February 26, 2016
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Issue #1113 “Teachers Unions and Ministry Lock Horns...” PG5 Friday , Feb. 26th, 2016 $2.00 CCOONNTTRRAABBAANNDD FFOOUUNNDD IINN HHPagMMe 6 PP Income Tax Amendment Will See More Money Going to the Treasury ...Pg 3 St Kitts and Nevis Zika Free, For Now ...Pg 3 Illegal Firearm Seized During Stop And Search In Ottley’s ...Pg 10 C M Y K Page 2 The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer. Friday February 26, 2016 LOCAL NEWS Oil exploration activities in Guyana waters intensify GEORGETOWN, And March 9 will see the um exploration, as the Guyanese to assume Guyana – Oil explo - commencement of seis - low prices have led to a responsibility to lead the ration efforts have inten - mic surveys within the high availability, at good petroleum industry in the sified following the dis - Canje block for a period prices, of specialized decades ahead. covery of commercial of six months. skills, exploratory rigs quantities of oil in and equipment, all of Anticipating the finances Guyana’s Maritime Minister of Natural which make exploration that will be garnered Zone. Resources Raphael very encouraging,” he from the oil sector, a Trotman told the said. Sovereign Wealth Fund Esso Exploration and National Assembly that will be developed. This Production Guyana Ltd. there is growing interest The Ministry of Natural will protect the economy (EEPGL) has com - in Guyana’s hydrocar - Resources will be plac - from the volatile nature menced a meteorological bons, and as such, Exxon ing significant emphasis of mineral revenues, and and oceanographic sur - Mobil will also under - on capacity building dur - help grow and modernize vey in the Stabroek take further exploratory ing 2016, with the devel - the sustainable non- Block, scheduled to be drilling of another well. opment of a framework laboration with the Development partners extractive sectors of the completed during May for a Petroleum Agency Education Ministry. have signaled a willing - economy. 2018. “The time has never been and the conceptualiza - ness to train young as propitious for petrole - tion of an institute in col - International Dominican, Jamaican wanted in Antigua after multi-million-dollar drug haul ST. “dangerous” men being tion and almost EC$10 The two found them - approximately 2,493 JOHN’S, sought in connection million (US$3.7 mil - selves on the radar of pounds of Jamaican Antigua – with a major drug bust lion) in drugs. law enforcement cannabis, 50 rounds of The Office earlier this month. authorities following 9-mm ammunition, and of National “Both men are consid - investigations into a small vessel. Jamaican Vincent Anthony Anglin (Top Drug and On the wanted list are ered to be armed and the ammo and drug haul Left) And Dominican-Born Darion Money Dominican-born Darion dangerous, and any on February 15. The drugs had an esti - Anthony Nicholas (Bottom Left) Are Laundering Anthony Nicholas, 37, sighting must be imme - mated wholesale value Wanted In Connection With The Drug Control and 39-year-old diately reported to the In the early hours of of EC$9,975,000 Haul (Main Photo) Made By The Policy Jamaican Vincent ONDCP,” a statement that day, officers from (US$3.69 million). Ondcp Just Over A Week Ago. (Photo: (ONDCP) Anthony Anglin who issued by the ONDCP the ONDCP conducted is on the have been linked to the said. an operation that result - From Pics Provided By O NDCP ) hunt for two discovery of ammuni - ed in the seizure of ALL P RICES ALL P RICES In US$ In US$ The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer. Friday February 26, 2016 Page 3 LOCAL NEWS Timothy Harris said of Income Tax Amendment Will See More the amendments. “We are certain that these Money Going to the Treasury changes will provide By Staff Reporter moving from 10 to 15 which is paid to the costs so that their net that specifies that the tax greater clarity for busi - percent. Inland Revenue. receipts are unaffected,” is payable on amounts nesses to meet their tax A recently passed one financial consultant accrued irrespective of obligations,” he told the amendment to Income The Government says Will the withholding of a said. whether the payments are National Assembly, Tax legislation will more that the new 15 percent larger percentage of pay - actually paid out. emphasizing that they money going into state ceiling for the tax is in ments cause overseas According to the were not new taxes. coffers. Passed in the keeping with the range businesses to rethink National Audit Report of “They are designed to National Assembly last set by CARICOM. operating, offering fran - 2014, Withholding Tax remove loopholes in the “We are certain that these Thursday (February 18, chises or services in the collected at the rate of 10 tax system, broaden the changes will provide 2016) the Income Tax Currently local compa - Federation? Financial percent amounted to tax base, simplify the greater clarity for busi - (Amendment) Bill could nies that make payments experts who spoke with $6,674,260. process of determining nesses to meet their tax see taxes paid by local to overseas businesses the Observer do not think taxpayer obligations and obligations.” companies on behalf of for franchise fees, profits so. Among the tweaks to the modernizing the laws to overseas businesses jump or services, etcetera are language of the legisla - meet regional and inter - According to the Prime by 50 percent, with the required to ‘withhold’ 10 “They will likely just tion passed last week, is national standards,” Minister the amendments withholding tax rate percent of the payment, increase their fees and the insertion of a clause Prime Minister Dr. are part of the govern - ment’s efforts to provide St Kitts and Nevis Zika Free, For Now BASSETERRE, St. Kitts pected cases of Zika, nei - would have been con - Nevis should not be lic health department – etc.” – Local authorities have ther are there any lab fronted by primarily in afraid to travel to St. fogging, as well as the confirmed that there are confirmed cases of the 2015.” Kitts and Nevis for that harvesting of the mos - Ms. Phipps noted that no suspected cases or lab Zika virus,” Minister of matter,” Senator Phipps quito larvae with the should the virus come to confirmed cases of the State Senator Wendy Phipps reinforced the said. “We have put out intention of elimination,” the Federation, the Zika virus in St. Kitts Phipps said. fact that visitors were regular advisories on that Senator Phipps said, not - Ministry of Health would and Nevis. “Essentially, the symp - free to come to the score. We have done ing that the general pub - be concerned about the toms of the Zika virus Federation, since there quite a bit of work in col - lic has been encouraged health and wellness of “I am pleased to report are similar to that of the was no risk of contract - laboration with the to take part in mosquito residents which could that in St. Kitts and flu and perhaps similar to ing the illness. Ministry of Tourism to elimination. result in loss of produc - Nevis as of Saturday’s those of the chikungun - give assurances to our tivity at work, which she date, there are no sus - ya, which the region “Visitors to St. Kitts and visitors.” “Via such simple mea - said experts estimate sures as the elimination cause an average absence The aedes aegypti mos - of mosquito breeding of four days. quito is capable of trans - sites, such as collections mitting yellow fever, of water in old tires, Owing to the economic denque fever, chikungy - cans, other receptacles or impact of Zika, the na and the Zika virus. even simple unassuming World Bank has provid - receptacles, like the ed US$150 million in The Minister of State saucers found at the base financing for Latin outlined the measures of flowerpots. There is America and the being taken to reduce the evidence to suggest that Caribbean Region to risk of Zika coming to the mosquito larvae can help combat the Zika the Federation. begin to develop in as virus outbreak. The small a quantity of water World Bank also “St. Kitts and Nevis, in as a teaspoonful, so released initial economic terms of our prepared - every precaution has to impact projections, not - ness, is fairly well- be taken.” ing that the Zika virus is advanced in terms of our expected to reduce the mosquito-breeding con - “There are other precau - region’s 2016 economic trol programme, in terms tions that can be taken, output by $3.5 billion, or of elimination of those such as the use of mos - 0.06 percent of gross sites and that is being quito repellant, wearing domestic product. done mainly by the pub - of long sleeve clothing Page 4 The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer. Friday February 26, 2016 COMMENTARY Editorial THAT MONEY IS MINE!! A recent case out of the for about a decade, and Eastern Caribbean two months after his Dejá-dejá-vu Supreme Court demon - heart attack and hospital - strates how money in a ization. His health A little over a year ago, Scotland voted in a secession referendum joint account can belong notwithstanding, he trav - to remain in the United Kingdom. The question was decided when to surviving account elled to the bank and over 85% of the population voted, with 55% saying stay and 45% holder in the event of the instructed that VP be voting to go. The No votes won. death of the other added to the account. account holder through The court found that this the rule of survivorship, evidenced a clear inten - Now the entire United Kingdom will be voting in June in a referen - which applies to joint tion by JF, the primary dum on whether to remain in the European Union.