Submitted by Old Onion Bags
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart

“A stitch in time saves nine.”

Of times…everywhere you go…it’s the same cry  “tings tight and dis cannot be right? How come all a sudden taxes on Unemployment Benefits ?” Crazy man…that alone deserves one term, if nothing else.”   “I thought they extended the period by 12 weeks to give some ease, but now this?” On the streets of Bridgetown store owners, claim cash is dying up “Nobody seems to have any extra cash or they just holding on to it, or something.” “We just laid off two attendance last week…just could not pay them with the minimum wage now $250 a week and exist.” Timing again, a Citizens’ Inauguration last week…..idea while laudable… the expense at this time nonsensical. Explain the cost of bringing a stalwart and spouse from China in these times, unless here for a more auspicious occasion.

Who planned these things and how can we entertain these seemingly unnecessary expenses? What about those 500 joining the breadline come April 30th? What plans are being made for them? Not to mention the economic drop out as a result of Almond closure.

Again it’s all about acknowledging these harsh times,(are we?) and what we should be doing to counter act…..not the contrary, none .. bad timing.


  1. I feel these people gone mad! Nothing they doing making sense out there!


  2. How about CCJ and Myrie case for capers ?A first…..you bet and for a reason ..or an example….what of the cost…again at this time ?Why are all these things coming about at these times ? We have Alexandra teachers back on strike, CCJ Myrie issue right after a certain function at LESCC only last week,Almond closure coming 30th of this months, LIME workers ..we are yet to be informed of an outcome as promised,not forgetting the abominable CLICO and Barrack shot to the back burner…..real times and bad timing…in an election year of course.

  3. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    Onions

    You obviously don’t understand, Sandie did not come back for any swearing in of new citizens: he came in to check out the renovations at Government House for his own swearing in as Governor-General. Get used to it, “His Excellency Sir LLoyd Sandiford, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George”.

    By the way, the tax on unemployment benefits, is not anything new, and certainly not introduced by this administration. It was on the books for a long time but they had no way of enforcing it before all of the computerization of the system that is now taking place. You should really be highlighting the fact that you would have already paid taxes on the contributions that were paid to NIS, and it is unconscionable to tax the benefit as well. The same argument goes for sickness benefits, pensions and all the other NIS benefits.

    While you are in the complaining mode you should also complain about the component in the price of gasoline that is supposed to repay a non existent loan that was “incurred” by BNOC. Ask them to show you the loan agreement.


  4. Caswell; I see you’ve at last mentioned the the totally perverse tax which some posters have tried to highlight and you seemed to have shot down some time ago. i.e You should really be highlighting the fact that you would have already paid taxes on the contributions that were paid to NIS, and it is unconscionable to tax the benefit as well. The same argument goes for sickness benefits, pensions and all the other NIS benefits.


  5. I didn’t finish my post above. Caswell is right. The taxes were on the books for sometime but were’nt implementable until perhaps about 7 or so years ago. The Arthur Administration apparently chose not to implement them but, scrambling for every new revenue measure in the economic downturn, Sinckler must have okayed the develoipment of the system that allowed Government to tax pensioners, particularly, on benefits that the pensioners had already paid a significant part of the taxes on. It is indeed a pernicious tax.


  6. The bigger issue is where is the morality in taxing income previously taxed. Some thing which as checkit stated is systemic. No this is not the PDC.

  7. old onion bags Avatar

    A check with some displaced sales attendance in B’town ..its seems a lot more have been sent on the breadline…retaliatory it may seem (or genuine) as a result of the $250 min.weekly wage….there were a lot of school leavers and trainees being ‘accommodated’ by store owners…..2 days shift workers as well.

    @ Caswell
    Re;double taxation on ones monies paid into the NIS fund and withdrawn on becoming unemployed ……can an unemployed person successfully seek redress through our Courts …or maybe the CCJ…seeing that they are quite willing to entertain anything ?[ successful -group action]….

    Sandi for..GG……man are you sure ?…


  8. I got interrupted again. The argument for implementing and enforcing the NIS pension tax is that Pensioners already have a substantial allowance and that the only ones caught in the additional NIS tax net are the ones with 2 pensions. However, this does not negate what should be the guiding principle that, having already paid taxes on contributions to the NIS, the benefits accruing from those taxed contributions should not be subject to new taxes. Government is taxing pensioners twice on the same monies.

  9. old onion bags Avatar

    @ Caswell
    While you are in the complaining mode you should also complain about the component in the price of gasoline that is supposed to repay a non existent loan that was “incurred” by BNOC. Ask them to show you the loan agreement.
    ******************************************
    While we about complaining….me might as well too about the increase in Motor Vehicle Registration back in 2008… implement by David Thompson to have paid off 3S highway contractors..said to be for 2yrs..now long gone.
    How about the 2.5 % increase in VAT….. (implemented 1st Dec.2010) that was too was to be revisited in 18 months..


  10. one day coming soon, the people will wake up…


  11. Research will show that increasing the minimum charge always has a negative effect on the minimum wage segment. In the current economic environment all the more so.


  12. Time to blame all these nonsensical spendings and poor decision makings on somebody or no..something…. Global Economies??? How that sounds ?

  13. Observing (and stupsing more) Avatar
    Observing (and stupsing more)

    times are rough. timings suck. Sigh

  14. old onion bags Avatar

    Talk about quick time….that preliminary ruling in the Myrie case…boy that came back in record time…” Let’s get it on “of Marvin Gaye fame needs to be applied too in some cases..the AX and Barrack cases.. for too.


  15. While we are throwing all the blame around what about the secret levy imposed by Arthur? Please explain and identify the common factor. Same salt fish.

  16. old onion bags Avatar

    @ David
    Since when OAS had anything to do with Global Economies….besides haven’t you heard salt fish in great demand nowadays ..


  17. @Onions

    The point about Arthur was just to point out that politicians from both sides will do what is expedient.


  18. Owen come back and rule this country PLEASE. The country wants and NEEDS you URGENTLY.

    Freundel, the ship is sinking…

  19. old onion bags Avatar

    @ Clone and !
    All this unnecessary expense incurred to hear that Myrie had a reason for a cause-able action, MILLIONS….we paying for that..more wastage…money wasting like water from a DLP burst pipe .ONE TERM……no boy….never again ONE TERM….next we will be seeing Trinidadian Politicians too….
    BARE FOOLISHNESS den…


  20. “Too, even though previous uses of locally owned money by the government would also to some extent have involved the government using such ill-gotten proceeds to pay its own bills (loan interest, loan payments, rental accommodation – here and overseas – for electricity delivered, for business done for it, etc.), the fact is that those very huge TAX minuses were brutal and destructive in their nature and effects.

    For example, as these wretched DLP/BLP governments TAXED portions of the incomes, payments, and transfers of the relevant people, businesses and other entities in the country, they did NOT involve themselves, at the same time as this evil TAXATION was being imposed, in any exchanging of monies for goods and services from any number of individuals, businesses and other entities in the country, and, as such, they would have been brutally destructively unnecessarily dismantling the incomes, payments and transfers of the relevant people, businesses and other entities in Barbados.

    So, in spite of the fact that, generally, uses of such locally owned monies must come partly through EXCHANGES FOR GOODS OR SERVICES, LOCALLY/EXTERNALLY, the PDC must make the point still that there will continue to be far more severe production, exchange and financial problems for the country than normal, where there clearly exists NO CONNECTION OR RECONCILIATION between the government’s brazen use of ill-gotten money (ALTERNATIVELY TAXATION) – however much it is yearly – AS A MEANS OF REMUNERATING government workers and other recipients of government done transfers (ALTERNATIVELY SUBVENTIONS/SUBSIDIES TO PERSONS/REMUNERATIONS TO BUSINESSES), and the generic use of those portions of nominal incomes, payments and transfers (NOT MONEY THOUGH) (from out of the productive, commercial and social sectors ) that would have already been providing ( THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR) and that still do provide themselves (THAT STILL ARE PAYING FOR), as some parts (financial) of the bases for which ALL such uses of money is done ( THE USE OF SUCH MONEY) including government’s use- of ill-gotten money, in the past, the present and in the future.

    Such enormous redundancy and recurrency of esp. unproductive use of money will help to create in the foreseeable future a political nuclear type disaster for little Barbados if not properly combated at this stage!!!”

    The above extract was taken from one of our documents. Such might have been posted on here before.

    PDC


  21. I hope Carson CardBoard Cadogan…and all the resta DEM cohorts feel SHAME SHAME tis morning at the position their visionary have shot this country into….”Of time and timing” ..so aptly penned ….at a time when the teachers were most willing and eager… to shoot them down in the public like dogs…Myrie came and JA boiling….EVERYBODY except Cardboard & Co….heads hung low…A SHAMEFUL DAY indeed ..no timing at all!

  22. old onion bags Avatar

    Tuesday….Washington…give a lecture while there visit IMF ..cost $19,876.23 first class.. (Thursday AX delivery.) ….Friday..back to Washington …to meet with US Diaspora to hub nub…then who knows where else while in the Nation’s Capital..back door of World Bank IMF……
    Saving Saving Saving….tell me about it…talk about timing….

  23. old onion bags Avatar

    Seems like Time …..finally running out for some.

  24. old onion bags Avatar

    Remember Ax….the day of the new deal ? remember Myrie..yet there to boil ?By the way the Waterman Inquiry start yet ? ac…these are the things to which we refer….that YOU all approach John Public ..as if they never happened. People got more than enuff blunders to remember DEM by….

  25. old onion bags Avatar
    old onion bags

    All said and done…seems like Barbados till holding nuff MONEY…cuz Govt still spending like Christmas…but we the loyal subjects…..SUCKING SALT and Tightening BELTS…..such is the times…..

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