Tuesday, September 17, broke a long delay by the Government of Anguilla to continue its fortnightly press conference to inform the people of the island about its functioning, responsibilities, plans and achievements.
The various reports by Premier Victor Banks, Ministers Curtis Richardson, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge; Ministerial Assistant, Mrs. Evalie Bradley, and Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Cardigan Connor, were prefaced by dismay and condolences with regard to the recent and unfortunate violent deaths of Kaitu Goodwin and Javid Frazer – and the passing of other persons including Lady Josephine Gumbs, wife of former Chief Minister, Sir Emile Gumbs, and a notable contributor to the Anguillian community.
Anguilla To Send US$100,000 To The Bahamas
Premier Banks disclosed the Government of Anguilla will be providing monetary assistance to The Bahamas which were severely hit by Hurricane Dorian.
“I take this opportunity to commensurate with the people of The Bahamas who suffered a very serious hurricane,” he stated. “It is an incident we are well acquainted with because just two years ago, Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit this region in recorded history, impacted Anguilla and we have firsthand knowledge of what that can be like.
“I know the people of The Bahamas suffered almost two days of pounding which, to my mind, is unimaginable but it is what it is. We are in sympathy with those who lost their loved ones, and we hope that those who suffered loss, and those who have passed on, may their souls rest in peace.
“The Government of Anguilla, through the OECS leaders, had a virtual meeting on the day after the hurricane and pledged our support to the people of The Bahamas. The Government of Anguilla will be sending one hundred thousand US dollars to The Bahamas Solidarity Account because we believe that, in addition to the volunteer work which will be taking place, it is important that The Bahamas Government, and the people of The Bahamas, get the resources to address their needs in the ways that they see most fit. Sometimes these relief efforts go awry – because sometimes you get more than one thing or the other, or supplies that you really do not need. So we think that the management of those supplies is critical.
“We have encouraged the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank to make a very generous donation to the Government and people of The Bahamas on this occasion. We are very much in support of the people of The Bahamas and we continue to remember them in our prayers.”
GST Legislation In Anguilla
Premier Banks spoke about three pieces of enabling legislation which will eventually lead to the introduction of the phased Goods and Services Tax (GST).
“There were at least three bills that came to the House of Assembly at its last sitting,” he told media representatives. “They were the Customs Service Fee, the Interim Goods Bill and the Excise Tax Bill. These three Acts are part of the coming into place at a future date, or the restructuring of the tariff system for imports into Anguilla. It will mean a reduction in Customs Duty as well as the implementation of a Goods and Services Tax in 2021, 2022 and 2023. But for the time being we have created a platform to make that possible.
“These three Acts do not represent an increase to the consumer. They represent a consolidation of a number of tax measures – in this case the Excise Tax, the Interim Goods Tax and the Customs Service Fee. Altogether, they will be equal to what we now pay in Customs Duty. It will not be more. In some cases it will be less. In some cases it will be a couple of cents more for over a 100-dollar purchase.”
The Premier continued: “It is intended to be revenue neutral. This means that, in terms of revenue, there will not be any additional revenue raised. The consumer will not pay anymore but the structure of the tax will be different. In other words, if you are paying 25% tax on an item and when these three pieces of legislation come into place, and are consolidated at the point of importation, there will altogether be a reduction in Customs Duty. The highest will be 12%. The Interim Goods Tax, to make up the losses that would have occurred by the reduction of the Customs Duty and a Customs Service Fee, will be imposed on all goods coming to Anguilla of one percent. The total outcome will not be an increase of tax but a tax neutral situation where taxes you pay will remain the same.”
Premier Bank explained that the new tax and trade system “is to bring Anguilla in line and harmonised with the rest of the region and the rest of the world. Right now we have eight different rates of taxes for goods coming into Anguilla. The introduction of these measures will result in four different rates rather than eight. The total highest tax will be the same as before. The taxes over 25% will now be captured under the Excise Tax for goods such as fuel, alcohol, tobacco; goods like blocks which attract a licence, and cement. All those goods will be considered Excisable goods and will be charged in a particular manner which will reflect what the original Customs Duty and the original tax measures were in the past. So it is not an increase in taxation. It is just an opportunity to make the tax system more efficient, to pave the way for a Goods and Services Tax. The GST means that importers who bring goods into Anguilla will pay less duty and customers who buy those goods will pay a sales tax at the point of sale [at the store].”
Sale of Scotia Bank To Republic Bank
“That arrangement will be consummated on Tuesday, October 1st, 2019.” The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has done its report and, along with the other member states of the OECS – with at least one exception – have all signed off on the coming into play of the Republic Bank in our Currency Union. The requirements for its operations in this region have been agreed. On October 1st you may not see a change in the banking services being offered by what was first Scotiabank, but the ownership and the transition period will begin in earnest on that day.”
Minister Curtis Richardson: New Fire Hall
In reporting on the work of his Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Utilities, Mr. Richardson said: “The new Fire Hall is being occupied by our Fire and Rescue Service and we give God thanks that the officers are now living in better accommodations. The facility should be officially opened sometime later this month or early October. The two old towers – the one wrecked by the hurricane and the one we brought in as a makeshift – will both be disposed of afterwards.”
Local Airlines & Airport Expansion
The Minister continued: “I sent out a press release not from a health position but from my position as Minister of Aviation. Our local airlines get a lot of pressure from operating in certain jurisdictions and I, as the Minister, feel the same way as persons in other countries support their local aviation people in their businesses. I am committed to standing behind our Anguillians. There are a lot of issues involved with medical evacuations and these issues will always be taken into account.
One of the factors that is always be looked at is the impact on our local carriers.
“I would like to thank the Premier for his support, as well as the Chairman of the Board of the Anguilla Air and Sea Ports Authority, Mr. Marcel Fahie, who, [along with the rest of the Board], worked extremely hard to make sure that we were able to put a special purpose vehicle [arrangement] in place that will do a lot towards the actual financing and expansion of the airport. We also thank the new CEO, Sherman Williams, for bringing us to this position, and I believe we are in a very strong position now to go forward with the airport expansion.”
Other projects
Speaking about other projects, Minister Richardson stated: “We are working on two rescue vessels. The approach now is to fix one, and source funding to have one of our local boat-builders to build one that is fit for purpose. My view was to purchase two rescue vessels, but the feeling of other persons was that we should at least have one designed and built specifically for rescue.”
Mr. Richardson also spoke on the new jetty at Sandy Ground where construction work should commence towards the end of this month or early next month; the Chapel Hill road to provide a new access to Sandy Ground for which funds have now been approved; the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal for which design plans are in progress; the current construction of a mini taxi facility there; the establishment of a new Transportation Board; and the improvement of the water supply with a planned second storage tank at Crocus Bay – and later on two storage tanks in the western area of the island to boost the water supply to hotels and other consumers.
Minister Cora Richardson-Hodge: Rebuilding Of Schools
Minister Cora Richardson Hodge spoke at length about the rebuilding and refurbishing of various school buildings damaged by Hurricane Irma. In giving the current position, she highlighted the Morris Vanterpool School at East End, now in rented accommodation but is to be rebuilt at its former location; and Campus A of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School which is to be built in The Quarter area. She said the fourth revision of the final document for the campus was received from Design Collaborative, the consulting company in Barbados, for review by the Building Board.
The Minister, who has responsibility of Home Affairs, including Education, also spoke about the building of the first phase of the Anguilla Community College in relation to the Vocation and Education programme. She said that the second phase of the College is not due to start in the foreseeable future due to a lack of funding. She stated that originally the Caribbean Development Bank had made available a loan to the Anguilla Government towards the construction of the college campus. She pointed out that the Government had so far heard nothing about a proposed Mexican grant of five million US dollars for the project. She confirmed that, in the meantime, the Anguilla Government had recently approved EC$516,000 towards the operations of the college for the balance of 2019.
Elections in Anguilla
The Minister took the opportunity to speak on the district and island-wide elections in Anguilla, next year, and the various arrangements being made to that end. She spoke, among other matters, about a mock elections exercise being arranged by the Supervisor of Elections, Ms. Aurjul Wilson, to test the equipment to be used for the process and other planned arrangements.
Mrs. Evalie Bradley: Visa Processing Centre In Anguilla
Mrs. Bradley, the Ministerial Assistant in the Ministry of Home Affairs, reported that Anguilla was now about to have its own Visa Processing Centre to process applications by persons to travel to the island. “I am sure it is good news to know that since the other processing centres within the region seem to be closing down, it is the intention of the Government of Anguilla to have its own Processing Centre. It is expected to be launched sometime in January 2020. I am sure it would be more convenient to those persons who require visas, as well as a revenue earner for Anguilla.”
Constitutional Reform
Mrs. Bradley denied accusations, that in the ongoing constitutional reform process, the Government had ‘only cherry-picked’ some of the proposals in order to have unfair advantage during the elections next year.
“The whole constitution was considered by a Committee of the House of Assembly some weeks ago, and some amendments were made which are presently with the Attorney General’s Chambers. It is for those changes to be incorporated into the draft constitution. After that, it will again go out for public consultation.”
Mrs. Bradley added: “I can give you the assurance that it is something that is actively being worked on by the Government.”
Minimum Wage Committee & Tribunal
The Ministerial Assistant, with shared responsibility for Labour matters, disclosed that “the Ministry is putting together a Minimum Wage Committee for the institution of a minimum wage.” She stressed that the undertaking would take quite a bit of resources, but the intention was that the office of the International Labour Organisation in Trinidad would be assisting with the process
She further disclosed that the Ministry had set up a Labour Tribunal to deal with any labour issues that could not be ordinarily resolved through the Labour Department. The Tribunal comprises: Lawyers Kenneth Porter, Chairman, Stanley Reid and Patricia Harding.
Mrs. Bradley added that it was also important for both employers and employees to note that, as of August 1, all employees are entitled to fifteen working days leave as opposed to the twelve provided for under previous legislation.
Mr. Cardigan Connor: Tourism Arrivals
Among other matters, Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism, Mr. Cardigan Connor, recalled that the increased number of tourists passing through the Anguilla ferry terminal in St. Maarten, created some difficulties last season. As a result, the Anguilla Government had negotiated with the Dutch authorities to allow the provision of a second boarding area which would also require additional Dutch immigration officers. Mr. Connor said it had made the transition of Anguilla-bound travellers a lot easier.
He observed that October was the month for the training of taxi-drivers, tour operators, retail providers and public service personnel. “I think we all are part of what the tourism industry is all about, and any experience that a guest would have here in Anguilla is part of the tourism experience.”
Sports Tourism in Anguilla
Mr. Connor took the opportunity to speak about sports tourism. “We are putting a lot of effort in that area and are seeing the results,” he stated. The Anguilla Tennis Cup which was graded number 5 throughout the Caribbean is now graded number 3. It is believed that Anguilla now has a facility for a grade 3 which means that a better standard of players would take part this year. The Tennis tournament will be held from November 4th to the 9th.
The Parliamentary Secretary also spoke about the high performance of Anguillian athletes abroad and their contribution to sports tourism.
Meanwhile, Premier Banks mentioned a suggestion from Mr. Bernard Wattley about granting them a type of ambassadorial status for use in the tourism promotion of Anguilla. The Premier thought it was a good suggestion and promise to take up the matter at Executive Council.
