Cayman may get EU cash to help small businesses
(CNS): Local small business could soon benefit from a share of a European Union grant earmarked for UK and Dutch overseas territories. Although it is unclear exactly what for or how much Cayman may receive, the European Development Fund (EDF) has earmarked €15million for a regional programme to focus on strengthening the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s). Representatives from the Department of Commerce and Investment (DCI) and the Cayman Islands Small Business Association (CISBA) met with their regional counterparts in Tortola earlier this month to find a way to allocate the funds.
According to a statement from the DCI (formerly the investment bureau) the money is intended to “reduce social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities of SME’s” and during the meeting participants from the various governments spent time “brainstorming” how to use the money.
The DCI said ways to drive enhanced cooperation and competitiveness that should eventually lead to increased employment within the sector, a growth in market share and an extension in the lifespan of small businesses were the topics of discussion.
“Tactical solutions presented included developing a regional database to increase market access, sharing best practice, and securing technical support for the capacity building programmes of SME intermediaries to facilitate the on-going provision of training opportunities in the areas of business planning, resource optimization, ICT, marketing and management skills,” the release stated without giving any idea what that would actually mean for local business here in Cayman.
DCI Business Advisor, Charmaine Moss, spoke highly of the workshop. “DCI and CISBA benefitted immensely from attending this session,” she said. “Not only were we able to use the peer-to-peer exchanges to gain insights into what other territories were doing but we were also able to share challenges re policy constraints and actively participate in forums geared towards finding effective mechanisms to create strong linkages within the region’s OCT’s.”
According to the DCI The consultants are expected to submit a draft report to the EDF in August summarizing the meeting outcomes and a decision will subsequently be made on the distribution of funds based on the findings and each country’s needs assessment..
Category: Business
Hmm, I thought I was done, but always a clown in the audience. No dumbass, nothing about Cayman’s development is being equated to the Holocaust (assigning credit for such development is a seperate debate). The ‘get over it’ attitude suggested by a poster is being equated to the mentality which could prompt some to claim such atrocities never happened.
Again, some losers choose to ignore the real substance of debate by trying to deflect the point.
It is now becoming clear that the real problem is your inability to put your anger into understandable prose. Seriously, read your previous post and tell us where we were meant to work out that you were talking about Holocaust denial?
And anyway, how can you compare the "get over it" attitude to holocaust denial? Seriously, get over it.
CNS, you are correct in recognizing that my post is not directed towards any particular ethnicity but to a certain mentality displayed by some of the posters on this subject. Some of those chose to identify their own nationality. I have limited my comments to people of like kind in mentality, not nationality, as I have acknowledged having friends of the particular nationality identified by those posters.
As far as my reference to ‘forefathers’, it is irrefutable that history has recorded certain actions attributable to certain nations over the course of time; that is not my creation.
Recall however, that the Friday 13:59 poster set the tone for disparaging comments specific to nationality by generally labelling Caymanians as ‘unconscionable leeches’ or similar commentary (which has since been edited). Those who take offence to my specific commentary should first evaluate the effect of the earlier generic commentary.
Anyway, I’m sure I made my point. I’m done.
Chip on my shoulder??? Get over it!!?? Your response speaks exactly to my point! Typical of your kind (peurile waste of good oxygen) when unable to refute facts or history, you ignore it, excuse it or tell others to "get over it". Has the world or Jewish people in particular gotten over the Holocaust? Should we? Perhaps in your feeble mind that never even happened.
The chip, I am happy to say, is squarely on your shoulders because you haven’t yet realized that you’re no better than me! You and those like you who posted the original comments fueling this debate perpetrate the middle-ages, worse, cro-magnon mentality of many of your forefathers I spoke about, in thinking that you are better than anyone who is of a different culture, nationality or colour. Crawl back into your Sawney Bean caves and continue to cannibalize each other.
I and many like me for generations have long ‘gotten over’ the injustices and horror that your kind wrought on humanity, otherwise no European would be safe from retribution of similar kind, so be thankful that we have ‘gotten over’ it but we haven’t forgotten, nor should we.
For those of similar mind as you to whom I directed my original response who have already left Cayman, thanks for leaving and good riddance. For those of similar thinking what’s keeping you? For those who don’t identify with your kind and who are more accepting, welcome.
This debate started about whether or not CI should accept EU money. Trust your kind to turn it into a disparaging attack on Cayman and Caymanians; I’m responding to your tone and now you can’t handle it!! Typical, ‘do as I say but not as I do’ mentality of many like you. Get lost!
Apparently providing security, infrastructure, education and being the reason for the past and continuing economic success of Cayman is to be equated with the holocaust. Interesting.
To the UK tax payer posters, get your facts straight instead of trying to distort history to support your xenophobic attitudes.
1. The Cayman Islands have not had UK ‘handouts’ for generations. Please refer to our recent history to confirm this. Any recent borrowings – in the past 30-40 years – to assist with local infrastructure have come from theCaribbean Development Bank and of course as borrowings, these are repaid.
2. During your arrogant Argentine war for the Malvinas (Falklands if you prefer) the Cayman Islands taxpayers voluntarily donated over 1 million dollars to UK Argentine war veterans and their families (closer to 10 million in today’s $$$). This was done out of our humanitarian values.
3. Many UK taxpayers (or more correctly, tax dodgers) use the the CI to stash away their millions so as not to have to pay taxes in their own domicile. If they paid their taxes in the UK perhaps life would be better and you would not have to come to the CI looking to better your own interests.
4. Those of you who were ‘abused’ or ‘insulted’ while living in Cayman probably deserved it, having come with your ‘better than thou’ attitudes. Your forefathers raped, pillaged, decimated cultures with ethnic cleansing and disease, carved up places like Africa for the Crown’s benefits without regard for tribal differences and put adverseries within the same borders, thereby creating most of the problems of today in those places. The same would have been done in the Caribbean except that geography prevented that. Nevertheless your forefathers and your country and by extension YOU have benefitted from our plantations, sweat and BLOOD! Your infrastucture expansion during the Industrial Revolution was funded by US – the "colonies"! At least Robertson’s paid sarcastic homage to our contributions by keeping the ‘wog’ on their jelly jars!
5. As for paying for your children’s schooling?? I went to school in the UK in the 1970’s (thankfully I never encountered folks like YOU, as I still correspond with friends I made in those days) and per Home Office policy my parents understoond, accepted and PAID very handsomely for my education at a ‘public school’ (unique English contradiction in terms). This was long before Cayman adopted the UK’s own policy on that matter. Why is it that you and some of your compatriots feel that your policies are fine but the same policies applied here are discriminatory!! I know why, because of the ‘better than thou’ attitude mentioned previously.
6. As far as accepting EU money, I would hope our Government or private enterprise does not go in that direction because we will be beholding to the UK and EU more than we are now. If our financial industry is under threat from "Mother Country" now, just imagine what they would do when we "owe" them! I say, if the EU wants to give bail-out money, send it to Greece!
7. NONE of you UK taxpayers are in Cayman for OUR benefit so don’t even try to take on a benefactor or bleeding-heart stance!! If it were not for the big money you can make here and a few years in the sun you and many like you would not be here nor would ever have come. This shows that the UK colonial mentality has not changed one iota since the days when your forefathers went roaming the globe destroying in the name of expanding the Empire’s interests!! And it’s not just us, just ask the Scots and Irish!!
History bears me out.
How dare you take the stance in your blogs, you should hang your heads in shame for the UNCIVILIZED mentality and behaviour perpetrated upon our world by your forefathers and obviously retained by YOU and your kind. If anything, you should consider whatever you and wifey experienced in Cayman as payback!!!
CNS Note: This comment was flagged for abuse with the following user comment: "This is a clear attack on a specific ethnic group here in Cayman. The final statement ‘you and your kind’ is very telling, as is the author’s continued insistence that the alleged actions of that group’s forefathers are in some way representative of the views and conduct of the UK citizens who reside in Cayman.I am not a UK citizen myself, so I feel I can be objective when I say that this comment has the potential to promote hate, is abusive, and constitutes an ad hominem attack on any UK taxpayer who chooses to express an opinion in relation to this post."
CNS: I think the person flagging is wrong on several counts. If you pay attention to point 5 it is clear that the original comment is not attacking an ethnic group but people who have a particular attitude, namely a sense that they feel superior, which implies that others are inferior, and is a legitimate discussion. He/she has made an additional comment (above) along these line (I assume it is the same person though it would be easier to follow conversations if people would give themselves pseudonyms).
The conversation has gone off topic to discuss perceived prejudice, which is an emotive subject and is likely to become heated. However, I’ve allowed it so far since the exchange takes place by people who remain anonymous.
What I considered deleting,in the original comment is the assertion that all prejudice experienced by ex-pats is self inflicted or that discrimination is less repulsive if it is "payback".
Wow, 09.54, you have one BIG chip on your shoulder. Do you want some Heinze baked beans to go with it?
GET OVER IT!
CNS, I hope your reference to point 5 in your explanation is a typo, because there is little in that paragraph that bears close scrutiny.
1) Comparing 1970 Britain to 2010 Cayman is inappropriate. The inequitable treatment which the UK posters on here are complaining about is the difference in rights which Caymanians have in the UK now, compared to those enjoyed here by UK expats ( see point 5 below). I have no problem with this situation, because one really has to take into account the difference in size of the UK and Cayman and the long standing relationship between them, but I do have a problem with the situation being mis-portrayed.
2) The poster seems to have completely missed the point that access to state ( i.e. non fee paying schools ) in the UK, as just about everywhere I would guess, is a function of residency. I suspect the poster was sent away to school in the UK but the parents remained here which fails to meet the residency criteria. This would have been the same for UK expats abroad.
3) The current UK system of state schools has a few, but not many, with boarding facilities. My suspicion is that in 1970 there were even fewer, if any, so attending one was almost certainly not an option for our poster, even if the residency requirements were met.
4) Inherent in the concept of residency is exposure to the UK national and local tax regimes which fund the education system. How did the posters parents contribute to the costs of the UK state school system prior to 1970 so as to engender a legitimate sense of entitlement to free education I wonder? If expats generally have a problem with Cayman’s current laws, it is because they are part of the tax system here, so they contribute to the governments coffers but are excluded from many of the benefits their taxes pay for.
5) Caymanians who meet all the criteria for being a BOT citizen have the right of abode in the UK and hence access to the state school system if they chose to exercise their right of residency. UK expats who are legally resident in Cayman have no reciprocal access. Again, I have no problem with this but I would expect any objective observer to understand how this might rankle and I fail to see how this can reasonably be interpreted as a " better than thou" attitude.
Of one thing I am certain, whatever experiences the poster had in the UK and since have left him/her a long way from " over it " as claimed!
CNS: Sorry but this is all irrelevant to my point. I am not inserting myself into the backand forth argument about schools or who is right and wrong about anything else. The comment was flagged because someone believed that the comment was hate speech against all English people and thought it should not be allowed. I don’t think he is prejudiced against a nationality but is angry at people he/she perceives to have a certain attitude. Again, I am not saying who is right and who is wrong.
CNS – fair enough.
I’m in total agreement with UK Taxpayer @ 10:55AM.
You forbid me to place my children in your schools and instead I have to pay around 40% of my income on school fees – although you can come to "my" country, go to our schools and scrounge benefits (which you do). That still wasn’t enough for some who were screaming for me to get a 20% pay cut too (despite not having a clue what I do or how it may be a necessary function for Cayman – which it is). My wife was mocked, abused and criticised for being both white and English while working for a Government department in a way that would have been unlawful in the UK. XXXXX
Absolutely agree. Plenty of anti foreigner (especially British) sentiment but unfortunately no real desire for independance as Caymanians know very well that they get a far far better deal out of the arrangement than UK tax payers.
Please go independant, you would not be missed or even noticed by 99.9% of the UK population……my guess is that will not happen for a very long time as heaven forbid Cayman has to stand on its own two feet.
I couldn’t agree more.
As a UK tax payer i would like to know why exactly my tax money is going to Cayman. All the comments about strings attached are so hypocritical and typical of the attitude i saw from many in my 4 years in Cayman. Happy to take handouts from the mother country and the EU but never prepared to give anything back and treat foreigners like garbage whilst holding out your hands for charity from others…..
Don’t be silly, the United States on an annual basis designates billions of dollars for its states and local governments to distribute to local charities who help government solve the social problems with their services, for Education,
downpayment on a new house, also to pay insurance, whether health, life or otherwise, tobuy a new family car and much more. You are way too dense.
the benefits of a grant from the mother country is quite in order. This is a British Territory and just like each States government in America receives a big grant annually, its about time the UK show some responsibility and do their duty as a mother country. It’s way over due.
The only problem is all that money should ot go to small businesses, some of that money should help those who need to rebuild their homes from hurricane Ivan that have been displaced. Some of it should be used to Build homes. l5 million dollars is a lot of money to go into small business in the Cayman Islands. Big Mac should let some of that money go to the people for other purposes. Those who want to start a small business should also have access to it as well. Those who need tuition for school should have access to it. Cost of Books, Lap Top computers should be covered for educational purposes. Jobs and businesses should be created to put everyone unemployed back to work. IF THE 15 MILLION DOLLARS IS USED PROPERLY!
eu should nopt be giving handouts until european expats are given full human rights…..
We have full human rights. The ECHR is binding on the Cayman Government.
How will this help small businesses? The government does nothing to help the small business owner. Why do they not get any duty consessions etc.
There are companies that manafacture here on island that create jobs and yet have to pay full duty and shipping on their raw materials.
Help us create jobs and be competitive.
It’s strange how "certain" companies get duty breaks, yet the rest struggle.
How can someone fly in with a suitcase full of goods and get a 300 dollar allowace, yet if I ship in goods I get no allowance? I even have to pay duty on the shipping IN the USA and the mandatory insurance. Sorry, I forgot about the required customs form that I have to pay 25 cents for!!!!
Governement, you are slowly wiping us out and the jobs.
CNS. Can you please find out if any companies are given duty breaks and who they are ?
CNS: Why don’t you send an FOI request to customs? You can still do so anonymously. Here’s how.
Sorry your miss informed businesses that make products on Island do not get taxed on the raw materials just ask Tortuga.
What is the cost of this help?
Our financial services industry.
How will this money be given out to help the small businesses?Lets hope that there will be a comittee of good honest people deciding who to help. Please dont let politicians deal with this , we dont want it to be another Paloma scandal.
If we accept the money, do we have to adhere the European Rights Convention and allow people who have been here 10 years or more residency? Or can we take without giving?
BEWARE of the Strings attached. Cayman, stand proud and stand together and we will not need any handouts.
Except for the monies you take from non-Caymanians such as work permits, financial services fees, remittance taxes, increased and illegal stamp duty, illegal fishing licences . . . Your whole fiscal structure is based on hand outs from other people.