ED Milliband's "ill informed" attack on the Isle of Man has served as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a closer relationship with the UK.
That's according to the Island's Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK who said he had "swiftly and firmly" refuted claims made by the leader of the Labour Party last month.
Mr Milliband had called for an end to UK "tax havens" starting with the Channel Islands and Isle of Man in a series of articles published in the UK national media.
Questioned about the matter in the House of Keys yesterday (Tuesday) Mr Bell said he believed Mr Milliband's comments were driven from rhetoric as opposed to policy and said he had "clearly set out the weight of evidence which show's the Island's proactive stance towards tax regulation".
He said: "The evidence on this matter is clear. The Isle of Man has been repeatedly judged to be cooperative and compliant with internationally agreed standards."
The Chief Minister said he did not think it was right for a politician to declare who should be on the OECD black list as the process of assessing where countries are placed is based on "a careful and dispassionate consideration of the evidence, not political decrees".
Mr Bell continued: "I voiced my disappointment that the Island's work in leading the field in international standards, and in contributing to their on-going development, had not been recognised by the leader of the opposition as it has by others - not least the OECD global forum and the financial stability board."
Mr Bell thanked Mark Field, MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, for publically setting the record straight.
He continued: "As Chief Minister I am determined to enhance our relationship with the UK as I have previously made clear. I will be engaging with the leader of the opposition's comments as part of my ongoing contact programme.
"It is vital that we cooperate with efforts to strengthen tax regulation. I made it clear that my government supports efforts by the UK to clamp down on tax evasion and to strengthen the anti avoidance framework.
"These events serve to remind us of the importance of maintaining a close dialogue with UK counterparts which I am committed to do."
Also see: Milliband's attack on the Isle of Man is "ill informed" says Chief Minister
