TAXES FOR TCI
The 2011 Budget presentation of the Turks and Caicos Islands will be delivered at a meeting of the Consultative Forum scheduled for Tuesday April 5th and it seems like taxes are on the way for TCI residents.
News of this came out of the latest Advisory Council meeting on March 30th. The Council discussed measures to address the need to reform the revenue system and reverse the decline in TCIG’s revenue, while at the same time tackling the unsustainable growth in public expenditure.
Revenue proposals include several temporary measures which will give way in the medium term to the proposed Value Added Tax, whose introduction is expected to provide a stable source of revenue for TCIG.
They include a four percent customs processing fee; an increase in a number of fees and charges to bring them in line with inflation; and sales taxes on water, financial services and insurance premiums.
The 2011/12 expenditure measures include a ten percent reduction in the cost of the public service as a first step towards achieving a 25 percent by 2012/13 and expenditure reductions in a number areas including rents, travel, scholarships and subventions to statutory bodies
The Council supported a recommendation from the Telecommunications Commission for an amendment to the regulations governing the industry to set reduced mobile termination rate (MTR) charges in line with international trends and to make provisions for the Commission to set the MTR charges in the future.
Grace Bay Club wins “Best Beach Getaway” award
Grace Bay Club was awarded the #1 spot in the Top 10 Beach Getaways in the March/April 2011 issue of Virtuoso Life.
While the boutique resort has been honoured many times before, this award is especially important because it is selected by the top travel advisors in the countries largest market, the U.S. The famed hotel is the only property in Turks and Caicos to be included on the prestigious list.
“These things don’t happen overnight,” says Nikheel Advani, Chief Operating Officer and Principal of Grace Bay Resorts. “Receiving such an honor is the culmination of hundreds and hundreds of handmade experiences that our staff continues to create for our guests. This truly puts Grace Bay Club in the same league as the big players such as the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton, which gives us great pride being an independently-owned, boutique resort.”
Perched on 11 acres of immaculate beachfront, Grace Bay Club was the first luxury hotel built in Turks and Caicos and has since set the bar for luxury resorts in the region. Founded in 1993, the storied all-suite boutique resort was purchased in 2001 and reintroduced into the luxury market after a $250 million renovation and expansion.
“Its all in the details,” Advani says is the secret to success at the Grace Bay Club. He notes thanks to the devoted staff and vision of developer and owner Mark Durliat each and every detail has made the Grace Bay Club the very special place it is today. “Mark has designed the resort to ensure every facility we have in the resort from the rooms to the swimming pools, the restaurants and the bars are on the most beautiful beach in the world,” he added.
A member of Leading Hotels of the World, Grace Bay Club offers guests a uniquely hands-on travel experience with a focus on luxury and service. A quiet haven for uninterrupted relaxation, the 82-suite resort is divided into two separate sections for discerning travelers of all tastes including: the adults-only Hotel at Grace Bay Club area with private restaurant, bars and swimming pool in addition to the family-friendly Villas at Grace Bay Club with their own restaurant, bar and pool. In February 2009, the resort welcomed The Estate at Grace Bay Club, a collection of 22 lavish residence style accommodations complete with a private infinity pool, poolside cabanas, personal concierge service and gourmet restaurant Krave.
Police Marine Branch in Grand Turk completed
Reconstruction of the jetty and boat launching ramp, at the Police Marine Branch at North Creek in Grand Turk has been completed
The reconstruction of the jetty and boat launching ramp, at the Police Marine Branch, North Creek, Grand Turk, has been completed. Boaters,
anglers and outdoor enthusiasts on the island are now able to utilize a facility which has not been available for some time.
The reconstruction, funded by the Recovery Task Force, was required after the previous ramp one of the most popular that served the area, was
damaged and left requiring repairs after Hurricane Ike in 2008.
The repairs and enhancements, which include changes to the slope of the ramp, make it much easier and safer for boaters to launch and retrieve
their boats. The reconstructed ramp is some 20 feet wide and 66 feet long, made of solid concrete, is set at an appropriate angle (grade), and
the available depth at low tide is up to 3.5 feet.
The renovated facility fully meets the requirements of the Police Marine Branch, and also the wider boating community of Grand Turk; making
launching of boats even faster and safer. The renovated ramp offers improved access to North Creek, a well utilized haven for craft in poor
weather.
The site lies on property owned and managed by the Police Marine Branch.
Members of the public wishing to make use of the new facilities at North Creek should contact Inspector Bacchus at the Marine Branch in Grand Turk
at Telephone no:- (649) 946-2072; Cell no:- (649) 232-2019.
TCI Squad ready
A squad of Fourteen (14) players and two officials will represent the TCI national team at the ICC America's Division two tournament in Suriname
next month
The Turks and Caicos Islands Cricket Association has selected a squad of Fourteen (14) players and two officials to represent the Turks and Caicos
Islands national team that will be participating in the International Cricket Council Americas Division two tournament, slated for 9th to the
15th of April 2011 in Suriname.
Six teams will take part in this Tournament, namely Brazil, Belize, Bahamas, Panama, Suriname and Turks & Caicos Islands.
The players and officials include:-
Rohan Ash (Captain)
Terrence Thomas (Vice Captain)
Garvin Bruno
Robert Johnson
Nuwan Bodhinyake
Marcus Charlemagne
Gareth Butler
Damian St. Ange
Sabuton John
Jeremy Jones
Howard Dickenson
Henry Saunders
Douglas Brown
Calvin Chase
Michael Pereira (Manager)
Ralph Doughty (Coach)
Lobster season closed
Lobster season closes today
Today marks the closure of the lobster season here in the Turks and Caicos Islands and although the total landings are not official as yet, current
stats reveal that this year's season looks better than last year's.
Kathy Lockhart, Scientific Officer at the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) spoke with PTV about these numbers, and while she
was not in a position to put a dollar value on international export at the moment, she noted that some one million, four hundred thousand dollars
worth of lobster landed during this lobster season.
During the closed season, persons are prohibited from being in possession of lobster under the fisheries protection ordinance and persons found in
contravention of that order, could be liable to as mush as $50,000 in fines.
A collaborative effort between the DECR and the Marine branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is in effect to ensure the laws as
they regard poaching in Turks and Caicos waters, are adhered to.
It is understood that measures have been implemented to ensure a healthy and adequate lobster stock, which is evident in the August 2010/January
2011 lobster season, which reportedly netted 423 thousand pounds of lobster that was brought in, compared to 318 pounds of lobster that landed
in 2009/2010.
The lobster season reopens on 1st August, 2011.
Haiti's presidential election results delayed by fraud
Fraud has forced Haiti's election council to delay results of a highly anticipated runoff intended to decide the next leader of the troubled Caribbean nation.
Results were supposed to have been announced Thursday. But the Provisional Election Council asked for four more days and will post preliminary results on Monday instead. Final results are not expected until April 16.
The agency said "a high level of fraud and irregularities of various kinds has been detected in the tabulation of votes."
The election pitted former first lady Mirlande Manigat, 70, against bad-boy musician Michel Martelly, 50. The initial election in late November ended in controversy when Jude Celestin, the government-backed candidate, placed second after Manigat.
Charges of massive vote-rigging and other irregularities surfaced and protests erupted for several days on the streets of Port-au-Prince and other cities. In January, a vote review disqualified Celestin and prompted the runoff between Manigat and Martelly. Both candidates have expressed confidence in their showing.
The second round of elections unfolded peacefully for the most part amid concerns that the return of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a polarizing figure in Haiti, would disrupt the vote. Aristide arrived in Haiti two days before the runoff but has kept a low profile so far and did not endorse a candidate.
Haiti's next leader will inherit a job laden with challenges as the impoverished country struggles to rebuild after last year's devastating earthquake and a cholera epidemic.
Jamaican PM denies recommending extradition
On Thursday, Prime Minister Bruce Golding told the Commission of Enquiry currently ongoing in Jamaica that he did not advise attorney general Dorothy Lightbourne to sign the authority to proceed with the extradition process against alleged drug kingpin Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.
The Jamaican Observer reported that the attorney for the opposition People's National Party (PNP), K.D. Knight, asked the prime minister if he had made his preference known to Lightbourne. However, Golding replied that he could not disclose that.
Golding became agitated and argumentative over Knight's line of questioning on legal matters, which the prime minister said he could not understand.
However, he agreed that the different positions taken at different times on the issue could give the impression that there was an effort to delay signing the authority to proceed against Coke.
"Yes, But it could not be well founded," said Golding. He earlier explained that Lightbourne had various concerns with the extradition request.
He also said that Coke was not being defended because of his allegiance to the ruling Jamaican Labour Party.
Following the lunch break, Knight continued his heated cross-examination of the prime minister, calling him a "pathological mendacious person".
Knight had suggested that Golding was lying to Parliament and the public when he spoke last year about the hiring of United States law firm, Manatt, Phelps and Phillips
The attorney also said that Golding and the JLP feared Coke and the impact his extradition would have on the party. He charged that Golding tried to prevent the extradition because of this.
However, the prime minister denied this.
Patrick Atkinson, the attorney for People's National Party (PNP) politician, Peter Phillips, also on Thursday accused the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government of establishing the Commission of Enquiry to cover-up their actions during the prolonged extradition of Coke.
Atkinson had begun his cross-examination of Golding when he made the accusation.
The Jamaica Observer reported that Golding responded, "That's not so."
Former Barbados deputy PM wants abuse scandal to be resolved swiftly
Former deputy prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has called for the issue regarding a Jamaican national, who claims that she was sexually and verbally abused by Barbadian customs and immigration officials, be taken out of the public domain.
Mottley wants the matter to be resolved without further embarrassment.
She said that Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart needs to take control of the issue and put a fair, transparent and independent investigative process in place that is acceptable to all parties and agreed upon by both governments.
CMC reported that the opposition lawmaker said, "In this way, all parties will be bound to the outcome of the process. The failure to put this kind of process in place that is acceptable as an action before an international human rights body… will only serve to tarnish Barbados' reputation even if the allegations are not proven."
Mottley said that all government officials in both countries need to pause and stop talking. She recalled that the late Barbados prime minister, David Thompson, had advocated that there should be no shouting matches across the Caribbean Sea by Caribbean leaders.
She added that Stuart cannot postpone decisive and independent action on this matter any longer, as the welfare of the peoples of both nations is at stake.
“He must abandon the philosophy of not making errors by postponing decisions... as Barbadians we can no longer bury our heads in the sand to the perception that others have of us that Barbadians do not treat their Caribbean brothers and sisters and people of African descent fairly and with respect," she said.
Meanwhile, the Jamaica Observer reported on Thursday that, ignoring the gathering storm of accusations about their poor treatment of visitors, Barbadian authorities have against allegedly beaten and kicked three more Jamaicans out of that eastern Caribbean island.
The three, Andre davis, Jermaine Blake and Chevine Edwards -- partners in the artiste management and music production company, Dajavu Records -- said they were physically abused and threatened by Barbadian police and humiliated by that country's immigration officers after being denied entry.
Edwards told the Observer that the trio arrived in Bridgetown on Sunday, March 20, on Caribbean Airlines flight BW 55, minutes after 9.00 pm. He said they were removed from the immigration line and their passports and cellular phones were confiscated. They were interviewed individually and proved that they had met all the requirements, in terms of accommodation, business contact, cash and limited length of stay, said Edwards.
"There was a cop who asked us if we supply Buju Banton with coke. He also asked us if we didn't bring any Bob Marley. I asked what he was talking about as I thought he meant a CD (compact disc), but he said he was talking about ganja. And he asked us if we used drug money to fund our label," he said.
The claim of abuse by the music producers comes just days after Shanique Myrie, a Jamaican national, accused Barbadian officials of finger-raping her twice, spewing venom about Jamaicans and forcing her to endure humiliation.
And the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association of Jamaica on Wednesday added its voice to the condemnation of the alleged acts of discrimination against Jamaicans by Barbados.
In a release to the media, the association said its members faced less than acceptable treatment from Barbadian customs officials when they visited that country for a meeting of the Caribbean Customs Brokers Association.
Bahamas named in money laundering probe
The Bahamas has been named as the jurisdiction where $176 million was allegedly laundered in a scandal linked to a senior Panamanian government official.
For The Bahamas, the fact that the laundering of the $176 million was alleged to have occurred in the jurisdiction as recently as 2009/2010, may mean further reputational damage as the country continues to struggle to shake off the tax evasion/money laundering stigma.
According to newsroompanama.com alleged irregularities in a Bahamian bank account are linked to a money laundering investigation into former Panamanian president, Ernesto Perez Balladares. That website claims that evidence received by the Special Prosecutor’s Office of Organized Crime in Panama at the end of January suggested $176,961,057 in deposits in the Bahamian account, and disbursements of $176,962,091 over a 13-month period between May 4, 2009 and June 30, 2010.
Two checks from Panamanian company Shelf Holding Inc., allegedly authorised by Balladares, were deposited in a Bahamian account under the name Seaside Foundation, according to the report. The checks were for $175,000 and $45,000 and were allegedly deposited in August 2005 and December 2005, respectively.
The discovery of the two checks recently led the prosecutor in the case, Marcelino Aguilar, to pursue further investigation into the matter.
The former president and 11 others are allegedly unable to justify the amount of money they received from Shelf Holding and another company, Lucky Games, which the report alleges benefitted from a grant when Balladares was in power between 1994 and 1999.
Bahamian “know your client” legislation calls for bankers to understand who owns accounts and to understand the source of significant deposits to accounts. The penalties on the books for bankers facilitating money laundering are also considered by some to be aggressive. Further, banks dealing with politically exposed persons (PEPs) have an added duty of care in monitoring the activity on those accounts.
Whether the allegations prove true or not, the accusation and naming of the jurisdiction in the affair may still have a negative impact on how the jurisdiction is perceived.
The news also comes as the US State Department’s March 3, 2011, International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) called for The Bahamas to “enhance its anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing regime by implementing the National Strategy on the Prevention of Money Laundering.” The INCSR also said the jurisdiction should ensure the establishment of a public registry for beneficial owners of all entities licensed in the jurisdiction.
The Bahamas has not yet entered into a tax information exchange agreement with Panama.
Former FBI agent retracts story
A former Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agent, who told an undercover investigator that he routinely arrested Bahamian criminal defendants in South Florida and unlawfully sent them back to their homeland on commercial flights, now said he made up the story.
Retired FBI Agent Gerard Forrester, the FBI’s Miami liaison officer in the Caribbean in the 1990s, told a court in Bahamas that he lied because he has the tendency to brag.
Forrester’s admission to arresting and unlawfully repatriating suspects surfaced during an unrelated civil court battle between New York hedge fund billionaire, Louis Bacon, and Canadian fashion mogul, Peter Nygard.
According to an affidavit, Forrester is heard in an audio recording saying that a Bahamian murder suspect was arrested in Miami, held briefly in jail, placed on a plane and later killed in police custody in The Bahamas.
Forrester now works with a former Bahamian police officer who was cleared in the 1998 killing of that suspect, who the retired FBI agent said was wanted at the time on murder charges related to bank robberies.
Under US federal law, foreign nationals wanted on an arrest warrant issued in their native country have the legal right to challenge their extradition or removal in US courts.