story which revealed the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development had delayed plans to publish a list of harmful tax regimes.

This decision appears to have come about as a result of the lobbying conducted by Bermuda and other offshore jurisdictions to demonstrate that they are sound and respectable places to do business.

The fact that the OECD has also changed its terminology, from "harmful'' tax havens to "uncooperative'' ones, is also important. As Finance Minister Eugene Cox said, no-one could describe Bermuda as being uncooperative. He is also right to say that Bermuda should take care not to give the OECD, or any other international organisation, a blank cheque, but where Bermuda and other jurisdictions can demonstrate that they are important and trusted partners in the global economy, they should do so.

The OECD may have begun with the premise that offshore jurisdictions were places which were simply safe harbours for other countries' tax dollars.

But other countries, including Britain, Luxembourg and Switzerland can all fall under the definition of offshore financial centres. That shows that the global economy depends on financial centres all over the world to make the wheels of commerce go round.

This same message can be used in lobbying the US Government on the most recent threat to the Island's insurance industry. Bermuda needs to make clear and cogent arguments with regard to the value of the Bermuda insurance industry as a worldwide centre for innovation which as the ability to come up with insurance solutions to problems which "onshore'' companies cannot always provide. The so-called Bermuda tax loophole is just one part of a much bigger puzzle.

Some of this work is already being done and more will take place when Premier Jennifer Smith and Mr. Cox go to the Risk Insurance Management Society conference in San Francisco next week.

It is vital that Government and the insurance sector speak with one voice on this question and drive home the message that Bermuda is a partner which follows the rules and provides a service to the world.

QUALITY VISITORS EDT Quality visitors The private sector team which has put together a strategy for revitalising tourism deserves credit for coming up with pragmatic goals and ideas for turning the industry around.

The decision to drop target numbers for air and cruise arrivals is wise; it is debatable whether there are sufficient hotel beds to accommodate 500,000 air visitors a year anyway.

The point that length of stay and spending levels are more important than raw arrivals is one that every Bermudian should take to heart. Aside from departure tax, it makes little difference to the economy whether one person stays in a hotel for three weeks or three people stay for one week each.

But if the tourism sector decides to pursue quality over quantity, it must ensure that these quality visitors receive quality service, quality rooms, quality meals and quality activities. Bermuda's high costs make that a necessity.

To attract the "quality'', Bermuda must shed its reputation for charging top prices for a mediocre product.