Overview of Tax Information Exchange Agreements
Updated 23 November 2018
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Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs) are bilateral agreements under which territories agree to co-operate in tax matters through exchange of information.
They allow governments to enforce their domestic tax laws by exchanging information relevant to a tax matter covered by the arrangements.
They broadly follow the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Model Agreement on Exchange of Information on Tax Matters.
The UK has signed a number of bilateral TIEAs based on this OECD model.
The UK also exchanges information with other countries for tax purposes under the terms of:
- the joint Council of Europe and OECD Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters
- a number of EU directives and regulations with EU member states
The UK works with the OECD to improve the exchange of tax information, and makes sure all jurisdictions meet the international standards of fiscal transparency and exchange of information.
When TIEAs come into force
TIEAs only come into force when both territories have completed the necessary parliamentary procedures.
The date that individual agreements take effect depends on the specific provisions in each agreement.
In the UK, these agreements take the form of Statutory Instruments.
Exchange of information under tax treaties
Provisions for exchange of information are also contained in tax treaties.