Melissa Nathoo in Melissa Nathoo - Miss Mauritius Her Own Words GB 2011
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ISSN 0953 2706 TM Published in the UK Founded 1983 Truth & Justice The first Mauritian newspaper overseas - Edited by Peter Chellen from 1983 to 2004 * Empowering the Mauritian community in the UK 583 Wandsworth Road, London SW8 3JD. Tel 020 7498 3066 Email: [email protected] Website: www.mauritiusnews.co.uk Feb/March 2011 - No 280 Mouthpiece of the Mauritian Diaspora. Every Overseas Mauritian is an ambassador for Mauritius Monthly - 70p 28th year Melissa Nathoo in Melissa Nathoo - Miss Mauritius her own words GB 2011 Both my parents are from Mauritius – my mum from Miss M competition pics by Michael Marain Michael by pics M competition Miss Curepipe and my dad from Vacoas. I live in Bury St. Edmunds, in Suffolk, where I was born and brought up. In 2006, I went on to study Broadcast Journalism at the Nottingham Trent University. I currently work at LA Fitness as a Membership Sales Advisor Air Mauritius UK Regional Manager, Mr but have aspirations to work in Melissa Nathoo, is crowned by Solicitor Tony Cowles, presenting Air ticket to Melissa the media industry. Alongside this, I do part-time modelling. Raj Boodhoo Melissa & Lewis Hamilton Last year, I took part in a The tiara is a present from Mrs Savina Choolun-Boodhoo (Solicitor) photoshoot for the McLaren Ed Note: This show had class. Bravo MN! Formula One Team, modelling Did any of these some of their items of clothing judges fix it for with Jenson Button. the winners? They got in touch again this The Judges Some losers have been sprea- year and asked me back to shoot ding this sort of their entire 2011 female rumour on their collection of clothing. So I did facebooks. that for a couple of weeks ago Another one (27th Jan) alongside Lewis put a film on Hamilton. YouTube, which Peter Chellen with Miss M GB. she soon remo- I one day hope to work either in ved in the face No relation, as alleged by some television or on the media side of of action. It’s sick mind on facebook. She never Formula One. And if I can tough to lose! worked for us, either. combine both, so much the better! 2 www.mauritiusnews.co.uk Mauritius News Feb/March 2011 www.mauritiusnews.co.uk 3 Mauritius News in difficulty Political development An apology to our subscribers, ISSN 0953 2706 advertisers and readers Student loans are the unfair Truth & Justice Published in the UK in general graduate tax Founded 1983 MN did not appear in Fe bruary for reasons By An drew Tarrant * beyond our control The first Mauritian The Conservative-led coalition government prop up an unaffordable university funding Newspaper Overseas * At the Miss Mauritius event on Saturday, February 5, in an pushed a decision through the House of system that they are not benefitting from address to the assistance I said, “ at this very moment th directly” . There is some merit in this point. 583 Wandsworth Rd Mauritius News is going through a traumatic experience. A Commons on the 9 of December 2010 to permit universities to raise the current annual However, it is not an argument against a London SW8 3JD Mauritian woman to whom we had offered employment as a graduate tax . The latter could be applied in two self-employed person, left a few days ago for another job cost of tuition from £ 3290 to £ 9000. V ince Cable, the Secretary of State for ways to make it fair. It could be restricted to Tel & Fax without advance notice and without any handing-over. She graduates but apply to all of them, whenever they has dealt the business a severe blow in many respects … ” Business, the department within which responsibility for Higher Education falls, argued graduated. All of the graduates sitting around the 0207 498 3066 Effectively, on January 26, while the woman was supposed to Cabinet table were fully subsidised when they (+ 24 -hour answering service) be working on the Feb issue, she simply sent us an email in the that his proposals were “ fair” and that they were www.mauritiusnews.co.uk fairer for students and tax payers than an went to university. evening to say that she would not resume work unless she was According to polling conducted for the given an immediate monthly increase of £ 4 00 for her services. “ unworkable” graduate tax . The government argued that the rise in tuition National Union of Students, most people consider CHAIRMAN & Talking to our legal advisers on receipt of the email we were told that it would be fair if all graduates should pay ANAGING to forget about her as she would have secured herself alternative fees was unavoidable: the deficit meant that the M tax payer could no longer afford to fund ex tra tax to finance the system that allowed them employment. to get where they are today. If, inex plicably, this is DIRECTO R: I shall not dwell too much on this topic as I have received universities directly and that student contributions would have to rise. The truth of the matter is that off the table, then a funding system which applies Peter Chellen threats from her Asian husband after talking to her. The man told only to future graduates could still be made more editor@ mauritiusnews.co.uk me on the phone that I had been harassing his ‘ missus’ . the change is part of an ideologically driven agenda to amend funding for the welfare state by progressive. It is irrelevant whether it is called a One day in October last year, he called unex pectedly at the loan or a graduate Tax . It could be done by Editor: Vacant office and was not happy that ‘ his missus had been promised a moving away from progressive tax ation to flat rate income tax es. charging graduates higher interest rates if they £ 4 00 increase of her monthly fee and I was not doing anything earn more. Associate Editor: about it. He also ex pressed discontent about the foul language A generalised change that George Osborne, the Conservative Chancellor of the Ex cheq uer, first The government have claimed that a graduate Robin Sooklall used in the office in the presence of his ‘ missus’ . tax is unworkable because graduates might move W e have given all information about the woman (and the called for back in 2005 in a speech to the a right- wing think tank, the Social Market Foundation. abroad to avoid paying it. If this is a genuine threats) to the Company’ s solicitors and our board members, plus problem, it applies with eq ual force to a Loan. It copies of certain documents found on our office computers. W e The government defends its proposals by saying ********* that its funding mechanism is more progressive is not a basis for choosing between the two. have even been advised to make a statement to the local police. The government’ s broader argument that the The editorial team and All said and done, MN is facing considerable disruption in than the one it inherited from the previous Labour manag ement of Mauritius government. university funding system is unaffordable many respects. W e had no time to look for replacements. I was at financed by income tax , but affordable when paid News do not necessarily that time fully taken up with the Miss Mauritius competition. This is misleading. Technically, “ progressive” charges are defined as ones where the proportion by loans is clearly nonsense. The level of share the views ex pressed Missing an issue also means loss of revenue. No handing-over ex penditure is either affordable for a country or it by contributors. means we are unable to follow up the payment of invoices. which you pay increases as your income rises. Income tax is a progressive tax since as you earn is not affordable. The design of the charging The pressure resulting from the woman’ s sudden departure system is not a decision about the amount which Annual caused us considerable mental strain.The blow was meant to be greater amounts of income then the rate rises. Charges which are imposed at a flat rate are can be afforded by a country, but instead about subscription fee: harmful, but why? W e have been helpful to that woman. Y ou do who in a country pays for something. not do such a thing to people who have helped you. defined as “ regressive” . V alue added tax (“ V AT” ) (12 monthly issues) is a regressive tax , since regardless of how much Income tax is met by the broadest group of you earn, you pay the same rate of tax for any people, a graduate tax by a less numerous group UK: £ 15 O utsourcing purchase to which V AT applies. (if charged to all graduates) and loans by the least Europe: £ 20 For the past 27 years, MN has been providing training and Independent analysis of the proposals by the numerous feasible group. As a conseq uence of O ther countries: £ 25 employment opportunities to many compatriots who are now being fewer in number, the latter individually face Institute of Fiscal Studies supports the Fo r more information call well settled in life. Whatever we pay them here in England government’ s assertion that its loan scheme is higher charges. The estimate going forward is that will always be much more than they would receive at home in marginally more progressive for the lowest most graduates will face a permanent additional 020 7498 3066 Mauritius for the same job. earners than the one it inherited.