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Bush proposes payroll tax
(CNS): After several days of tough negotiations with representatives from the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, McKeeva Bush told CNS on Wednesday evening that London was still holding out for some form of tax and had not granted approval for the government to access pre-arranged borrowings. The leader of government business said that he had offered the idea of a community fee or local tax, which would, he explained, have to be linked to payroll. Although the details of the proposal have not have been finalized, Bush said it would be based on earnings.
During another tough day of negotiations with still no go-ahead from the UK to access the $372 million loan which government has already negotiated with private banks in order to balance the 2009/10 budget, the planned resumption of the Legislative Assembly for the budget presentation on Friday was postponed until Monday 28 September.
Bush said that he would be meeting with the business community tomorrow afternoon before he convened a wider public meeting at the Court House on Thursday evening, by which time he was praying that he would have a decision from the UK and be able to outline where government intends to go. He did not say if the community enhancement fee would be across the board or apply just to work permit holders.
“Hopefully by tomorrow we will know. I am praying we will have an answer,” Bush said. He added that the planned meeting with the press on Thursday morning would have to be cancelled as he expected to be continuing talks with the UK, but he believed the meeting would be televised.
Explaining that to the keep the UK happy Cayman would have to implement some form of sustainable revenue raising measure, he said the community feewas the only type of tax he had not taken off the table.
“As you know, we have been opposed to property and income taxes but the community fee has been an idea that has never been ruled out. We will, however, have to bring in a mixture of this new fee and raise other fees as well to get the necessary revenue,” the LoGB explained, adding that he had been involved in the negotiations via telephone since he returned from his trip to the UK at the weekend.
Bush told CNS it was regrettable that Cayman was in such a difficult situation and he placed the blame squarely at the door of the previous PPM administration, which he said had really “messed up” and in particular the former education minister, Alden McLaughlin, whose insistence on the schools, the LoGB said, had contributed to the precarious financial situation the country was now in.
Vote in the CNS online poll: Is the idea of a property tax a good one?
The tax trick damage
For almost two weeks after the political ploy of announcing the possibility of a payroll tax was initiated by the UDP, the community has regressed to being as divided as it ever was in its modern history. Thanks to Mr Bush's "strategy" to announce the payroll tax so that we could swallow a less bitter pill (soon to be announced), the international media has had a good laugh, the cayman vs expats sentiment grew to its worse, and local businesses faced uncertainty.
Some loss potential clients, and quite a few within the financial services industry have had to defend the country's tax neutral status.
But the worse part of this debacle is the very widely held and highly credible speculation that this was all intentional. That is, with no regard to the community division, or international reputational impact on the main sector driving the country's economy, the government went full speed ahead with its brand of local politics, with apparently the only remaining skill set that they possess to deal with a financial crisis.
And this nonsensical piece of politicking was as obvious as it was damaging: CIREBA alluded to it in their reported statement in local media, Wendy Ledger gave us the 'bait and switch' viewpoint, and there were dozens of bloggers on local websites saying this was the political play. So not only was it wrong for the country, it was also a political failure.
None of this will matter much to the UDP, because you see, the UDP is really only one man. And that one man operates with no rationale, little logic in what he does, says one thing on Saturday morning and contradicts it on Saturday afternoon. All on a whim, on the basis of the last person that spoke in his ear, on nothing more than raw and impulsive decision making from one man at any given moment.
Imagine for a second what it would be like if you were to use that same approach to decide which job offer to take or which school to choose for your child. Now consider what it means to operate like that when running an entire country.
And it is this modus operandi of the UDP that is the most worrying. Because regardless of the advice given by his political allies, local businesses and supporters, the leader of the UDP has shown time and time again that he and only he is King. And while no reasonable person would ever criticise a good leader for not having much of a formal education (because one does not need that to make good decisions if they surround themselves with the right expertise and actually use that support), everyone will want to see the back of a leader who shows no respect for others.
If there was ever an episode that gives the other elected UDP members a reason to take charge, it was this one especially because of its closeness to the upcoming election. But we should not hold our breath, because they are all quite happy it seems to stay on board while their captain speeds the ship aggressively towards the rocks.
Hopefully the people will remember the collateral damage of this incident on Wednesday May 22nd 2013.
Miller will lift expat tax
(
CNS): The independent member for North Side has confirmed that if he is part of any new government formed in the wake of the 2013 election he will ensure that direct taxation will be scrapped if the premier actually implements the controversial expat tax. Speaking to CNS as confusion mounted over the premier’s position on the proposed 10% payroll fee on work permit holders’ earnings, Miller said that while he may not be guaranteed any position in any new administration, if he was given a chance to serve in the next Cabinet it would be a priority to overturn the contentious tax. Commending the private sector group for its intervention this weekend, he raised concerns about the continuing uncertainty.
“Despite the efforts of the private sector group over the weekend, we note today that there is still a lack of clarity and no small amount of confusion coming from a subsequent statement from the premier,” he said in a statement Monday. “This is disappointing but hardly surprising. Sadly, it is in keeping with the frightening level of incompetence with which the premier has discharged his responsibilities as the minister of finance."
The North Side MLA, who has said he intends to retain his political independence when he stands in his constituency in May 2013, has said he will be running with any “coalition of the willing” that will work towards the removal of McKeeva Bush from office and then form a government to begin to repair the extensive damage and irregularities associated with this current administration.
He also committed to overturning any direct taxation imposed by the premier, which he hoped would reassure the business community that, even if the premier cannot be persuaded in the next few days to take a different course, the tax will be short lived.
In the meantime, however, the outspoken MLA once again called for the premier to relinquish the position of finance minister at the very least, even if he is not prepared to resign as premier.
Miller said Bush’s actions this week had shaken the financial industry to its very core, damaged Cayman's international reputation and created further instability and division in the community.
“Bush should be asked to step down as finance minister. I call upon all right-thinking members of the business community, Caymanians from all cross-sections of society and those of us in political leadershipto demand of Mr Bush that he removes himself from the Finance Ministry, to prevent further damage to the Cayman Islands,” he added.
“For the minister of finance to be allowed to make such an unnecessary and reckless departure from our traditional revenue sources to a form of income-determined tax is in my view grossly detrimental to this country and he should be required to re-assign the Finance Ministry,” Miller said, calling for the financial secretary to resign as well for allowing such a shift in policy. The MLA pointed out that with no definitive statement from him saying that he did not support this income-based fee, it had to be assumed he agreed with it.
The MLA further stated that, along with the UDP's incompetence in managing the country's affairs and the continued wasteful spending, the premier could still find the time and money to travel to Jamaica this past weekend.
“While I congratulate Jamaica on its 50 years of independence, I find it difficult to accept that our premier had to be there at such a crucial time in our budget preparation,” he said.“Similarly, the minister of sports can find the time and money to take a big entourage to London to attend the Olympics, while his government has plunged the country into uncertainty and anxiety. This incompetent UDP government needs to get serious and produce a credible budget, instead of making ill-conceived policy announcements to stir up controversy while they jet around the globe as distractions from the real issues,” Miller said in an official statement.
See full statement below.
More proposals made as anti-tax rally delayed
(CNS): Following news over the weekend that the premier may be reviewing his plans to introduce direct taxation on foreign workers' earnings, the rally against the proposal by Independent MLA Ezzard Miller, the opposition party and the Facebook group has been postponed. Caymanians and Expats United Against Taxation and the opposition said they will all be waiting to hear what the premier says at his planned Mary Miller Hall meeting on Monday evening. The social media group has already submitted a number of alternatives to his office and is continuing to work on several more.
The founders of the Facebook group spent the weekend working on potential proposals after canvassing many of their members for ideas. Casey Goff (pictured above) told CNS that after the unexpected announcements over the weekend the group rushed to pull together the ideas that have been examined and produce a document, which is much shorter than originally planned but which could be discussed at the Monday night meeting.
“As a consequence of this, we have been unable to complete the list of cost savings measures which we would like to present,” said Goff, adding that the group would continue working Monday to pull more credible proposals together.
So far, the group has proposed a number of measures which they claim could raise more than $83 million. Echoing suggestions made in the past by the business community and a number of other viable options, the group's ideas add to a growing list that has been submitted by a cross-section of the community from North Side MLA Ezzard Miller to Don Seymour, one Cayman’s most successful local business owners. (See early proposals below).
With all eyes on the Mary Miller Hall and the goal of meeting McKeeva Bush’s invitation of a viable alternative, thoughts of protesting against the proposed payroll tax have been temporarily shelved in favour of finding solutions, the group said. The opposition and Miller said they had suspended the planned collaborative rally with the Facebook group set for Monday in Heroes Square to wait on what the premier had to say this evening.
“The postponement is as a result of developments over the weekend and the government’s apparent agreement to withdraw the payroll tax proposal and to hold a public meeting on Monday 6th August to announce alternative revenue measures,” the opposition said in a short statement. “Once details of the Government’s new plans are known, the PPM and MLA Ezzard Miller will determine whether to reschedule the planned meeting.”
It is not at all certain that Bush will drop his plan to impose a 10% tax on expatriate workers earning more than $36,000, as he says the UK wants a budget surplus of $76 million. The budget currently waiting the nod of approval from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office contains the proposed tax and suggests government can raise some $50 million through its implementation.
This is the sum that Bush now says he will need to raise in order to withdraw the tax and replace it with another sustainable revenue source. However, critics of the payroll tax have already pointed out that the proposal is very unlikely to raise the projected $50 millionfor a combination of reasons.
With only around $5,000 people earning $36k and above, many of whom are likely to be in a position to find ways of lawfully avoiding paying the tax, it is unlikely to deliver that much cash to government coffers. Others may also opt to drop their salaries marginally to fall below the threshold to avoid being caught in the new tax net which will be levied at 10% immediately.
Those earning $35,999.99 will not be taxed, while those earning $36,000 will pay $3,600 each year, which would make a drop in salary for anyone earning up to $39,000 worthwhile.
Those opposing the tax have also pointed out the flaw in the government’s position that this method of raising revenue would be sustainable, since the group of workers the government has elected to target is the most transient and the one most likely to leave.
Uncertainty prevails over tax
(CNS): The issue of direct taxation was up in the air Monday, with people from the business community believing they had persuaded the premier to move away from the controversial and damaging move to introduce direct taxation to Cayman while McKeeva Bush denied that the tax was off the table yet. The plan to impose a 10% payroll tax on work-permit holders earning more than $36,000 per year was included in the 2012/13 budget proposal sent to the UK last week, on which the Cayman government now awaits the OK. However, seven business leaders claimed Saturday they had persuaded Bush to drop the idea and adopt alternative revenue raising measures — a claim denied by the premier. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)
Bush has confirmed that he will be holding another public meeting on the issue at Mary Miller Hall this evening (Monday 6 August) at 7:30pm, when he will be discussing the issues but he said the payroll tax will not be dropped unless an alternative can be found that won’t hit the locals who can least afford it.
"The proposed Community Enhancement Fee will only be withdrawn if alternative revenue measures that do not affect the ordinary Caymanian can be implemented," Bush said, on Saturday afternoon, a few hours after the group of business representatives said that Bush had agreed to withdraw the direct tax proposal.
On Saturday evening the business group released a further statement denying that they had “jumped the gun” over the issue as they had the premier’s agreement to drop the tax in writing.
The group, comprising Woody Foster and six others, stated that they were "unable at this time to explain the discrepancy between the news reports" and the clear understanding it has in writing with the premier. In addition, they said that the statement released by the group on Saturday morning had been agreed by the premier before it was issued.
They said that Bush had committed to outline the proposals made by them and others to replace the controversial 10% payroll tax at the meeting Monday evening.
The six men and one woman said they had issued the public statement in order to “relieve the anxiety” that had arisen in the wake of the tax announcement by Bush on 25 July, which has created massive opposition across the entire Cayman business community.
Bush had described the tax as “a community enhancement fee”, which he said was needed to meet the UK's demands for a budget with a $76 million surplus. At first, Bush had targeted all work-permit holders earning $20,000 but on Wednesday 1 August it was revealed the threshold would be raised to $36,000 and the money would be collected by the immigration department.
Although the business leaders said the proposal had created polarity and division in the community that had caused great concern, in the social media circuit it was apparent that the proposal had united Caymanians and expatriates more than ever before, as illustrated by the lightning speed with which the Facebook page Caymanians and Expats United Against Tax formed.
Very few Caymanians have spoken out in support of the proposed discriminatory tax, as most recognized that it would detrimental to the wider economy and the impact would not be limited to the 5,000 or so work permit holders earning over $36,000 per annum that Bush had planned to target.
Related articles:
Expat tax on hold
(CNS): A group of local business people claim that they have proposed alternatives to the expat tax which the premier has accepted. Although there has been no confirmation yet from the premier himself, the group of private sector representatives said McKeeva Bush has agreed to make a statement on Monday evening at a public meeting at the Mary Miller Hall, where he will outline the proposals made by them and others to replace the controversial 10% payroll tax on work-permit holders. The six men and one woman released a statement Saturday morning about the development in order to “relieve the anxiety” that they said had arisen in the wake of the announcement by Mckeeva Bush just ten days ago about the tax.
On Wednesday, 25 July, Bush made the announcement that he had been forced to introduce the payroll fee because of pressure from the FCO. He described the tax as “a community enhancement fee”, which he said was needed to meet the UK's demands for a budget with a $76 million surplus. At first, Bush had targeted all work-permit holders earning $20,000 but on Wednesday it was revealed the threshold would be raised to $36,000 and the money would be collected by the immigration department.
The proposal was greeted with opposition from almost every corner of the community. Every single business body, from the Chamber’s Council of Associations to the law society, as well as the Facebook community pointed out the potential dangers the introduction of any kind of tax on earnings posed.
The business group said that during a meeting on Friday with Bush “and after many hours of careful review and input from most sectors of the business community” they were able to come up with alternatives that the premier had found acceptable, they said.
“We support the premier and his efforts to meet the parameters set for the budget," stated the group, which is led by Woody Foster, the owner of Cayman’s largest supermarket chain and wholesale distributor. “We recognize that in order to reach this point, it will require all areas of the economy to participate and contribute to the revenue enhancements and they should not be borne by any single sector."
The statement said the proposed Community Enhancement Fee had created polarity and division in the community that had caused great concern. However, on the social media circuit itwas apparent that the proposal had united Caymanians and expatriates more than ever before, as illustrated by the lightning speed with which the Facebook page Caymanians and Expats United Against Tax formed.
There were very few Caymanians who spoke out in support of the proposed discriminatory tax, as most recognized that it would detrimental to the wider economy and the impact would not be limited to the 5,000 or so work permit holders earning over $36,000 per annum that Bush had planned to target.
“We are a welcoming diverse society that recognizes the contributions of Caymanians and expatriates alike, and we are confident that the new revenue measures will provide a way to share equitably the responsibility of providing revenue to the Government," the business group said. “The premier has committed to making a public statement on Monday night at the Mary Miller Hall agreeing to suggestions – proposed by us and others – and removing the Community Enhancement Fee from further consideration. At this time, he will provide details on the new revenue measures that government is considering.”
It is not clear now where this move will leave Bush with regards to the timeline for the budget, which must be presented, examined by Finance Committee and passed into law before the 31 August. He revealed last Wednesday evening at a meeting in West Bay that his government’s latest proposed budget containing the new direct tax had gone to the UK for approval and he had planned to deliver his budget address in the LA this coming Thursday 9 August.
Check back to CNS for more on this latest development.
See both the statement from local business people and Friday’s statement from the Council of Associations below.
Mac calls off tax meeting
(CNS): Monday night's meeting at which the premier had planned to talk to the public about the expat income tax was call off at the last minute in the face of a peaceful protest. Citing the disquiet in the community about the issue, McKeeva Bush cancelled the meeting, suggesting the protestors were being influenced by those that “meant the country no good”. The meeting has now been moved to his own constituency in West Bay on Wednesday evening, where Bush will be hoping that he can round up enough of his own supporters to undermine the planned rally by the protest group which has emerged in a matter of days via social media.
The Facebook group Caymanians and Ex-pats United Against Taxation was created by Nick Pitman in the wake of the premier’s announcement last week that he intended to tax the earnings of work-permit holders earning more than $20,000 per year by 10%. When CNS posted the story on its website, it got a record 800 comments as shockwaves over the suggestion ricocheted across the islands.
The growth in internet use in Cayman in recent times was further illustrated when Pitman’s page had reached some 9,000 members by the weekend. With foreign and local workers coming together, this has sent a clear and unequivocal message to the premier that this form of income tax is a step too far.
The group now has more than 10,200 members, and in the face of the planned protest that could have attracted thousands the premier cancelled the Monday evening meeting at the eleventh hour. In a short statement released from his office Bush said that after consultation with his Cabinet colleagues he had decided to postpone the meeting, which was meant to inform the public about this controversial move.
“There appears to be an ill-temper abroad that suggests we would not get the calm and measured discussion that these issues require,” he said. “There is too much influence being exercised on people’s minds by those who mean the country no good. Hopefully the disquiet they have generated will lessen enough that in a couple of days we can have a proper public reception and discussion of what we have to say."
The meeting will now take place on 1 August at the Sir John A. Cumber school hall at 7:30pm on Bush’s home turf.
However, members of the social media group intend to move their planned peaceful protest to the district in an effort to dissuade the premier from introducing the tax, which would be a fundamental shift for Cayman.
Although the tax is currently only targeted at foreign workers, it is clear most people recognise that it is merely step one and that once introduced direct taxation could quickly spread to all, including Caymanians, which would not only hurt the community directly in its pocket but could undermine the entire financial services sector.
Sources tell CNS that the premier hopes to raise some $50 milllion through this tax to plug the deficit in his government’s budget. However, many believe his estimates are far wide of the mark and that there are numerous other options which could bring in more revenue without resorting to direct taxation, such as a legal lottery or taking 2 cents from the US-Cayman dollar exchange.
Although Bush has pointed the finger at the UK pressurising him to introduce direct taxation, the governor’s office has sated that the UK has not yet approved this budget. In addition, London sources also state that theFCO’s economic advisor to Cayman has asked for further reductions in operating expenses and has not demanded payroll tax or any other tax but a form of sustainable revenue.
Although Bush persistently blames the opposition for the position the country is now in, the reason why the UK still needs to approve the CIG budget is because, despite promises over the last three years to reduce borrowing and operating expenses, the premier has continued to borrow in each and every budget and increased spending on public services.
Bush had said over and over again this year that the UK will not permit the Cayman government to increase its borrowing levels. Nevertheless, he submitted a budget to them for approval in June which not only included an overdraft facility of $27 million but around $50 million more in long term borrowing as well.
Bush says budget is done
(CNS): The Cayman government has gone as far as it can, the premier has said in connection with this year’s budget and the proposed "expat tax", despite indications from the governor that the budget negotiations are not finished and in the face of protests from across the community, including Caymanians. A memo circulated to civil servants the morning after the premier’s announcement that he would be taking 10% off work permit holders' income and making civil servants pay for health insurance and pensions also indicated that officials were still working on the government’s spending plans and proposals were still being developed.
The introduction of an expat tax, however, has shocked the community. Following the announcement bloggers on CNS broke all records when they posted over 800 comments on the first news report about the issue within the first 24 hours. A Facebook page was also created by a local work-permit holder which has now garnered over 9,000 members, who plan to protest at Bush’s public meeting on Monday evening.
Although the tax is aimed at foreign workers, many Caymanians are also outraged at the proposal, not just because they recognise the impact it could have on the economy overall and the unique nature of Cayman but because they are aware that Opposition Leader Alden McLaughlin’s comments regarding this tax being the “thin end of the wedge” are correct and they are also at risk.
McKeeva Bush denied this when he took to the airwaves again on Thursday evening with another statement in the face of the national backlash against his proposal. He said McLaughlin was misleading the public about the tax (which Bush continues to call a ‘community enhancement fee’) when he suggested it could be extended to Caymanians.
“Everyone knows that I rejected VAT, income and property tax and payroll taxes across the board in 2009. I still do,” he said despite the proposed introduction of an expat payroll tax. “His suggestion is nothing but him trying to gain points from this situation, this financial mess with the FCO in control, that he created,” Bush added.
However, the premier failed to point out that the reason why the FCO is still having to approve the CIG’s budgets three years after the PPM administration broke the parameters of the Public Management and Finance Law is because the UDP government has continued to borrow and has not presented a genuine surplus budget, despite promising to do so. If Bush had presented a budget without a borrowing requirement ,either long or short term (including the overdraft), the FCO would not have needed to approve it.
But because Bush’s final budget in his role as minister of finance still contained both long and short term borrowing, the first spending plan was rejected. The premier now says it is the FCO that is forcing him to introduce a new source of taxation, a point denied by sources in the UK. Bush has also denied having any plans to target Caymanians in the new income tax proposal.
“If I had any intention to hit Caymanians harder than they are being hit already, I would have included them in this proposal,” Bush said on Thursday night in face of the most widespread opposition to anything he has ever suggested. “They are not included – for all the reasons I have stated many times. A VAT tax would be disastrous for these islands, so would property tax.’”
Bush will be holding ameeting this evening at the Mary Miller Hall in Red Bay to talk about the proposal at 7pm.
See Bush's statement below and civil service memo.
In response to the payroll tax announcement
This makes me want to puke! Not so much for what the premier has announced but for the fact that Caymanians have sat on their hands allowed things to go this far and yet Caymanians have done nothing more substantial than bray like a jackass with a case of colic. Far too often Caymanians blame our plight on past administrations, other people, and myriad external factors – but we continually fail to accept that the person we look at in the mirror is the prime culprit behind our descent into the abyss.
Make no mistake, Caymanian born and bred stupidity and complacency is the prime cause of the mess we are in; not expats, not past administrations (or even present administrations): they have only done what Caymanians either encouraged or allowed.
It is easy to blame others, but the truth is that years upon years of ignorance, years upon years of mindless and idiotic voting, and years upon years of ghastly complacency and poor choices on the part of "born" Caymanians is what has plunged us to this depth.
Our autocratic maroon wastes money with impunity. He makes sweetheart deals and gives away our birthright to enrich opulently wealthy collaborators. He ridicules the rational leaders among us, and he all but dares us to do anything about it. As the country becomes stifled with debt, Bush gives away rights to future tourist tax dollars to an already fabulously rich developer! He fails to curb his extravagant spending and trim the expenses as urged to by the UK. Now he has the audacity to declare, out of the blue, a payroll tax!
And yet Caymanians do nothing but pass gas about it. We have turned into a country rife with lazy, complacent people, incompetent morons unable to plot a sound course for ourselves, so we haul up the sail under the command of even bigger morons .
The Cayman Islands is brimming with poltroons who whine and bitch and complain but are too self-involved, too impotent and too cowardly to do much else than snivel and whimper like whipped puppies. These lemmings who smile as they head over the cliff make me sick! The huge number of recreants in these islands make me ashamed to be called "Caymanian".
Caymanians push out their chest and say "I am Caymanian, worship me!" but yet they cower like sycophants before a despot who is bringing their so-called "beloved" islands to the brink of disaster: these kind of people are nothing more than contemptible craven caitiffs.
"Beloved Isle Cayman" my stinking foot! Show me someone who loves these islands enough to do more than sing off key about them with a misty nostalgia in their eyes and I might believe those words. Far too many of our people are inflated with the putrid flatulence of some pathetic semblance to ethnic pride but are too yellow-bellied to manifest any real pride in their own land and empower themselves and make their voices heard.
Caymanians claim to be a wise and independent people. Ha! What a joke we are making of that idea! No wonder we moan that we are the laughingstock among local expats. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…" Yep! That's us! We deserve all the contempt and derision than can be heaped upon us. Just look at the man we chose to lead us! (Well not me but a big bunch or born and bred morons chose him.) We are quick to give our opinion and pontificate on anything and everything, but when it counts the most, Caymanians as a whole are too impotent to impose their will in any meaningful way. In unabashed arrogance we lord it upon those who visit and work here but in reality a vast number of us are a cadre of cringers, too fearful to go nose-to-nose and do what has to be done to get the point across with any tenacity, courage or meaningful impact.
Show me loud, boisterous, passionate 24/7 protest marches that angrily demand that the UDP step down; show me likenesses of Makeewah and his minions burned in effigy all across these islands; show me work stoppages and strikes; show me UDP/Makeewah meetings aborted due to a deafening chorus of boo's and chants from an angry throng of people who think he and his minions need to go NOW. (Somebody show me some bloody courage, dammit!) Make some signs for us to wave, organise the grunting masses; let me see that Caymanians have some balls and I may cease to feel the urge to put a bag over my head when out with expats who know me and can brand me as being Caymanian.
I can hear the lily-livered snivelers among us now: "Oh no! We can't do that! It would cause instability." "It would look bad." "It might scare off investors". To these lackeys I say "Wake the hell up, you damn idiot!" Can't you see this country is already doomed if we continue to stand doltishly by picking our noses and whining? Don't you think we already look pretty damn bad and are looking worse by the day! What investors? The only investors around are the ones Mac wooed by giving up concessions and favours as if Cayman were a cheap whore. If the sky does not fall when a substantial part of the country grinds to a halt because of a glitch at CUC, the sky will not fall when the country grinds to a halt because of a loud and clear call to good governance and civil resistance to despotic power. Yeah, darling … it might be time to get a little rude!
For too long I and precious few others bold enough to tell it like it is have borne the brunt of being labelled as firebrands because we publicly have gone against the powers that be in regard to critical issues, while the rest of you snivelling whiners sat in the shadows. If there was any sign of life among you pusillanimous zombies it was usually expressed by quiet nodding and the occasional murmur of approval, all the while you look around in paranoia that you might be labelled a non-compliant rebel by expressing support for those who were exercising their right to free speech and putting it on the line.
If you read my postings here you know I tend to speak my mind. I am usually no less candid in public venues I can assure you. If you think for a moment and recall the voices that have abraded our lords and masters the most; think about those whose few who are brave enough to be outspoken and pro-active on important issues, those whose stubborn non-acceptance of every whim of government have made a difference: my voice was among those that you have heard.
Now it is time for more than just talk! Bush loves debate, darling! He relishes the opportunity to exchange words. He thrives on hot air. As long as we merely talk, Bush knows his tyrannical reign is quite secure. As long as his subjects remain suitably docile he knows they are impotent to stop him from doing whatever he wants.
More talk will not change things. It is time for action. I will be contacting those who I know are like-minded to begin to organise mass protests. I know others will be doing the same shortly. Icall on many many many more others reading this to do likewise.
Caymanians! Wake the hell up! It is time to stop whimpering and do something! It is time for concerned Caymanians to take off the kid gloves and come together en masse and make our will be known! If this goes like the referendum vote and mass protests fails to materialise, then Caymanians indeed are the pathetic clowns we claim that some expats take us for.
Please circulate this message and make it go viral all across this land. Do it for your country; do it for yourselves!
Tax question still unanswered
(CNS): While government pursues the goal to have inward investment as the source of future new revenue for governmentcoffers rather than taxes, the UK is continuing to push for some form of direct taxation in Cayman’s next budget. Although the premier has cited the possibility of both payroll and VAT, a government spokesperson told CNS on Friday that no decision had been made on any form of direct taxation. Meanwhile, in the wake of the Miller/Shaw report, the Revenue Measures Subcommittee of the National Investment Council has submitted its report to government, which also found taxes would be far more harmful than helpful in Cayman.