Archive for May, 2010
US citizens in Cayman warned to swot up on HIRE
(CNS): US citizens living and working in Cayman will need to familiarize themselves with new legislation that affects their tax obligations Cayman Finance has said. The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010 (HIRE act) passed in March 2010 has new reporting obligations on US taxpayers in connection with non-US accounts and investments. This new legislation will affect US passport holders in Cayman and provides the IRS with tools to find and prosecute US individuals hiding assets overseas. The new rules also limit the ability of non-US investors to access US markets Cayman Finance warned on the eve of its summit where the issue will be discussed.
Cops quiet on MLA arrest
(CNS): Police have refused to confirm the arrest of a Bodden Town MLA this weekend following an assault at a condo complex on Seven Mile Beach. However, the UDP has confirmed that Dwayne Seymour was arrested and jailed at George Town Police Station Saturday evening. Police said that at around 10.00 pm on 1 May they received a report of an assault at the Cayman Beach Reef Resort on West Bay Road. As a result of the incident two men sustained injuries and attended the Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town. They were both released following treatment but police arrested three men in connection with the incident. This afternoon one of the men was released from custody and two were released on police bail.
Whistleblower says he has files that show tax dodging
(Reuters): A former private banker at Julius Baer who alleges the Swiss bank knowingly helped rich clients dodge taxes, said on Monday that US clients have long paid a premium for Swiss firms’ tax advantages. Rudolf Elmer, who told his story in public for the first time, was fired from Julius Baer in 2002. He says he has divulged internal company documents with officials in several countries, including the United States and Germany. As a former chief operating officer for Julius Baer in the Cayman Islands, Elmer says he has files that show the bank helped clients skirt taxes.
Minibus madness!
I’m scared. I have the right ofway and I’m driving below the speed limit. By all universal laws of traffic, justice, and morality here on God’s green Earth, I should be able to drive by the stationary vehicle up ahead without incident. But I know better, for this is not a normal Cayman Islands driver.
He is one of “them”, a Road Warrior beholding to no traffic codes or shred of common courtesy. Far better suited for touring an apocalyptic future and jousting with Mad Max, he is instead miscast on West Bay Road in the civilized present.
Opposed to automobile anarchy, I cringe in fear and disgust. I also tighten my abs, squeeze the steering wheel, and brace for possible impact. Here we go, another routine encounter with a Grand Cayman minibus driver. The driver, probably a Sith Lord or something similar, is cloaked in darkness thanks to illegal tint on his windows. But I know he’s in there somewhere, not paying attention to me. Perhaps he is talking on a cell phone, or maybe bickering with a customer in the rear seat. No, come to think of it, it’s more likely that he is looking right at me in one of his mirrors but will pull out in front of me, nonetheless. He will expect me to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. How can I know all this about a driver I have never met and can’t even see? I am confident that he can’t or won’t drive properly for the simple reason that he is a minibus driver on a Grand Cayman road. That’s all one needs to know.
My vehicle profiling instincts turn out to be right on target—as usual. The minibus pulls out in front of me with no warning. Fortunately, I was already at red-alert status and able to brake in time. Had I made the mistake of assuming that a normal human being with a conscience and basic driving skills was behind the wheel, I might well have ended up in a wreck.
So who are these people? What is wrong with the majority of minibus drivers on Grand Cayman? Weren’t teenage boys supposed to be the stupidest, most obnoxious, and most dangerous drivers on our roads? Maybe not. It’s arguable, but they may have lost that dishonourable distinction, thanks to the daily efforts of our island’s minibus maniacs. Yes, against all odds, Cayman’s mass transit professionals seem to be more of a consistent annoyance and threat to safety than even the worst of our emotionally undeveloped and testosterone-overdosed young men with delusions of invulnerability.
So many of Grand Cayman’s minibus drivers are so bad that this issue would appear to run deeper than mere incompetence and ignorance. Their behaviour on the roads seems far too radical and consistently terrible to be explained away as nothing more than carelessness and rudeness. How can they maintain such a low level of driving competency? It can’t be easy to be this bad day after day. Anyone can be a poor driver, but to operate a vehicle in the unholy manner most of our minibus drivers manage would seem to require something extraordinary. Who knows! Maybe there is a secret training facility in East End somewhere. Perhaps they put in long hours of practice in order to perfect their impressive repertoire of chaotic manoeuvres. That would explain it.
To be fair, not every one of Cayman’s minibus drivers should be jailed for attempted murder at the end of every shift. There could be as many as two or three of them who are good drivers. To those rare specimens, let it be known that Cayman applauds your willingness to swim against the current and drive as if you can see, hear and think. You are bold misfits and rebels within your profession. It must take great courage for you to defy convention by obeying traffic signs and driving in a manner that avoids rather than invites accidents. It is unfair that you may sometimes suffer from guilt by association, but this is the sad reality of your chosen career. You are the few noble heroes, a tiny minority lost among a horde of barbarians. Perhaps we shouldstudy you in order to determine how you turned out so differently from the majority of your colleagues.
In all seriousness, can someone in a position of authority please ask/demand that all minibus drivers begin driving as if human life is worth more than a $5 fare? If you think this is no big deal, then please try to put yourself in the shoes of the hard-working people who have no choice but to rely on these Caribbean Knievels for daily transport. Imagine if it was your mother riding inside one of those metal demons barrelling down the road with no concern for the laws of society or physics. What if your child was walking home from school and a minibus suddenly rounded the bend? Nothing to be concerned about? Imagine if every car driver in Cayman decided to adopt the driving style of minibus drivers. Would you care then?
Ming’s killers remain at large as cops step up enquiry
(CNS): Despite a number of successes for the RCIPS in detecting crimes associated with the recent gang violence, detectives working on the murder of Damion Ming have yet to charge his killer or killers. Ming was killed on 25 March, and although two men were arrested soon after, the crime they have since been released without charge. Police say they are now intensifying efforts to get new information and spent two hours last Thursday night carrying out a road check near the murder scene on Birch Tree Hill Road. Almost 100 vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians were stopped and asked if they had any information.
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.
Cops offer amnesty on guns
(CNS): Local police are offering a window of opportunity for people in the Cayman Islands to bring in their illegally held guns without fear of prosecution for one month. Starting on 10 May and continuing until Thursday 10 June residents have chance to hand in unlicensed, unwanted and illegal guns or ammunition to George Town, West Bay, Bodden Town and Cayman Brac police stations. They can also call for police to collect weapons or reveal the whereabouts of hidden guns without revealing their identity. The campaign was announced by the commissioner with support from Dorlisa Ebanks (left), the mother of 4 year-old gun victim Jeremiah Barnes.
“The fact is that too many young lives have been lost to gun crime in Cayman and too many guns are available on our streets for use by gang members,” Baines added. “Thankfully over the past few weeks the number of gun related incidents has reduced dramatically. The decrease is due to a number of things; more police officers on the streets; increased use of armed officers; and the fact that so many of the suspected gunmen are now in custody.”
German man ‘marries’ his dying cat
(BBC): A German man has unofficially married his cat after the animal fell ill and vets told him it might not live much longer, Bild newspaper reports. It says Uwe Mitzscherlich, 39, paid an actress 300 euros (£260,$395) to officiate at the ceremony, as marrying an animal is illegal in Germany. Mr Mitzscherlich said he had wanted to tie the knot before his asthmatic cat Cecilia died. The cat and groom have lived together for 10 years. "Cecilia is such a trusting creature. We cuddle all the time and she has always slept in my bed," Mr Mitzscherlich, a postman from the eastern town of Possendorf, told Bild.
US plans 1000s more offshore tax probes
(Reuters): The U.S. government expects to probe thousands more cases of wealthy individuals dodging taxes through offshore bank accounts, on top of the high profile case against UBS AG, a U.S. tax attorney said on Monday. "We expect over the next couple of years, in addition to the UBS cases, to have somewhere between 4,000 and 7,000 more cases coming to us with. These are from banks and governments cooperating," said Kevin Downing, a senior tax attorney of the U.S. Department of Justice, in a lecture in Singapore.
Fruit and water campaign starts in schools
(CNS): As obesity rates in schools rise the government has launched a public health campaign this month to get kids drinking more water and eating more fruit. The Public Health Department hopes to inspire school children to get healthier and staff will visit primary schools in all three islands during Child Month to host health talks focused on the nutritional and health benefits of natural foods, as well as distribute fruit and water snack packs.