to build on existing competitive advantages is high on the Task Force agenda.

Anguilla has a jump-start in e-commerce exemplified by the Anguilla Commercial Online Registry Network ("ACORN"), and plans for a domain name registry. As well, the private sector has a worldwide reputation as a centre for cryptography, data mining, and other related activities.

Anguilla stands out as being willing and able to introduce a comprehensive set of tools, including legislation, conducive to start-ups and e-business initiatives from established companies. Its clean slate approach gives it competitive advantage in the global marketplace creating the right environment for inbound capital.