Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan has signed a tax information agreement with Liechtenstein.
The Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) will allow the Revenue Commissioners to request information which is relevant to an Irish tax investigation directly from the authorities in Liechtenstein.
Information that would typically be relevant is bank account information and beneficial ownership information for companies established in Liechtenstein.
At the signing ceremony, Minister Lenihan said: 'I welcome the commitment of Liechtenstein to implement the OECD standards of transparency and exchange of information in tax matters and their willingness to enter into tax information exchange agreements.
'The signing of this agreement represents a new chapter in relations between Ireland and Liechtenstein.
'Ireland fully supports the renewed efforts of the OECD on transparency and effective exchange of information on tax matters.
'Ireland has a system of full exchange of information and is fully in compliance with OECD standards.
'We agree that all countries and territories that have not yet committed to the OECD standards, including major financial centres, should do so.'
The TIEA with Liechtenstein is the ninth that Ireland has signed, following the signing of agreements with the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, the Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Anguilla, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Bermuda.
Ireland has also signed Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs) with fifty-two countries.
