Bermuda's recently opened office in Washington DC will ensure the Island makes its friends in the US capital before it needs them, according to Premier Ewart Brown.

He told the House of Assembly yesterday that proposed US tax policies which could affect Bermuda are set to become "more and more focused", meaning having a presence in DC will be essential.

There is $320,000 allocated in this year's Budget for the DC office, which is close to Capitol Hill, and three staff will be recruited to run it in 2010/11.

Dr. Brown told MPs: "The allocation of this funding will enable the appointment of suitably talented individuals to man the office. Our early positioning in Washington will serve us well. We will have established our presence and made our friends before we need them."

The Washington DC office, on the third floor of Liberty Place, at 325 Seventh Street NW, costs $179,000 a year to rent, which Dr. Brown said was a bargain that "simply could not be passed up".

It cost $58,000 to set up but has had no staff since it opened in September.