CARIFTA media accreditation fee
The Association of Caribbean Media Workers Association (ACM) on Monday welcomed news that organisers were re-considering a US$100 accreditation fee for media workers covering the 42nd Junior CARIFTA Games in The Bahamas.
ACM released a statement late Monday saying the fee can hinder media coverage of an event that attracts significant public attention and says a public announcement should be made that the fee had been withdrawn.
Media practitioners have quoted organisers of the March 29 to April 1 games as saying the fee is applicable for a March 11 accreditation deadline.
“This imposition deviates from longstanding regional and international practice and has the potential to inhibit the work of the regional media in covering an event which attracts significant public attention,” said the statement from ACM, the umbrella body for media associations in the region.
“We believe, if implemented, imposition of the fee could have serious, negative implications regarding issues of freedom of information and media freedom”.
The proposed accreditation fee was considered a financial burden to sports journalists and had sparked protest among the region’s media.
Every year, media workers from Caribbean, including Suriname, Haiti and Belize, descend on the games’ venue to report on the prestigious four-day event.
ACM notes that the proposed fee was coming on top of exorbitant costs of intra-regional travel, accommodation as well as vast differences in exchange rates between nations.
The Junior CARIFTA Games, which have produced World record holders and Olympic Champions, are considered one of the best development meets in world athletics.
Obama Vows Action on Climate Change
President Obama said in his inaugural speech that he will make climate change a priority in his second term.
The president said failing to address the global warming threat would betray the world's children, and all future generations.
Mr. Obama acknowledged that some people do not believe human activity such as burning fossil fuels is causing the Earth to heat up. But he said no one can avoid the consequences of a warmer planet, including drought, fires and stronger storms.
The president said the United States must lead the transition toward sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
Many Republicans and others who oppose Mr. Obama's policies say the U.S. economy cannot afford to move away from traditional fossil fuels. They cite theories that global warming is a part of the natural cycle of climate change.
However, environmental groups cheered the president's commitment to action on climate change.
The Sierra Club said the president's remarks were heartening. It says global warming is a pressing challenge for the entire world.
The Natural Resources Defense Council says Mr. Obama's sentiments should be read a call for action on environmental issues.
Russia Sends Aircraft to Evacuate its Citizens from Syria
Russia says it is sending two planes to Lebanon to evacuate its citizens who wish to flee the conflict in Syria.
A spokeswoman for Russia's Emergencies Ministry (Irina Rossius) said more than 100 Russians were expected to board the planes after traveling overland from Syria. She said Russia is sending the planes so that all Russians who want to leave Syria can do so.
It is not clear whether the flights are the beginning of a longer evacuation operation.
Russia is one of Syria's strongest allies and the move to evacuate its citizens is the clearest sign yet that Moscow may be preparing for the possibility that President Bashar al-Assad's government could fall.
Also Monday, Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a car bombing in Syria's capital Damascus, as well as another car bomb in central Syria that killed at least 30 people.
The United Nations says at least 60,000 people have been killed since the conflict began in March 2011.
Earlier Monday, Syria's opposition postponed forming a transitional government. After a meeting in Istanbul, opposition leaders said they have created a five-person committee to consult with opposition forces, the Free Syrian Army and what the opposition called “friendly” countries before making proposals on an interim body.
The Syrian National Coalition was formed in November and has since been recognized by more than 110 countries as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. It is calling for President Assad, who has been in power for 12 years, to step down.
Obama Uses Two Bibles at Swearing-In
When U.S. President Barack Obama took the oath of office Monday, he placed his hand on two Bibles.
The first was the Bible used by former President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, when he took the oath for his first term in 1861. The second Bible was the so-called “traveling Bible” used by slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Junior.
Monday is the official government holiday honoring King who was assassinated in 1968.
President Obama was officially sworn-in for a second term Sunday during a brief, private ceremony at the White House, where he used his wife Michelle's family Bible. Mr. Obama repeated the oath for the public Monday, where he also made his inaugural address.
The presidential term ends on the Constitutionally-mandated date of January 20, which was on a Sunday this year when courts and public offices are closed. Tradition holds that when Inauguration Day is on a Sunday, the president is sworn-in privately and a public ceremony is held the next day.
Monday's swearing-in was the fourth time Mr. Obama took the oath of office.
He was sworn-in twice for his first term in 2009 when the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Roberts, stumbled over one of the words while administering the oath. So the oath was given again one day later.
Mr. Obama is the first president since Franklin Roosevelt to take the oath of office four times. Mr. Roosevelt was elected four times, in 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944. The law currently limits a U.S. president to two four-year terms.
Also Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden took the oath of office on a Bible that his family has used since 1893.
CFO fires back at PDM Leader
Hugh McGarel-Groves, the Government’s Chief Financial Officer has made a point by point response to last week’s publication of the PDM Opposition Party’s position on Value Added Tax.
He refutes it will increase the cost of living in the Turks and Caicos Islands saying there is a wide range of VAT exempt and zero rated items – the costs of which should remain similar to pre-VAT. Customs duties have been reduced by 10-15% to accommodate the introduction of VAT: exempt items still have reduced duty applied; zero rated items allow business to claim the VAT back from Government. He points out that VAT in the TCI is designed to be a replacement tax mostly - taking over from hotel and restaurant accommodation tax, reductions in customs duties, vehicle hire stamp duty, domestic financial services tax, and telecommunications tax.
Hugh McGarel-Groves says water and electricity are zero rated – meaning that utility businesses can claim back VAT from the government on their costs. This could lead to reduced prices he says.
Education and religious supplies are exempt from VAT and there’s no Value Added on medical or dental bills - but these businesses can also claim their VAT back from Government. However, some sector such as lawyers, accountants and architects will need to start paying tax on their sales and deduct it from their costs.
He refuted the PDM charge that VAT would violate the equity principle in taxation saying income tax saw people paying more tax the more they earned; property taxes took proportionally more the more valuable of a property; corporation tax took proportionally more the larger the businesses profit. VAT was one of the most equal methods of taxation as qualifying businesses regardless of industry sector, and consumers would pay it.
He dismissed the PDM claim that VAT would impact negatively on businesses that did not meet the VAT threshold and stressed the costs to administering the tax were marginal – every well run business should know what its purchase and sales were. Each month the total amount of VAT paid out in purchases is subtracted from that received in sales.
On the charge that introducing VAT had been outside the scope of the Interim Administration Mr McGarel-Groves said the TCI was British Overseas Territory. As a result of the maladministration set out in the Auld report it had fallen off the edge of a fiscal cliff. The UK had stepped in to save it from going bankrupt. The British loan guarantee kept the country afloat and helped the TCI receive a significantly lower rate of interest on its loans, reducing the amount that the TCI will need to repay.
During the time of the Interim Administration it was run by the UK with extensive TCI input. It is now run by locally elected politicians within the framework of the law and the Constitution. The UK fully understands how fragile the recovery and the public finances were in the TCI. This was why, after much discussion and consultation, VAT was proposed to help improve the revenues coming to the public sector in order to maintain public spending.
Earlier RTC News spoke to Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, leader of the PDM about the response of the Chief Financial Officer.
Dema hosts seminars
The Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs will this week host a series of seminars aimed at stakeholders in the TCI water sport industry.
The meetings are intended to assess the current economic challenges facing the industry and to familiarise stakeholders with current policy and legislation. They are also designed to solicit feedback from stakeholders to determine the best way forward in terms of policy review and to seek comments and contributions from stakeholders to guide the preparation of a Terms of Reference for a socio-economic study of the industry.
The meetings will take place on the following days: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 5:00 pm at the National Environmental Centre, Providenciales, Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 5:00 pm, House of Assembly, Grand Turk.The seminars are open to all interested members of the public.
For further information, please contact the DEMA offices at 941-5122 (Provo) or 946-2801 (Grand Turk).
Michael Misick row with British & TCIG Government
The row between the family of the former premier, Michael Misick, and the British and TCIG Governments - over his detention in a Brazilian jail - has continued this week.
The family has restated it believes there are flaws in the legality of the case for detaining the former Premier under an extradition request filed by the Attorney General. They say his continued detention in Brazil is entirely unnecessary because he wishes to return to the TCI.
The dispute appears to be about whether the British Government and TCIG are being transparent about what may have gone on behind the scenes in relation to the complex extradition process.
The Misick family are disputing the Attorney General’s assertion that the request was made lawfully and properly - and say they can point to evidence suggesting it wasn’t. The Misick family claims the AG’s correspondence was riddled with half truths and innuendoes. They allege, for example, it was represented to the Brazilian courts that Mr Misick escaped lawful custody after he was charged with offences of Conspiracy to receive bribes and with conspiracy to defraud.
In fact, they point out, Mr Misick was never charged with anything before his departure from the TCI. The family dismisses the AG’s assertion that Mr Misick can consider whether he wishes to return home voluntarily after the UK has formally requested his extradition. The family claims the former premier is being detained by the Brazilian Authorities at the AG’s pleasure.
It is folly, insist the Misicks, to pretend the extradition application had to be completed before arrangements could be made for him to return home. All the AG has to do – say the Misicks - is rescind the warrants he caused to be put in place. If that happened Michael Misick could be released by the Brazilians to the custody of his lawyers and SIPT officers - so that he could board a pre-arranged direct flight to the TCI.
According to the family, The AG had the power to get the politician home within 24 to 36 hours. There were no legitimate security concerns in lifting the warrants. Michael Misick could fly on a direct flight from Brazil, stopping only to refuel in the BVI - a British Overseas Territory.
The circumstances surrounding Michael Misick’s detention are a “set up” - claim the Misick family. They demand their kinsman should be given a fair trial by jury of his peers. You can read the statement in full on the RTC website.
Vat Preparations for TCI
The Governor’s Office said tonight that preparations for the introduction of Value Added Tax were continuing at full speed in line with British Foreign Office Minister Mark Simmonds’ letter to the Premier, the Honorable Dr Rufus Ewing, on 14th January. The plan was to put VAT into effect on 1st April, while UK Ministers awaited a proposal for a credible alternative to VAT in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Some of the key elements of this VAT implementation program were spelt out by the Governor’s Office. The first element of this final lap is the setting up of a new Revenue Department under the former Belize under-secretary Cynthia Costillo. She takes up post as Commissioner of Revenue on the 18th of February. This brings together the people who previously worked in the Revenue Control and VAT implementation units. Here’s Chris Jarrett.
" The members of the VAT team have been receiving training from the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Center (CARTAC) on VAT Fundamentals and VAT Legislation Training since December last year. They are about to begin a visit program to the 500 VAT registered firms: 130 businesses have already received their packs in this regard; 41 compliance visits have already taken place with a further 18 already scheduled to take place in January. The team will visit all registered businesses in good time for implementation on 1st April. The TCI Government signed a $500,000 contract with Sogema on 17th of January for a new software system to help implement and monitor VAT. Hugh McGarel-Groves, Chief Financial Officer of the TCI Government said VAT was internationally recognized as a good tax both for Government revenues and for the economy. The CFO said it was straightforward to collect, broadly based and improved cash flow by being paid more regularly than other forms of tax. He added that given the improving but still weak state of the country’s finances, VAT had been signed into law in 2012 to finally allow the TCI to begin to benefit from VAT after many years of discussion. UK ministers were confident VAT was an important tool in further securing the TCI public finances. However - as politicians themselves - they recognized the democratic mandate of those elected here. They awaited proposals for credible alternatives." This is Chris Jarrett for RTC
Still on this VAT statement, Mr McGarel Groves went on to say that the obligations of Government could not wait – there were investments, bills and salaries to be paid month in and month out. The new financial year would begin in only a few weeks. That was why UK Ministers believed that the TCI should proceed with Value Added Tax now – to protect Government revenues and through them public spending levels – and to review it again at the end of the next financial year. This would also allow local political leaders even more time to further develop credible alternatives, he added.
Pirates Seize Oil Tanker in Ivory Coast
Armed men have hijacked a tanker carrying 5,000 tons of oil from a port in Ivory Coast.
Ivorian port officials said Monday that the Nigerian-owned vessel, along with its 16 crew members, was seized late last week as it was preparing to unload at the port in Abidjan, the country's commercial capital.
The statement says officials believe the ship is currently located off the coast of neighboring Ghana. However, that has not been confirmed.
Hijackings and attacks on ships have increased along Africa's Gulf of Guinea in the past year.
The International Maritime Agency says piracy in West Africa, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea, is on the rise with 58 incidents reported in 2012, including 10 hijackings and 207 crew members taken hostage.
A total of five incidents were reported off Ivory Coast in 2012, up from one the previous year. In October, suspected Nigerian pirates seized a tanker carrying more than 30,000 tons of gasoline off the coast of Abidjan, the first reported hijacking in the country.
Opposition Wins German State Election
Germany's center-left opposition has won a razor-thin victory in a regional election that is seen as a test for Chancellor Angela Merkel eight months before nationwide legislative elections.
The opposition Social Democrats and Greens won a one-seat majority over Ms. Merkel's center-right coalition in Sunday's election in Lower Saxony state.
Ms. Merkel described the defeat as 'painful'.
“I am not going to pretend, after all the feelings generated by this election, defeat hurts even more. We are all sad today. Sad that it did not work.''
The election is the last test before September, when polls for Bavaria will take place followed by national elections, which will determine whether Ms. Merkel will win a third term.