The Government of Anguilla and the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, are working together to promote business development and Anguilla in general. That was the united theme delivered by Chief Minister and Minister of Economic Development; and the President of the Chamber, Attorney-at-Law, Mr. Keithley Lake. They were speaking at the Chamber’s Annual General Meeting held at Viceroy Anguilla on Thursday, July 23.
Mr. Banks stated in part: “In 2005 our AUF Government put in place a new and historic relationship between Government and the Chamber to create automaticity in the collection of membership fees as a percentage of revenues from licensed businesses in Anguilla. The scope of that relationship and the attendant covenants and responsibilities are enshrined in an agreement between the Chamber and the Minister of Commerce.
“The underlying objectives of that agreement are to ensure that the Chamber is adequately financed; that there is universal membership of all registered businesses; that the Chamber represents a unified voice for its members; and that an environment for the growth of the business sector and the facilitation of trade is developed to include services in human resource development; capacity building; and effective exchange and dissemination of relevant commercial information and systems.”
Chief Minister Banks said he viewed the Government’s financial contribution as an investment in the partnership between the public and private sectors. He went on: “It is critical to Anguilla’s development and will go a long way towards helping the Chamber to fulfil its stated mission, namely: To enhance, promote and support the Anguillian business community and economy by economy-stimulating activities, innovation advice and professional expertise.”
Mr. Banks believed that the mission of the Chamber could be measured by its capacity to become the voice of Anguilla’s business; the partner of first choice for information and guidance; and the natural choice for business support.
Mr. Keithley Lake, the President of the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in part:
“The Chamber has begun to chart a new course by seeking to become an active stakeholder in its relationship with Government. By its very nature, the Chamber is an advocacy organization as it seeks to further the aims and aspirations of the business community. Thus, we must become proactive on issues that affect our members. For some time, we have been engaged in discussions with Government to enshrine the role of the Chamber in the status and regulations that affect businesses. The past administration was very supportive and quite a bit of work was done, and we are continuing to work on finalizing such a status with the new Government.
“Enshrinement of the Chamber in legislation and regulations affecting businesses is the best way to make the Chamber more relevant. However, in seeking to elevate the status of the Chamber requires the recruitment of the professional staff. At present, the Chamber is largely a volunteer organization with just three (3) paid administrative staff members. We cannot be expected to fulfill the expectations and obligations of a Chamber without such a status. Thus, we will have to address this in 2015 if we are to move the Chamber forward.
“Since our AGM in November 2014, the political landscape has changed dramatically. We now have a new Government in place and most of the legislators are experiencing elective office for the first time. The Chamber congratulates them on their achievement and wishes them much success. However, there is still much to be done and while we recognize that much of it will not be popular or easy, it has to be done. Such is the obligation of governing.
“For example, despite seeming agreement among all the parties, the Labour Code is yet to be presented for consultation. We noted in my last report the issues of concern to the Chamber and we will be seeking to amend and hopefully improve those sections of the Code. We promise to be vigilant.
“Much has been said about various tax measures and many promises have been made. The Chamber remains committed to the repeal of the Interim Stabilization Levy. We nonetheless support the implementation of an equitable tax policy that (1) eliminates nuisance taxes, (2) is broad based and (3) one that does not retard economic growth. We do recognize that while persons have a natural distaste for taxes, we have to acknowledge that it is the only way Government can address the needs and wants of the country.
“The issue of access remains [to Anguilla] a major concern. It is critical to our tourism industry that access be improved at both our airport and seaport. We are mindful that this cannot be achieved overnight. Thus, in the meanwhile, there are a number of initiatives that can be put in place to facilitate the arrival and departure of guests. We need to implement commonsense solutions on how our ports and, in particular, personnel at the ports are managed to assist in this regard.
“We continue to urge greater accountability in the marketing of Anguilla. Access may not be the major reason for our shortfall in visitors as compared to other jurisdictions. For example, St. Barths has far greater access issues and yet experiences three times the amount of visitors. We support bold and innovative initiatives to drive growth in our visitor numbers. Concomitantly, efforts must be made to improve the tourist experience at our arrival and departure venues. There are too many stories of unfriendly interactions between officials and tourists/visitors. We are concerned that these situations continue to exist.
“The Chamber is engaged in a number of initiatives that will have a direct impact on the lives of our members and on the larger Anguilla community. We are actively engaged in seeking to obtain duty free status for drugs that are used to treat hypertension, diabetes and cancer. Hopefully, by the end of this year, we will be able to announce the results of our negotiations. We are also making representations to the Government concerning the long lines at the Post Office, and for a revision of the hours at Customs, Treasury and Inland Revenue to facilitate the payment of bills to the Government.”
