BASSETERRE, ST KITTS & NEVIS, Feb 19 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) - Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis Denzil Douglas has rejected the inclusion of his country in a list of 18 states and territories considered uncooperative in tax issues with France.

The French government from March 1 will sanction firms set up in the nations that have not signed a treaty to exchange tax information with at least 12 members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

OECD, also known as the club of rich countries coordinates economic and social policies of its members and harmonises development efforts of other territories.

At a press conference, Douglas called the Paris action premature and inappropriate and promised to issue an official statement on the subject.

French Ministers of Budget Eric Woerth and Economy Christine Lagarde delivered on today the text that will allow a charge of 50 percent tax on transactions made by national companies settled in countries included in the list.

The ruling applies to St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Brunei, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Liberia, Nauru, Niue, Panama and Philippines. -- NNN-PRENSA LATINA