(Acting on behalf of the Ministry of Health of the Government of Barbados)

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Proposals are invited for the purchase or long-term lease of the St. Joseph hospital property, located at Ashton Hall in the parish of St. Peter, in the island of Barbados, for redevelopment and use as an international health centre.

Copies of the Request For Proposal documentation setting out particulars of the property, criteria to be used in assessing proposals, and the form of proposals

are available electronically on request to wkirton@investbarbados.org.

The submission deadline for proposals is

September 30th, 2010.
The Government of Barbados does not bind itself to accept the highest bid for the sale or lease of the property.

(L-R): Mr. Juan Carlos Varela, Vice President of Panama;  the Hon. George Hutson, Barbados' Minister of International Business and International Transport; and the Hon. Freundel Stuart, Barbados' Deputy Prime Minister.

Barbados Signs Another Tax Treaty 
 

Barbados is continuing to earn recognition as an international business jurisdiction distinguished by service excellence, transparency and prudent regulation. 

To further enhance its service and product offerings, government is ardently working on the modernization of existing legislation to ensure that the Barbados business environment meets or exceeds international best practice.   In particular, government is actively seeking to expand Barbados' network of double taxation and bilateral investment treaty agreements.  

In June, the Hon. George Hutson, Minister of International Business and International Transport signed Barbados' double taxation agreement (DTA) with Panama. 

In his remarks, Minister Hutson noted, “the signing of this agreement symbolizes the continuous efforts of this government to strategically augment its capacity as a primary International Business and Financial Centre.”  He further explained that the agreement “will be a vital mechanism for a reciprocal and mutually beneficial framework in matters of international taxation.  The signature of this DTA is, however, not only a demonstration of Barbados’ dedication to expanding its tax and investment treaty network.  I believe that this signing sends a very powerful signal that Barbados and Panama possess the determination and vision as developing countries, to build stronger political and economic relationships, which will enable us to be more competitive on the international trading stage.”

To date, Barbados has 18 DTAs in force, including one with CARICOM which is a multilateral with 10 countries.  Barbados has also signed treaties with Ghana, and Luxembourg, and most recently with Panama.  These double taxation treaties are awaiting ratification. 

Barbados has also initialed treaties with Italy, Spain and Vietnam.  Discussions are continuing towards finalization of similar conventions with other nations, including Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic, Iceland and India.

Copies of Barbados' DTAs are available at http://www.investbarbados.org/dtas.php.