Mr. Master of Ceremonies, Senator the Hon. James Smith, Minister of State for Finance, Rev. John Humes, Mr. Byron Blake of CARICOM and a dear friend of COTA, delegates from various Member countries, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of COTA, I would like to welcome you all to this our 18th General Assembly and Technical Conference. We are very pleased to be here in this very exciting tourist resort and to sample the warm hospitality of The Bahamas people. Mr. Minister, we would like to convey to you Sir, our gratitude for agreeing to host this Conference and in particular to provide the funds for the prizes which allowed us to put on the "COTA Essay Competition" which has enabled the young people of the Caribbean region to make known their view about this business of taxation which is so important if governments are to be in a position to balance their budgets.

Incidentally, we also have within out midst here today the winner of the competition who just happens to be from Jamaica and who will receive her prize at the appropriate time.

From what I have seen, our host has prepared a very exciting programme for us over the next four days including a number of social programmes and so I have no doubt that we will not only be having a full programme in the Conference room but you will get an opportunity to see and sample what the country has to offer to visitors and what has caused it to be one of the leading tourist destination in the world. During the coming week we will be seeking to find ways of making our tax systems more efficient and effective so that there will be no need to increase tax rates or to introduce any new taxes. We will also be trying to see how we can create a human face for Tax Policy and Tax Administration through improvements in the management of the Human Resources. As usual, we will also be reviewing the effectiveness of Double Taxation Agreements in the Region and finding out where we are with the Tax Harmonisation agenda.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are also very aware that we are part of the international community, and a great deal of what is happening in the internal arena will have an effect on the standard of living of our people in the Region in the year to come. We must therefore put ourselves in a position to take advantage of the benefits that will emerge through globalisation and to also be in a position to deal with the challenges which will also face us - whether it be the intricacies of the WTO system, the Caribbean Single Market and Economy or the Free Trade Areas of the Americas (FTAA).

I thank you.