Let us reiterate: anytime a PDC Government is elected in this country there shall be the absolute ABOLITION of ALL TAXATION in Barbados.

TAXATION is a wicked, evil, backward totalitarian system used by the state, and esp. with the devious support of the elite, to PRIMARILY oppress and suppress the greater potentialities, abilities, and capabilities of the broad masses and middle classes of people in Barbados.

It involves mass theft/robbery by the state of countless portions of the incomes of the relevant people, businesses and entities on a daily basis in Barbados.

There is ABSOLUTELY NO moral, legal, political or any other justification for the existence of TAXATION in Barbados or in any other part of the world.

Taxation has NOT ONLY been wholly decimating the incomes of the most productive people in this country, but has ALSO been totally weakening all the productive, consumption and investment apparatuses of this little place, while at the same time the Barbados state continues to blatantly violate the income and property rights of those affected by this evil scourge.

Therefore to argue for a reduction in any so-called form of TAXES – rather than for the eventual and complete ABOLITION of TAXATION – would simply be an exercise in unstudied inanity.

PDC

We have written repeatedly what is the point of constructing state of the art airports in our little islands but our people are turned off from intra regional travel because of high ticket cost?

Does not make any sense. Also why doesn’t Dr. Jean Holder step aside and give another person a chance at turning around LIAT?

The Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Dr. Marion Williams, had a press conference yesterday reviewing the first quarter performance of the Barbados economy, and as a result of it she was reported (pg 4, Daily Nation, Friday, May 1, 2009) as saying, et al, that the economy registered a 2.8% decline in the GDP for the first quarter, and furthermore that the economy is expected to decline by about 2 to 2.5 % for this entire year.

The Governor was also reported (pgs 16 and 17 of the said Daily Nation) as saying that tourism, manufacturing, food production, the number of licenses granted to businesses operating in the international business and financial services sector, each registered declines when compared to the first quarter in 2008. So much for the inane concept of a services based economy!!

What the Daily Nation however highlights is that agriculture was the only major sector that registered any growth in the quarter under review. But, one wonders if by highlighting this meager growth in agriculture there is NOT a pandering by this newspaper to a mentality that now pretends it sees some little worth in the agricultural business at this stage after many failures in other productive sectors.

But the point is this, even though we in PDC know that the agricultural sector has the potential to be again a leading sector, we are still NOT impressed by the Governor’s utterances about growth in this sector, primarily because we know that statistically how some officials within the Government measure growth in the Agricultural Sector is such that any measures of this sector carry a far lesser weight than other measures for other sectors like the Tourism and Construction Sector.

What concerns us too is that there was no statistic given by Dr. Williams for the unemployment rate when contrasted with the first quarter of last year, which is a pity since this is an area in which information ought to be made readily available given its importance as a major indicator of national output, growth and development in the country.

Another thing that has concerned us is the fact that there was no reportage in the newspaper on the performance of the construction sector which is believed by many Barbadians to be among the sectors hardest hit by this local recession. Whether the Newspaper is to blame for not publishing any information from the review relative to the performance of this very important trading and productive sector, or the Governor fault for not having any information on the performance of this said sector, we do not know. But surely it does NOT look good that there was no information produced in the newspaper on this sector. Verily, this was something that could not have happened some 6, 7 years ago when construction was really booming in Barbados!!

And what is also more appalling is that there was no comment in the newspaper of the amount that the foreign reserves would have declined by in the first quarter. Well, we smell a stink rat some where around here, given that this variable like the unemployment variable is another statistical variable that tends to generate significant political discussion in the country.

Finally, it is so disconcerting that the Governor could be again parroting what the Prime Minister, the Barbados Worker’s Union leader, the head of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association and some other private sector leaders have been wrongly thinking, that reduced work hours and reduced pay should happen first and then after those strategies layoffs should be used as a last resort in this economic crisis. What we are saying here is that these strategies are among some of the most ineffective, backward and useless strategies that could ever be thought of for aiding in long term growth and development in the productive sectors of this country.

By tying in these joke strategies with the need to maintain a certain level of spending in the so-called economy these leading officials seem to think that at this stage the Barbados has spending problems but they are totally wrong, dead wrong. W

However, what we in PDC have long been focused on is the severe institutional debt and investment losses culture that exists in this country and that has substantially helped to cause this recession in Barbados and the money circulation problems that are at the center of this culture. That is why anytime there is a PDC Government installed in this country not only are we going to ABOLISH ALL TAXATION, but also we are going to ABOLISH ALL INTEREST RATES, INSTITUTIONAL REPAYABLE LOANS etc.

PDC

Regional government should reduce the government taxes by a substantial amount acceptible, over a specific period and review the results, then adjust to suit. In other words, work on a large volumn of travel to abtain the accepted finacial results.

A.L
I remember Carib Express had such a system going while they operated. It is unfortunate that that airline bellied up. All they needed was proper management, some-one who understood caribbean culture.

The Scout,

As you may re-call I worked as a consultant (mostly unpaid) for Carib Express for several months and devised and implemented their Carib Escape programme. Within 3 months of its launch it was producing 22% of their total revenue.
As you quite rightly say all they need was ‘proper management’.
But there were some great and motivated people who worked for them at the time and they have gone on to excel in the airline industry.
If they had stuck to a plan (middle distance) and kept to it, it could have worked very well.

Adrian

We support the direction/thrust of your argument but it needs to go further. The market as you and the BTA must know is becoming more competitive by the week. New markets emerging, Airlines changing business plans which impact on available seats to Barbados, global economic factors be it oil, crime etc which impact customer demand.

It is OK to have programs, visit markets to build awareness etc but the key in our mind is to build a structure which grows loyalty to the Bajan brand. There was a time when people would repeat visit to Barbados because of how Barbados was back then. Today the landscape has changed and we have to find new ways of building loyalty to the Bajan brand which is UNIQUE. All the other things we are doing and which we must continue to do i.e.festivals, yacht races, marathons etc can be copied in a minute by the other markets

We see the the Barbados website has a new feature?

Thanks Adrian, keep agitating, we know the BTA bigwigs visit BU.

BTW has any case study been done on why Cuba and Jamaica are able to keep their numbers UP!

Caribbean tourism suffering from economic fallout

Friday, May 01, 2009

Caribbean nations, with the exception of Jamaica and Cuba, have all reported a decline in tourist arrivals to their islands for the first quarter of 2009, latest tourism statistics show.

The latest data released by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) shows that out of 12 countries reporting latest statistics for the first two months of this year, five reported double-digit losses.
Tourists at the beach.

Anguilla suffered the biggest blow out of the twelve, reporting a drop by 18.8 per cent, followed closely by Antigua and Barbuda which reported losses of 14.3 per cent. St Lucia is hoping to turn around its fortunes with its jazz festival as the report showed the island suffered a 13.7 per cent drop in tourist levels for the first quarter of 2009.

British dependent territories, Cayman Islands and Montserrat, also reported declines of 11.3 and 11.6 per cent respectively.

Tourism in the United States Virgin Islands fell by 6.1 per cent while Puerto Rico reported a drop of 4.7 per cent. The Dominican Republic was close behind with a drop-off of 4.4 per cent while Belize reported a decline of just 2.4 per cent.

Jamaica and Cuba, however, reported gains over the past winter season. Cuba saw a 4.5 per cent tourism growth while the industry in Jamaica grew by 3.2 per cent.

There was no data available for other Caribbean nations, the report indicated.

The Caribbean tourism industry has been taking a beating since the global economic recession hit the US, the region’s biggest market.

The drop-off also comes as the countdown continues for the full implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which will require that all US residents travelling to the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada and Mexico have a passport in order to return to the country.

That will take effect on June 1st.

David,

Just for the record with the Perfect Weather promotion, below shows rainfall (in inches) based on a ten year average per month.

First MONTH
Second average rainfall
third – number of days ( ) that will produce an average or more of 1/4 inch of rain.

June – 3.5 – (14)
July – 5.1 – (20.4)
August – 5.8 – (22)
September – 5.7 – (22.8)
October – 6.7 – (26.8)
November – 5.9 (23.6)

While it may be an insurance linked promotion, the odds would appear to be against us and obviously have to be cost related.

Mr. Wishing in Vain,

I think we really have to establish what we are selling here.
Whether it is value for money, quality tourism or snake oil!
Do you think for a moment that the marketing audience this offer is aimed at are going to tie these two elements together?
And please do not bring politics into it.
The concept smacks of a complete lack of creative marketing thinking and a final desperate measure of how low can we can go before we put up a sign saying everything is FREE.

And as to boasting ‘we’ are the first destination in the world to make this sort of offer.

It shows exactly how little research has gone into the ‘initiative’.

@WIV

Are we getting this right? You are attacking a man who worked 24/7 pre-election to further your cause and now you throw him to the wolves? Are you saying Adrian showed himself not to be a team player and this is why he was fired fired from the BTA Board?

I, and I repeat that, I, because I cannot talk on behalf of other people, am now starting to get the answers, as to why the Minister appears to have been so badly informed.
Its difficult to comprehend such a vindictive response after someone puts their all into an appointment.
Yes! I asked questions, but when you are spending upwards of $100 million of taxpapers money and have a responsibilty as a Director, should you just stay silent even when you are confronted with a situation where you would not dream of spending your own money on a project placed in front of you.
I think it the truth is told, why would you replace someone with 43 PROVEN years experience, across 67 countries, in tourism in a crisis situation with someone that knows little or nothing about the industry, says a lot.

I had hoped that we had ALL learned from 14 years of lost direction in our number one industry.

Our tourism survival in the current economic climate is a lot more important than sinking to petty politics.

No single employee that has so far been laid off due to dwindling occupancy levels will thank you Wishing in Vain and I urge you to concentrate any ability you may have into safeguarding our tourism industry rather than launching personal attacks.

I will leave a larger more informed public to judge whether I have made a positive contribution to tourism.

Your brief but reactionary period at the BTA, has told everyone on this blog what we needed to know.

Same old… same old money.

Mr Loveridge, someone once told me never argue with a fool, they beat you twice, the first time is that you actually have to come down to their level and the second time is once you get down there they beat you on experience! So please ignore the very political lackey WIV!

When I saw that Barbados ad I began thinking that whoever came up with this idea could only be an idiot! So all of a sudden we have gods in Barbados guaranteeing sunshine, well well and we are boasting of having a high literacy rate!

Let’s imagine 2000 people coming to Barbados and it rains for 3 days and we are left paying out $6,000 which we can ill afford to lose especially in these recessionary times.

Unless of course WIV and the DLP are also guaranteeing that the recession will NOT affect Barbados.

Change????? hmmmm

In Barbados, every day is a perfect day. Guaranteed.
These days you can’t count on much of anything. But you can always count on the weather in Barbados to be perfect. A fact we’re so certain about, that we are the first and only country in the world to guarantee it – actually paying you $100 for everyday you’re here that the weather is anything less than perfect.

Perfect Weather as defined by the Barbados Tourism Authority. The Perfect Weather Guarantee is provided by the Barbados Tourism Authority through WeatherBill. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions do apply. Guarantee is opt-in only, at no additional cost to the consumer. After purchasing a non-canceled, weather-guaranteed trip, a consumer will be eligible for a $100 rebate per booking for each day the average daily temperature in Barbados falls below 78 degrees Fahrenheit AND the daily rainfall is more than a quarter-inch (.25”). Weather triggers must fail to meet both weather conditions in the same day in order to receive the $100 payout. Daily weather conditions will be solely determined by weather data provided by Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI), as well as a third-party weather server provided through the company WeatherBill. By opting in to this program, a consumer agrees that their right to payment is determined solely through weather data provided by BGI and the third-party server. Weather insurance must be booked at least ten days prior to vacation through an approved booking engine partner, and within the predetermined booking window of 5/1/09 – 6/7/09. Only valid for new bookings with travel dates between 5/28/09 and 12/19/09. Consumer will be unable to check for refunds until vacation has ended, and may do so with a URL provided via email from the Barbados Tourism Authority and WeatherBill. Consumer will not be automatically refunded and must visit the custom look-up URL in order to generate refund. An email will be sent with the custom look-up URL within 2-5 business days of booking a weather-guaranteed vacation.

David you may want to relocate this to somewhere dealing with corruption , VECO, PRISON, OIL STORAGE, OWING ARTHUR, MIA MOTTLEY, HALLAM NICHOLLS, GLYNE BANNISTER, PRISON FOR ALL.

Derby winner owned by Bill Allen’s son

The 50-to-1 longshot that won Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, Mine That Bird, is one of the horses bought by the son of former Veco boss Bill Allen in a buying spree of thoroughbreds using the money the family got from the sale of former oil field services company Veco.

Mark Allen’s Double Eagle Ranch of Roswell, N.M., has a number of race horses, including a stud once partly owned by former Sen. Ted Stevens, So Long Birdie. Mark Allen and a business partner in New Mexico bought Mine That Bird, a two-year-old relative of So Long Birdie, for $400,000 last year.

Bill Allen is the central figure in Alaska’s political corruption scandal. He pleaded guilty two years ago Monday to bribing Alaska politicians, but in a plea deal, won immunity for Mark and other members of his family. Bill Allen, still a witness in possible future cases, has not been sentenced.

On the witness stand in the Ted Stevens trial last year, Bill Allen explained what Mark had done: he had paid off a legislator. Allen didn’t name the legislator, but when former Rep. Bev Masek pleaded guilty to conspiracy in March, she admitted accepting “several thousand dollars” from a relative of Bill Allen.

A felony conviction would have prevented Mark Allen from getting a license to own race horses.

When Allen and his three children sold Veco to the international engineering company of CH2M Hill in 2007, Mark Allen pocketed about $30 million, about the same as his two sisters, according to sales documents.

If for no other reason it works because it has you speaking about it, cheers to designers and brains behind the advert, well done.

It take a big person to say that they never read the advert before rushing off in support of Loveridge and working out the proposed claim that it would incur now you have read it a now better understand it, be enough of a person to say that you got your knickers in a twist too quickly and with no good reason.

Well done now move forward with gusto!!!

Tell a whole bunch of lies, create innuendo and fail to answer posed questions.

You want me to ‘move forward’ WITHOUT an apology.

Get Real!

Its people like you WIV that hold this country back.

Answer the question!

What positive contribution have YOU made to tourism?

Phew!!! Fellows getting hot and bothered about a “weather guarantee”!!! This is more heat than the 78 degrees in the advertisement.

Seriously though, it is only another way of saying that the weather in Barbados is warm even when it rains, so cool out fellas!

Let us be glad that there has been no major reduction in the tourism numbers like our neighbours have been experiencing.

Be fair and give kudos to the Ministry of Tourism, The BTA, the BHTA and all the affiliated tourism players who have ensured that we (Barbados) are staying afloat.

Littleboy,

Yes! you are right, kudos to ALL involved, but what are you basing your observations on?
I notice that the CTO latest figures do not include Barbados for period Jan-March – 2009 (updated 20 April), but
some of our neigbouring are suffering:

Anguilla -18.8%
Antigua -14.3%
Cayman -11.3%
St. Lucia – 13.7%

Lets get some of those taxes off and see if it makes a difference.

Our neighbours know what sort of weather to expect and won’t file a class action lawsuit if they get a couple of chilly days and a bit of rain.

See True,

You are right too, I should not let it get to me. Its the blatant lies and the fact WIV cannot claim a single positive contribution to tourism.

The Central Bank Governorof Barbados gave some feedback a few days ago. Based on her report we are faring better than our neighbours.
It is only a matter of time before the Caribbean governments reduce the level of travel taxes. More than one Minister of government in the region hasve stated that we need to have a look at the cost of inter-regional travel, so that leads me to believe that action is imminent.
Let’s not believe that members of governments are so indifferent to the cause…they are Caribbean people too, you know, and they and their families and friends travel!

Maybe skepticism is justified given that the issue of reducing taxes has been a perennial concern even before the current economic crisis. As Adrian has written one would have hope that we would have had a reaction in keeping with the criticality of the situation i.e.intra-regional travel to help regional activity going and it meshes with a regional objective to promote CSME of which movement of people is a critical element. It reminds of that time when the leaders procrastinated on the head tax for cruise ships which continue to rape the Caribbean.

How important is the amount of taxes being paid on airfares within the region – when a visitor to Barbados – for example – could get US$300 off his holiday package.

Is the tax on tickets such a big issue?