British ambassador stands up to Margallo

Gibraltar is neither a tax haven nor a colony, Britain’s ambassador in Madrid has publicly told Spain’s acting Foreign Minister.

Simon Manley wrote a letter to El Pais after José Manuel García-Margallo again referred to Gibraltar in disparaging terms.

“It is disappointing that [Sr García-Margallo] continues trying to wrongly portray Gibraltar as a tax haven,” Mr Manley wrote, setting out Gibraltar’s commitment to financial transparency and tight regulation under international and EU rules.

He reminded readers that Gibraltar had signed 135 tax information exchange agreements with 80 countries.

“Not only that, it has offered to sign a similar agreement with Spain, something the Government of Spain has up to now declined,” the ambassador wrote.

Mr Manley also took issue with Sr García-Margallo’s suggestion that Gibraltar was a colony.

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