Ha ha finally ..this should surely grab acs and Carson’s attention….I await the fallout from Clone… and the others of course..lol

Clearly AC must mean Another C&$t. Where is the rock staining ground? The tourism sector? No. Agriculure? No. Manufacturing? No. Construction? NO. The distributive trade? No. Tell us please MR another C&$t where is the rock standing gound.

Just a point of clarification. There is no $600 million stimulus package. $300 of it is normal capital expenditure which would have been in the Estimates this year (and previous years). The other $300 million is projects like the cruise ship terminal and Bay Street marina which were always planned.
There is no new money. There is no stimulus package.

There is nothing wrong with the Barbados economy that current model can really solve. This so-called Keynesian solution has been tried elsewhere with no positive results. The reverse of massive government spending has also been tried in many other places with no positive results either. We dare to argue that everything in between has been tried in all the other places with a lack of positive results. This suggestion that merely printing money, for printing money’s sake, will just temporarily stop the hunger pains in a few bellies but in the medium and long terms will either result in an indirect transfer to the corporate elites at home or abroad. So this ‘stimulus’ business as a solution represents an imprecision.

We suggest that if the government is to have a $600MM injection they should not be only thinking about ‘heads and guts’. They might want to consider investments that could include sustainably reducing imports; boost net foreign earnings; drastically reducing spending on health care while improving outcomes; liking education spending to the propensity of the system to produce knowledge which will must be turned into technologies that can be patented and industrialized; and target a new breed of entrepreneur. But all this is tinkering. Fundamentally, the very definition of Barbados as an island state need to be revisited. Barbados should be redefined in geo-political, geo-strategic terms. Concept of territoriality are fast becoming quaint. Meaning that Bajans living abroad would be recognized as FULL citizens, required to pay taxes, given rights to votes. Overnight the population base will increase to 1.5 million.

Pacha………………..on a perfect island with leaders who would listen, that is a start.

Ping…………….i was just about to interject that Bajans don’t really see other Bajans who live abroad as true citizens, that was the one grey area i saw, however, i do believe Bajans who do business in Canada can either pay their taxes in Barbados and/or Canada unless things have changed, it’s a matter of choice.

@ Well Well
Irony of it all as St.George Dragon has ably put it….money? what money?
Perceptions at their finest…..that is why one must consider removing the 2.5% Vat….more money in hand should translate in more spend….re-engaging of the money multiplier…more sales means.. more sales clerks, at least a realistic attempt to startup Bridgetown….fa real tings dat bad..

Old Onions………….i believe it was last year that Sinckler said he was not putting money into the economy (people’s hands) just for them to spend it, guess he did not know at that time what the word stimulus (stimulating an economy) meant…………….it totally escaped him that when you put money in people’s hand to spend it circulates and stimulates the economy……now i am beginning to question what he thought it meant.

Let us admit it, the guys are making it up as they go along.

Wonder if BLPNationnewspaer read Pat Hoyos and Michael Howard columns today.

Obviously it made perfect sense to the government at that time, knowing it would definitely escape their sheeple and maybe if they were lucky, other people.

Ping Maybe you could tax the people that have houses on the island that they rent out abroad and just have the people go stay there without the money ever entering the island. They only pay property tax, not tax on income earned in barbados.Maybe that is one reason to keep residency.

Let me state that I am not clear on Pachamama’s ideas but instead of just rejecting those ideas I am trying to see if there is some value to be had. Who knows? So continuing…

I do not know what life is like for those living outside of Barbados. I suspect that provision for things like education, health care especially major issues like surgery, cancer care etc, retirement particularly for those very old and infirm appear to be daunting for these Barbadians. It would appear that Barbados at present can provide all these services at near or even better level than the so called developed world and at a much lower cost. Therefore to induce Barbadians resident abroad to pay $1000/year, Barbados will ensure that state-of-the-art provision of these services be available here at the same price that resident Barbadians pay. These funds can be managed by the NIS which would own and operate boarding schools, hospitals, retirement homes, be part of the governing body of UWI etc. Barbados could even negotiate short term employment access to the USA, Canada and the UK for Barbadians on condition that health care, employee benefits (disabilty, sickness, etc) would be provided by Barbados. The idea is that Barbadians could access the world for work and investment but would invest their money in Barbados for the provision of social services and human development activities.

@ Ping Pong

No! We are suggesting a different vision of what the country is or can be. We are not merely talking about a CESS. We are talking about a strategic redefinition of the country in terms that are not limited to 166 square miles. For example, Bajan living abroad may have an unusual access to vast capital but they have no means to leverage the Barbados government and play a bigger role in the world in a way that could help Barbados, potentially more than tourism. A redefinition of Barbados should not stop at concept like ‘team Barbados’ that some people like to talk about but should start with a project to know what the population of Barbadians and they descendants are, everywhere. Why can’t Bajans living in California, let say, have a member of parliament in a Barbados assembly? Or Bajan living in England. This construction could bring all the talents of a far greater number of people to bear on current problems.

@Pacha

And this is the point about CUL. The same decision makers who decided that CUL would SIGNIFICANTLY drive down food price are the same who would have to emancipate their minds to even entertain your brainstorming of creating a ‘virtual barbados’.

@Pachamama:
Your quote, “We suggest…they should not be only thinking about head and guts. they might want to consider investments that could include sustainably reducing imports.(1)
Alright, in this respect what have they been doing so far, and what have been the alternatives offered? first of all i have difficulty understanding a number of things profferred by a number of people. For instance, St George’s Dragon says that “there is no $600 million stimulus package. He says that “$300 million of it is “normal” [my quotation marks]. Capital expenditure.” Does he mean that it is “normal” to spend $300 million on capital expenditure every year? I think not. He also says that $300million is “projects like the cruise ship terminal and Bay Street marina, ” whichwere always planned”. They might have been planned but they were not implemented. So if they are NOW being implemented, this new injection of funds has to be considered a “stimulus”. According to the dictionary definition a stimulus is -among other things- anything that may have an influence or impact on a system, or quickens an action. So therefore both the injection of funds for Capital projects and the new projects has to be considered a “stimulus package.” So St. George’s Dragon’s attempts to denigrate Govt’s “simulus” package fall flat in the face of logic.
Back to Pachamama; I would think that the messages Government have been sending about the need for using (a) alternative forms of energy, and putting theri money behind it, would be within the category of (1). You also blithely say “boost foreign earnings but offer no suggestions. In my opinion the grants to the hotel industry and the provision of additional funds to the Ministry of Tourism, and other incentives to diversify the tourism product, and the emphasis on buying more Bajan, and cutting down on imports indicates the intention to move in this direction.
You also talk about “Drastically” reducing spending on Health Care, while improving outcomes.” This statement requires clarification since in the absence of specifics, as a calypsonian once sang “it ent saying a ping or a pang.” Similarly your statement of “liking education spending…and target a new breed of entrepreneurs. high sounding words that cannot stand up to scrutiny.
All Barbadians regardless of location, are FULL citizens and should feel so, since they are able to enjoy the benefits of citizens living there (in Barbados) continuously. Even if they cannot vote in the elections; the advent of “streaming” of events, by both parties, still enables Barbadians overseas to connect with the homeland. I watched platform speeches by both parties every night of the last election from the comfort of my living room. A bajan living in England (pensioner) can still ride free on the Transport board busses. When he returns home(England or Canada) he still has to pay bus fare.
@Old Onion Bags. How much more money was being spent before the 2.5% in VAT. Give me figures and facts. “fa real tings dat bad.” BULL!!. That slogan was used in the last election. DWD (Dun wid dat.)

TAXATION is one of the biggest problems that this country has faced since being settled by the English in 1627, and that has been creating other problems for this country.

TAXATION must be removed by a coalitional government from the political landscape of this country before it helps to reduce Barbados to essentially a barren desolate wasteland of opportunities.

TAXATION must be replaced by the appropriate political financial psychological strategies and approaches that are going to help bring back prosperity and progress to this country.

TAXATION is an abomination.

PDC

@Pachamama
Charge bajans overseas to maintain a barbados passport?! How ridiculous, which idiot would bother to pay? Anybody can come here for free as a tourist, why would an overseas resident bajan, who is paying taxes overseas spend $’000 a year for a passport?!? Especially if they already have another? So they can be treated like $hit in the caricom nationals line at the airport? just to visit family? Stupes I’d chuck mine in the bin and head to St Lucia for some sea and sun if they ever did that? Gov could as well go sell bajan citizenship to the highest bidder if taxing passports is the only way we can dream up to solve our economic problems.

It’s a moot point anyway, fact is we’re f*cked. Government ministers either sorting themselves out or if they give a $hit about the rest of us they are crossing their fingers and hoping for the best. It is blatantly obvious they have no idea what they are doing and the few things they actually know have to happen to make things better – like reforming the civil service and selling off costly inefficient state entities – they don’t have the balls or skills to attempt.

We could as well hunker down with the finger-crossers and hope we make it through the storm.

David
One must be wary of bunching figures and posting without source…think you should know that…The fig we should be interested in is Domestic Consumer spend…which by all logic would be DOWN.

@Onions

The point addresses your assertion the government has been collecting less VAT revenues.

Haven’t the BLP economists including Mascoll been saying that government has an expenditure and not revenue problem?

How quickly we forget. When PRT operated from the Harbour Road a few years ago – a software company reported to support Fortune 500 companies, the lament by company management was that our ICT knowledge base was below par to adequately serve as a labour supply. The result, the Harbour Road became flooded with Injuns.

If we have a native son of the soil who appears to be a gorillaphant in this field why not hold hands to explore a new way? Instead we have these politicians in suits doing the same old bullshit and expecting a different result.

Why would the PM knowingly allow Sinckler to do shite? Is Sinckler the minister of a rum shop in Black Rock?

David Weekes………………never apologize for your ingenuity, successive governments were yammering on and on about technology blah blah and has someone right their with patented technology, they will all be calculating the money you will make with their intensely evil bad minds instead of promoting you and bringing untold millions or billions to the island……………..they prefer suffer than see you be enriched.

Tired and uninspired,

Well said.

Remember the DLP senator that recently suggested such foolishness that persons who are bringing barrels filled with miscellaneous items for their own personal, medical or commercial purposes into this country, that their incomes, payments and transfers must be taxed over such barrels.

What idiotic foolishness!!

No creativity imagination were shown by the particular individual.

And this is so many times repeated in this country: where some ministerial fool lacks critical analytical thinking skills, wholly misthinks that simply TAXING the remunerations of individuals, businesses, and other entities in this country, is par for the course in addressing their own intellectual financial deficits; and that many Barbadians will continue to simply accept the government continuing to steal from the remunerations.

Well, eventually these louts must be given the rudest awakening ever as many country men women and children move toward achieving freedom from TAXATION.

PDC

Freedom from Taxation ?
Not in this world nor the next to come or the one that went before

@ Pachamama

“liking education spending to the propensity of the system to produce knowledge which will must be turned into technologies that can be patented and industrialized; and target a new breed of entrepreneur”

I hear you loud and clear. 4 lines that condense my “lot of long talk” 44.

Unfortunately, Pacha here is a reality check.

Barbados has 2 qualified patent lawyers, K2T is a huge spectrum and various technologies require specific expertise that may not be resident here.

Good patents, the ones which will withstand intense scrutiny in a court of law.

Ability to secure and pay for Legal Representation in the jurisdiction where your patent is infringed. $$ to travel and contest claims in the jurisdiction where patent infringed.

Capacity to effect product to market or productization. HR to effect commercialization via licensing, franchise, geographic regions, subdivided/prescribed by claim element,

Very few commercial local banks will finance ICT or intangible assets and of the 10 government micro enterprise Development institutions only two will venture out into this un-chartered space with government funding.

Withing those institutions 5% of staff know about ICT and .01% of the committee’s which are appointed to make the decisions know about IP.

Sometimes that is why it takes 44 lines to detail what your eloquent 4 can never convey.