House Suspends Debate on Revenue Administration Act in Jamaica
Debate on the Revenue Administration (Amendment) Act in Jamaica has been suspended until June 18, to allow for further deliberations on the proposals contained in the Act.
The move came after the Opposition raised concern about some of the provisions in the legislation, which seeks to, among other things, bring about significant improvements to the ability of the tax authorities to access tax-related information held by various parties.
Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, who opened the debate in the House of Representatives yesterday (June 12), said the legislation will give the Commissioner General of Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) the power to demand useful and useable information in a form appropriate to the individual sectors.
He said it will facilitate more efficient and effective exercise of the powers of investigation, audit, assessment collection, and enforcement by TAJ, and improve the quality and usefulness of information supplied to TAJ by various parties on a periodic basis.
“Revenue authorities are currently restricted in their efforts to promote compliance in all sectors of the economy because of their inability to collect and use information that is needed and to identify, register, audit and access certain taxpayers. Lack of information is acknowledged to be one of the main obstacles to tax collections with some known sources of information being sealed off by the present laws,”
Dr. Phillips stated. He argued that there is a high rate of delinquency associated with the undetectable income-generating activities of unregistered persons.
“As the law now stands there are too many opportunities for those who seek to evade taxes and find grounds of resistance to the tax authorities in the form of the secrecy provisions that exists in the current legislation and the overly circumscribed narrow powers of the Commissioner General,” Dr. Phillips stated.
The Act also intends to facilitate a more effective exchange of information with Jamaica’s treaty partners under the various double taxation agreements.
It will also ensure that the information provided will enable Jamaica to meet the international standards of transparency and exchange of information for tax purposes.
In his remarks, Opposition Spokesperson on Finance, Audley Shaw, argued that more time is needed to get feedback on the provisions on the Bill as the consequences are far reaching.
He noted that the proposed amendments seek to give tax authorities more power than they already have. Mr. Shaw recommended that a Committee of Parliament be formed to hold discussions on the legislation.
Source-JIS
Three Shot at Port of Spain General Hospital
Police scrambled to the Port of Spain General Hospital Thursday afternoon after three persons, among them a nurse, were shot.
Initial reports are that at around 2 p.m, the nurse was walking past the
food court located on the hospital compound, when she was grabbed
by a man who used her as a human shield against a gunman who
was pointing a gun.
Nurse Alexis Bhagan, 30, was shot along with the man who was hiding behind her. A second woman, said to be a janitor at a secondary school in east Trinidad, was also shot. Bhagan was shot in the face and transferred to the St Clair Medical Centre for a CT scan to be performed to determine the extent of her head injuries.
The suspect escaped. The area where the attack happened is manned by hospital security guards. However, the shooting incident was over within seconds, and there was no time for the guards to react, the Express was told.
Hospital workers noted that there were no CCTV cameras set up near the area of the attack.
Source-T.E.N
Assad Used Chemical Weapons in Syria
The White House says it now has conclusive evidence that Syrian troops have used chemical weapons against rebels -- a move President Barack Obama has said would cross a "red line."
Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters Thursday that President Obama has decided to send direct military support to the rebel fighters. But he declined to say what that support would be or when it will arrive.
Rhodes said that according to intelligence, as many as 150 people have died from multiple small-scale chemical weapons attacks over the past year. He said those numbers are likely not complete.
The national security official said sarin gas is among the chemicals used by the Syrian army. He said there is no reliable corroborated reports that the rebels also have acquired or used chemical weapons.
U.S. intelligence officials have been saying for months they were confident that chemical weapons have been used by the Syrian government . But Mr. Obama had said he needed to see firm evidence before deciding his next move.
The president is under increasing pressure from some in Congress and other prominent voices, including former President Bill Clinton, to take more forceful action in Syria -- including arming the rebels.
The United Nations says nearly 93,000 people have been been killed in Syria over the last two years. The majority of them have been civilians.
Erdogan to Meet With Second Group of Protesters
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invited a second group of anti-government protesters to a surprise late-night meeting after giving what he called a "final warning" to the marchers.
The second delegation includes artists, actors and singers. The prime minister met with another group on Wednesday. But most demonstrators brushed off the talks, saying the government handpicked the delegation.
Earlier Thursday, Mr. Erdogan gave those he calls "troublemakers" 24 hours to clear out of Istanbul's Taksim Square.
The protests began two weeks ago as a march against plans to tear up a public park next to the square. They quickly built up into marches against the government and Mr. Erdogan.
The opposition accuses him of imposing his conservative Islamic views on secular Turks
Riot police have used tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades to drive off the marchers in Istanbul and Ankara. Four people have died, about 5,000 people hurt and thousands of others arrested.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said the United States welcomes efforts to resolve Turkey's problems through dialogue. She also said U.S. officials are troubled by what they call pressure on media outlets covering the protests
Zimbabwe's PM Vows to Fight Election Decree
Zimbabwe's prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has vowed to fight a unilateral decision by President Robert Mugabe to hold national elections on July 31.
Mr. Tsvangirai has accused his government coalition partner of acting "unconstitutionally." The prime minister says he cannot accept the date.
Mr. Tsvangirai commented on Thursday, shortly after Mr. Mugabe issued a presidential decree setting the election date, which complies with a constitutional court order that requires the country to hold elections by the end of July.
The constitutional court issued the ruling in May in response to a lawsuit from an activist who demanded Mr. Mugabe set an election date before parliament ends its term June 29.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai, however, has said he would not support any election date that comes before democratic reforms are enacted.
He vowed to take the matter to court.
"I will not accept a situation where Zimbabweans will yet again be railroaded and frog-marched to another illegitimate and violent election."
Zimbabwe's 2008 elections were marred by violence, most of it by supporters of Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF party. The unrest prompted the regional leaders with the Southern African Development Community to nullify Mr. Mugabe's election victory.
He formed a power-sharing government with Mr. Tsvangirai, at the behest of the SADC.
Mr. Tsvangarai has been seeking adjustments to electoral laws and other statues that affect freedom of expression and association, and the work of the news media.
He says the earliest the country could hold elections would be August 25.
Mr. Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since its independence from Britain in 1980. The 89-year-old president has said he intends to run again.
UN Says 93,000 Dead in Syria Conflict
The United Nations says nearly 93,000 people have been confirmed killed in Syria's war, although it warns the actual figure is probably much higher.
The U.N. human rights office says the latest toll, which accounted for deaths until the end of April, is most likely a minimum figure.
The U.N. said an average of more than 5,000 people have been killed monthly since last July. Navi Pillay, the U.N.'s top human rights official, said this reflects the "drastically deteriorating pattern of the conflict over the past year."
The report said at least 6,500 children have died in the conflict and documented cases of children being tortured and executed along with their families.
With no letup to the fighting, governments backing opposition forces are considering new ways to support the rebellion against embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with government troops now massing near rebel-held parts of the city of Aleppo.
The White House said Thursday that President Barack Obama is monitoring the situation in Syria, assessing the options available to the United States and its allies and that any further steps will be based on U.S. national interests.
Secretary of State John Kerry and his British counterpart, William Hague, met in Washington Wednesday to discuss Syria.
Kerry said the danger is made worse by Mr. Assad's allies Hezbollah and Iran and that the U.S. is focusing its efforts on supporting "the opposition as they work to change the balance on the ground."
Activists said Syrian rebels battled government troops Thursday for control of a key military base in central Hama province after chasing soldiers out and setting fire to installations there.
Ethiopia Ratifies Controversial Nile Accord
Ethiopia's parliament has ratified a controversial treaty that would replace colonial-era agreements that give Egypt and Sudan the majority of water rights to the Nile River.
The 547-member parliament voted unanimously for the treaty, on Thursday, in spite of an ongoing dispute with Egypt over Ethiopia's construction of a massive hydroelectric dam on a Nile tributary.
The two countries have had a series of irate exchanges over the nearly $5 billion dam. Egyptian officials fear the so-called Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will threaten their country's water supply.
With Thursday's vote, Ethiopia became the sixth country to back a new cooperative agreement that calls for establishing a commission to oversee Nile projects.
Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have already signed the agreement. Egypt is among several nations that have yet to do so.
The majority of Nile river water originated in Ethiopia. However, colonial-era treaties written by Britain gave Egypt and Sudan the bulk of the water.
The agreements gave Egypt as much 87-percent of the Nile's flow.
In May, Ethiopia began diverting water from a Nile tributary for construction of the dam.
Ethiopian officials say Egypt can make up any reduction with better water management.
On Monday, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi said he was not calling for war, but warned that "all options" were open concerning his country's possible reaction to the dam project. Ethiopian officials responded, saying they were ready to defend the dam project.
GOVERNOR’S LAST VISIT TO SALT CAY TOMORROW
H.E Governor Todd will make possibly his last visit to Salt Cay tomorrow, Friday, 14 June 2013, before he leaves the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in a few months for a new diplomatic position.
He will be accompanied by the District Commissioner for South Caicos and Salt Cay Yvette Cox and be met on arrival by local officials Noyal Hamilton and Aquina Martin.
The Governor has been committed to visiting each of the TCI’s six inhabited family islands once every three months during his time in the Islands. He has also visited uninhabited East Caicos too.
On this one day trip to Salt Cay, he will:
1. Present a cheque for $2,500.00 to the Salt Cay Community Centre to help them to buy new tables and chairs for its meetings and gatherings, to fix its guttering, pipes and cistern, and to the repaint the outside of the building.
2. Inspect the Reverse Osmosis plant on the island to see for himself the improvements in water quality made since the new cistern membranes were installed, and the plant and equipment sent over from Grand Turk ahead of Salt Cay receiving its own new plant this financial year.
3. Visit the staff and students of the Mary Robinson Primary School, where the students have prepared a special farewell presentation for the Governor, before heading on to see the Salt Cay clinic.
During his visit he will have lunch at the Coral Reef restaurant.
“I have always tried to demonstrate my support for some of TCI’s smaller and slightly more remote communities during my time here,” said Governor Todd. “I am pleased that others too have taken p this good habit of going out and meeting the people that they represent and am delighted that Deputy Governor, the Hon Anya Williams is also soon to embark of an Island tour with her six Permanent Secretaries to better engage with the public servants that are employed in our less densely populated islands.
“Salt Cay is a very special place, unique in the world, and I very much cherish the time that I have been privileged enough to spend there.”
Turks and Caicos post Cabinet Statement from meeting on 12 June 2013
His Excellency Governor Ric Todd chaired the meeting of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ (TCI) Cabinet on Wednesday, 12 June 2013 at the House of Assembly Building on Grand Turk. The Premier and all Ministers, except the Deputy Premier, were present at the meeting. The Deputy Premier was in London representing the Government of TCI.
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Discussed draft legislation prepared by AG’s Chambers at the request of the Minister of Finance on the introduction of a flat rate customs duty on the cost of freight and insurance for cargoes imported into the TCI. This new revenue raising measure was an integral part of the Financial Framework prepared previous by the Ministry of Finance and financial modelling by officials had shown the duty, whilst necessary, would have only a small impact on the cost of individual imported items. Ministers said they would view very seriously any evidence where individual businesses appear to increased prices unjustifiably. Cabinet agreed the Bill and the Minister of Finance will present it to the House of Assembly at the next sitting (on 24th June) with a view to it becoming law on 1 July;
· Also, discussed draft legislation prepared by AG’s Chambers at the request of the Minister of Finance on amendments to the application of stamp and share transfer duty. Several technical changes were explained relating to the threshold ceiling on stamp duty payable for multi-million dollar loans; the percentage duty applied to loans for property purchase and on loan transfers to a different provider; the percentage allowance made when property is purchased to account for furnishings and chattels; and the applicability of stamp duty to share transfers with respect to land holding companies. The proposals from the Minister of Finance were supported by Cabinet and the AG was instructed to bring forward draft amending legislation to be reviewed at the next Cabinet meeting;
· Received a presentation on disaster preparedness by the Director of Disaster Management, Dr Virginia Clerveaux. The presentation explained the preparations that had been put in place and those that were still underway. Cabinet noted that lessons had been learnt since Hurricane Ike and as much as possible will be done within the constraints of public finances. There can never be total assurance but where priority improvements still need to be made resources will be found. Dr Clerveaux also explained the funds available from international bodies and how TCI could do more to secure them. All ministers acknowledged the need for their ministries to be well prepared and integrated into disaster management plans. They also undertook to encourage public institutions to ensure they have plans in place to address emergencies and for citizens, communities, churches and the private sector to understand what is expected of them;
· A further presentation was made by the management of the NHIB to describe to Cabinet the findings from their review of the ordinances and regulations under which they operate. They explained several areas where the body could improve its effectiveness and value for money. The NHIB were requested to present to the Ministers of Health and Finance as swiftly as practicable a detailed set of changes to their underlying legislation and procedures, together with draft text for any necessary legislative changes to be taken forward and to consider the efficiencies from a possible merger of the NHIB and NIB payments systems;
· Considered and supported a proposal from the Minister of Finance that an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) be concluded with NCPA Ltd for the development of a marina at North Creek on Grand Turk and agreed that the Governor would sign the MoU when it had been finalised by AG Chambers;
· Agreed that the order bringing into effect the Universities, Colleges and Technical Institutes Ordinance from 1 July 2013 should be signed by the Governor;
· Heard an update from the Minister of Border Control and Labour that work on a draft Ordinance on Immigration and Citizenship was at an advanced stage. He noted that the legislation was essential and it was agreed the preparation of the draft Ordinance would be the first priority of AG’s Chambers when the necessary Finance Ordinances had been prepared;
· Noted that the CFO and the Budget had, as requested by Cabinet at its meeting on 29 May, clarified remaining issues relating to the 2013/14 Budget and that the Budget will, with CFO’s support, be sent forthwith to UK Ministers by the Minister of Finance;
· Noted the following ministerial travel commitments:
the Deputy Premier would represent TCI on behalf of the Premier at the G8 Event on Trade, Tax and Transparency hosted by Prime Minister Cameron in London on 15 June as well as related events and would meet FCO Minister Simmonds on 13 June
the Premier would attend the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad from 3-7 July
the Minister for Health would visit the UK from 18-20 June to attend the 62nd Westminster Seminar
the Minister for Government Support Services would attend a CEDEMA Ministerial Conference on disaster management in Suriname from 24 - 30 June.
Further information on the issues addressed by Cabinet will be provided by Ministers in due course.
Cabinet took the opportunity to offer their best wishes to Dr Philip Rushbrook on the completion of his posting to the Governor’s Office when he moves to a new role in London at the end of the month.
Cabinet will meet next on Wednesday, 26 June 2013.
PREMIER’S RADIO ADDRESS TO THE NATION
My fellow countryman, Good Morning.
Today it is a pleasure to address you using this forum in what I hope will be a monthly address to the Nation to share with you some of the upcoming plans of the Government, and update on the progress being made in meeting key milestones in the further development of these beautiful by nature Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Since coming into Office, my Cabinet Ministers and I have consistently sought to update you on decisions made by Cabinet at our bi-weekly post Cabinet Press Briefing. While this in itself is laudable, it is envisioned that my Monthly Address to the Nation will speak more broadly of upcoming plans and aspiration of the Government with the hope of fostering greater public discussions and further inform and guide the government in its decision making.
I am strongly of the view that we were elected to this office to serve you the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and it is only by working together that we can build this nation and tackle the problems of unemployment, the Economy and Education of our youths. Together we have to build a roadmap where all will have water, electricity, sanitation, jobs, housing, public transport, adequate nutrition, education, social protection, quality healthcare, recreation and a clean environment
Due the global economic recession and the stringent financial management framework and procurement processes, the achievement of these goals has proven to be difficult in the recent past. As part of our National Development Plan, myself along with my Ministers will outline in the upcoming Budget Debate in the House of Parliament strategic interventions that we believe can put the TCI economy on a better footing.
One of these initiative involve promoting investment opportunities in the TCI, thus attracting high valued, profitable and sustainable investment portfolios to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Last week I led a delegation, comprising of TCI private sector investors along with the Minister for Finance, Hon. Washington Misick to the Invest Caribbean Now conference held during Caribbean Tourism Week in New York in which we alerted the investment world that TCI is once again open for business.
Our visit and the message were warmly received by all in attendance which sparked a buzzed throughout the investment conference. Hon. Misick and I also held several private one-on-one meetings with investor groups to explore the options which we would be willing to facilitate in the TCI. Today, I would like to report that the mission to New York was a huge success as we have already received follow up emails and are actively pursuing opportunities and linkages, which were forged during the meeting.
In my last meeting with the business community, the sector indicated that for the economy to grow three-fold, we must remove certain obstacles and streamline the process of doing business in the TCI.
To this end, my Government will take a closer look at the immigration process, the planning process and business licensing process to see if there are avenues and opportunities which we can improve upon. In this day of technology, and fast pace world it is no longer acceptable for a work permit application to take 12 months to be approved.
An investor or business person should not have to wait 6-12 months to get feedback on his/her planning application, and while we are promoting the liberalization of business license process, we must do so and ensure that adequate protection are in place to empower Turks and Caicos Islanders so that they can reap the maximum benefit from the investments made in the TCI.
In the weeks ahead, my Government shall formulate policy discussion documents which I will share with the Public for consultation on streamlining many of these processes. As you no doubt would agree, it is pointless to go out and market that TCI is open for business but only to have investors bug-down through paper work and unnecessary bureaucracies.
Permit me to be clear, when I speak of investors I mean local and foreign investors alike. Many of the complaints I have received are from local small business who are finding it very difficult to do business in the TCI due to unnecessary bureaucracies.
We aim to strengthen areas that need strengthening, do away with unnecessary red tape, and replace this with a red carpet approach for all.
We will engage businesses, labour and other social partners in pursuit of solutions. No single force acting individually can achieve the objectives we have set for ourselves. We all must work together in the building of our nation, whether you are a civil servant, a taxi driver or manager in a hotel, we all have our part to play in promoting investment in the country and servicing the tourism industry.
I pause to applaud the good work I have seen of the Public Works Department crew and several volunteer organizations in cleaning the streets. I hasten to add that as a Luxury Tourism Destination, which is beautiful by nature we must, as a country and as a people act more responsibly and keep our island clean. The practice of throwing empty bottles and cans out your car window must stop immediately.
We have to hold people more accountable for their actions and take steps to actively enforce the law. The current law requires that ALL persons must keep their premises and the adjacent roadway clean. Consequently, I have directed the Minister with responsibility for Health and Social Development, Hon. Porsha Stubbs-Smith to formulate a task force comprising of representative from Environmental Health Department, Planning Department, Ministry of Government Support Services, Tourist Board, Road Safety Department, Traffic Department of the Police Force and Public Works to use the combined resources of their office, and the various respective legislations to actively engage offenders and address the mounting problem of public littering.
If I may use the phase from the Tourist Board which states that “Tourism is Everybody Business.” We as a Government, Civil Servants, Private Sector, moms, dads, aunts and uncle must adopt this phrase; we all have a part to play in contributing to the visitor experience.
The past few years have demonstrated that where the people intervenes strongly and consistently, it can turn around any major threats as has happened in our campaign against VAT.
We now need a campaign to build this economy, by promoting investment opportunities, doing our part to service the tourism industry and build a better and brighter future for our children.
May God continue to bless these beautiful by Nature Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands.
I thank you,
Dr. Rufus Ewing, Premier of the Turks & Caicos
June 13, 2013