Great News,

The work of the Arthur administation was not in vain. They were relentless in their efforts to ensure that Barbados remains a clean jurisdiction. They fought the OECD countries tooth and nail so that Our Offshore and Internation business sectors were not
disadvantage.
The Thompson administation is on a good wicket. Play on.

This is nothing to celebrate. This just reinforces the fact that Barbados is nothing but a little compliant, slave state. How does that impact the reality that the ‘shit is hitting the fan’ big time and real peoples lives are being disrupted? And this criminal gang is now full speed ahead toward implementing their ONE WORLD ORDER. And in the meantime a gunman is has just taken out a few people in NY.

The international banking sytsem run largely through the Canadian Banks in Barbados has been quite rigorous for some time.

Its only the politicians and internal companies such as GEMS, Clico and others that have absolutely no transparency or accountability.

Who should take credit for this rating? The international Banks who have to tow the line or either of the last two parties who couldn’t balance a budget and haven’t producef proper audited statement on many crown companies for years.

The delusion continues.

David…..Please don’t expect any herd mentality from me.

Dark Knight…….’That Barbados is no longer blacklisted – is something for which the BLP must be congratulated highly.’ So if wallowing in what ‘your side’ did isn’t celebratory, then what is? Why should Barbados comply with non-compliant criminals, at the helm of which is the biggest Terrorist Organization Worldwide i.e. the Federal Reserve, which is never audited, neither is it subjected to any Government control. It sucks the life out of the world economy as it pleases and there’s no G-20 summit to rein it in. You need to look at the bigger picture and stop settling for scraps.

Dark Knight….. Whose knight or lapdog are you? The BLP’s? Is that why you’re here touting ya damn horn? And BTW you got that Dopi wrong… its Dopey, on which I think you are so friggin high. What has Barbados to gain by being put on a ‘White List’ by a bunch of criminal gangsters. You so damn happy with the crumbs that fall from whitey table, I bet you try to eat all of them yourself, while these criminals enjoy the whole pie. So when the Financial Sector is no longer important to the Barbados Economy, (which doesn’t seem too far off) how the hell is being on a ‘White List’ going to feed and shelter the people of Barbados? You are afraid of Barbados being placed in a position of Cuba? Maybe that or this impending doom will allow Bajans to look inward and stop accomodating their slavemasters. Or continue to remain a little, humble peon state, (with lapdog dark knight as the overseer) while the real criminals of this world enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Hopi, it is clear that you just don’t get it….

Like it or not the Financial sector is engaged in legitimate business and is the largest contributor of foreign exchange to the treasury after tourism. It will be important to the Barbados economy for a long time to come.

The offshore sector is a major contributor to the standard of life of the average Bajan, even if not directly employed, the bulk of the corporation taxes for the island come from this sector. Without it’s presence the availability of Government services such as health and education would be even more severely underfunded or the tax rate would be that much higher.

Being on a “white list” provides several opportunities for the marketing of Barbados as an international financial centre. Because we are considered to be a clean jurisdiction it means that we should be able to attract more business to our shores. It also means that we can continue to develop the sector without having to worry about the OECD pulling the rug from under us.

While Owen Arthur cannot claim credit for derailing the OECD’s “harmful tax competition” initiative. (We can thank Bush for that) Owen can rightfully claim a great deal of credit for Barbados being on the “white list”

Here is something significant to consider, Mr. Hopi, “anti american call-in-programme contributor, sound-alike”

Again with your permission BU – below is a transcribed version of the Estimates Reply of the Leader of the Opposition. Source BLP webpage: blp.org.bb:

“And Corporation Taxes, Mr. Speaker – Sir, Corporation Taxes – they projected, Corporation Taxes, Sir – at over $570 million.

Sir, would you believe that Corporation Taxes Sir – not only declined – they took in $44 million less, in Corporation Taxes, last year – than the Barbados labour Party took in for 2007?

Sir, it is the most serious problem this country faces in terms of its revenue! Because it speaks not just to revenue – it speaks to the non performance of the International Business Sector.

It speaks to the fact Sir that the International Business Sector normally makes up 65% of the Corporation Taxes.

And when you cross reference it Sir to the fees that they contemplated would be raised from the International Business Sector, last year they said they were to raise $3 million in fees. Sir they barely made $1.5 – almost a 50% reduction.

Sir when I look at the 50% reduction in International Business fees and then I look at the less than $100 million decrease Sir – of Corporation Taxes – I am of the belief Sir that the International Business Sector is serious trouble, in this country.

And that has nothing to do, with the word coming from Gordon Browne and America and Germany and France – as to what further pressure they intend to put in under, it is one of the most serious problem facing Barbados today.

And Sir – I say it all the time (it appears to be un-sexy) but you know what Sir, if we did not have the International Business Sector, contributing – 65% of our Corporation Taxes – the Member for St. Peter could not have undertaken the most ambitious tax reform programme in this country since Independence!

We could not have given Barbadians householders the first $150,000 off their Land Tax!

We could not Sir – have given Barbadian workers – the first $25,000 off their Income Taxes!

We could not have given Barbadian workers who do not pay Income taxes – a Reverse Tax Credit.

The buoyancy of the Corporation Tax and the VAT – gave him the comfort to undertake the most remarkable tax reform programme to ease Barbadians and give them more disposable income.

This government now can’t even peep on them.

And instead, what do we have – two Minister of International Business in twelve months, and one now that is called International Business and International Transport and the only common denominator between them is the work “International.”

Nothing else to do with one another!

But Invest Barbados now Sir – is under the Minister of Finance.

But then again all investment and all decision making and all licenses – you have to go the Member for St. John.”

Thank you BU.

The BLP can take credit for fully developing the Offshore Industry.i.e. results= foreign exchange , jobs for Barbadians, improved standard of living etc….. But this issue goes beyond party political persausions. Note that the OECD countries not interested in us. They don’t think that the small developing states like Barbados should gain from the industry, so they set about to destroy by trying to damage the reputations of countries like Barbados. They envy the us. Yes they are behaving like colonial masters.

Therefore when President O’bama visits the Caribbean instead of trying to tag on to him, seeking to find similarites in style and resemblance, Caribbean leaders should remember he wants to take back the millions of jobs that have left the USA. He was very emphatic about in his pronouncements. We must rember that his first priority is The United States of America. We cannot fault him for that.

Therefore, the governments of the Caribbean should send one loud voice,
that we in the Caribbean have the same rights and expectations as his country men and that we too expect our leaders to forcefully represent our case.

Our internal party persausions here in Bardados should not matter in this case.

Hope that the governments of the Caribbean will not be apologetic about our rights to decent living and good jobs that we have fought to develop .This matter should be high on the Caribbean’s agenda.

After all this is a bread and butter issue for us. Our survival is at stake.

@David
I see some ‘anger management’ control may be needed here.

I will let those whom I know were working behind the scenes in London and elsewhere recently to move the focus to tax and banking secrecy (where Bim is a ‘good citizen’) and get the definitions of the lists framed so that Bim would not be classed as a tax haven claim their own credit. I know that they help both local parties frame ideas.

Even Hopi must agree that given how the Barbados economy is currently constituted the government couldn’t possible walk away from this sector without bringing tremendous hardship to the country. For us the bigger concern and maybe this is what Hopi is suggesting, our 1 and 2 top earning sectors both rely on significant external factors i.e.tourism and offshore services. Going forward if Barbados wants to manage this major risk of its two key sectors being controlled by external players we should have a serious rethink.

@Hopi and David
Maybe ‘venting’ should have its own space. Venting is the letting out of hot air, or vigorous or emotional expression of frustration (according to Webster’s Dictionary).

I don’t recall mentioning that the Fed ‘answers to’ anyone. I mentioned only some oversight by Congress and relative independence. No straw men, please.

But trying to be constructive, could ‘Hopi’ paint a picture of what the desired Barbadian/Caribbean economy and its ‘good jobs’ would look like.

Hopi has a problem with his inner beast…

@Living…..Neglected to answer your latter on these’good jobs’. For starters people like you and that other member from the barnyard stock one ‘darkknight’ won’t be around to pimp off the Bajans and I’d ensure that Barbados is divorced from such entities like the IMF, the World Bank and the United Nations, (all bloodsuckers). Of utmost importance is to teach the children the importance of feeding themselves healthy food by taking them to the field and teaching them the abcs of crop cultivation. (This would start when they first enter ‘prima standard.’ Then I can go on about how I’d exclude the peckawood and start dealing with my motherland, just to get the monkey off our backs. But then again you and your ilk don’t want to hear that so I’ll leave it there for now. BTW, the Federal Reserve is a PRIVATE entity. Have yaself a good knight!

Seeing Nobamma on TV trying to convince Europeans that the “war on terror” is real and that Europe is being threatened is one of the most embarrassing moments in history for Black people…! I looking for some white paint tomorrow… I gotta change dis colour that I carrying ’round. 199 HELP MAH!

@Hopi

Another day, another dawn.

I now have an idea of the country/region you desire. Thanks for clarification.

I too enjoy my cultivation and would gladly share what my father taught and I learned my self about farming. Barbados does not have the same natural resources as Jamaica, but with commitment and hard work, we can all do much to get things out of the ground.

If the ‘motherland’ you have in mind is Africa, especially west Africa, again I can gladly share my experiences from living and working there the past four years. I can even arrange trips and educational tours, and help with communication in French, if that is needed. I still have many contacts on both sides of that Continent.

Meanwhile, share with us more of the vision of the new Caribbean/Barbados.

I am a niche market manufacturer and I don’t ornstan’ a word David BU sayin’. Too hi-bred I suppose.

I know that when it comes to intellectual property, like land registration and fishing man rights the people upstairs across the region continue to separately do their own thing.

But hold on, doesn’t Hopi have a point as far as the long term interest of Barbados is concern? If we become a willing puppet of the regime of the establishment and continue to build our economy on tourism and offshore services (external determinants) are we not setting the country up to have to go with the flow?

To borrow livinginbarbados’ word, we have the conundrum of Obama forcing the General Motors CEO from office but the CEOs of the leading banks in America arguably responsible for the financial meltdown which has triggers a world collapse continue to go to work untouched.

Another conundrum: how can you fire the head of a car company because his sales continue to tank in an economy which has no end market confidence?

@Hopi
It’s an ambitous agenda. I note that you wrote in English (a language of a colonizer) and would prefer if we could continue in one of the major languages of our forefathers. We can do that in Fulani or Malinke with you if you like. If you need instruction, I have a teacher at my house.

As animism is still strong in the Caribbean, your desire on religion may be easier to achieve than some of the other aspects. But, I wish you well.

“N’djarama” (in Fulani) or “Alunike” (in Malinke), as you prefer, or Thanks (in plain English).

@PDC

“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.”

Wah happen ?? Ya went to school regular but not often??

Hopi
You either got a lotta energy to waste or you just enjoy sparring with nincumpoops..!

“break”

@Hopi

Not sure of the context or import of “change is incremental”, but it does remind us (from another thread) of being able to undestand things in mathematical terms. Whether the change is linear or exponential, we shall see. Looking at the delta means more than sitting idly by the river bank.

Under the caption: “Barbados’ Image Must Remain Clean,” Prime Minister Thompson was quoted in the Advocate of Sunday, April 5, 2009 as having said:

“So our job really is to constantly provide the international community with information on Barbados as a reputable financial service centre which has tax and information exchange agreements with countries, and that we are not a secretive domicile or a domicile that conspires with others to allow people to avoid taxation.”

Having read that article, the question is, did David Thompson “LIE” when he told a gathering in Canada that former BLP operatives have million stashed in foreign bank accounts, especially since he now admits that Barbados has mutual legal assistance treaties with countries around the world.

That Thompson lied – is the reason why Barbados is now on the white-list!!!

But it never occurred to Thompson that Canada plays a leading role in Barbados financial services sector.

Still, his comments are a threat to Barbados being viewed as a clean financial services domicile.

The second point is:

David Thompson recently added a new layer to the government bureaucracy by implementing his hand-picked Constituency Councils.

It must be noted that persons who serve on these Councils will not have to disclose their assets.

The third threat is the refusal of the dlp to introduce integrity legislation, which requires – declaration of assets.

We now know about the recent IDB Report and the evidence of corruption in 2008.

Now, let us wait for the Auditor General’s Report, which would tell us what happened in 2008, under this so-called: “squeaky clean,” dlp administration

@Hopi
With due respect, mon ami, it’s my answer, not yours. That your answer might never have changed is your business.

@Hopi
Indeed it is a public forum and I express my views, rather than having them expressed for me. If we disagree, that is part of the discussion. It is not a class room with teachers hoping that the other children will sit quietly and only speak if spoken to. Your views, no matter how stridently made and no matter how wedded you are to them, personally, are just your views. Let us speak as we feel free and fit to do.