Insult to raise seaport tax on Emancipation Day – Resident
“I don’t like how the 1st of August, Emancipation Day, they let that tax raise to ten dollars on that day. That was an insult to our ancestors,” the resident said on the Speak Your Mind show aired on August 31, 2013.
“They (ancestors) have to be turning in their graves,” she added.
Host of the programme, Richard Courtney de Castro said he was the one who had advocated for the day to be made a holiday but instead it was a brand new tax for residents going to St Thomas, St John and St Croix in neighbouring USVI.
He argued that those that don’t know their history will have it repeated, “that’s why it was important to know your history,” de Castro said.
“I wonder why when they were giving their speeches under the Sunday Morning Well they didn’t let the people know that that is the day they used to raise the tax,” the caller stated.
“My dear lady, this revolution aint gonna happen overnight and it aint just started,” de Castro chimed in.
Government recently increased the passenger tax by sea for residents to $10 effective August 1, 2013.
“Madam Speaker, this Territory has been feeling the effects of stagnant revenue growth for some time now. As one small step towards addressing this, my colleagues and I have decided to raise the passenger tax now paid by individuals travelling by sea from $5 to $10 for BVI residents and $15 for non residents,” Premier Dr The Hon. D. Orlando Smith announced in the House of Assembly in May of this year.
According to the Premier, the tax increase was implemented to allow the Territory to capture lost revenue resulting from the demographic shift over the years of visitors that travel by sea from neighbouring St. Thomas because of insufficient air lift through Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport.
Premier Smith had then argued that the VI’s passenger tax rate was below that of its neighbours in the region. Anguilla for example, he said, has a departure tax rate of US $20 per adult and $10 per child ages 5 to 11 leaving by sea or air for visitors while residents pay a smaller tax of US $5. “In effect,” he stated, “residents in the BVI will realise a moderate increase on a tax rate that has being constant for almost 20 years.”
Third District Representative Hon. Julian Fraser, RA had seen the tax increase as targeting the poor and said government should not be solving the problems of the economy on the backs of the poor.
"It’s inconceivable at this time given the economic state and the hardship that our people are going through for the Premier to raise the passenger departure tax, and I think what they are doing is targeting those who go to St. Thomas," said Hon. Fraser.
He said that persons go to St. Thomas to fly to the USA because the rates are extremely lower than what has to be paid from the Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport at Beef Island.
"People have relatives in St. Thomas, they go there to visit their relatives, and the government should not be solving the problem of the economy on the backs of these poor people," said Hon. Fraser.
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15 Responses to “Insult to raise seaport tax on Emancipation Day – Resident”
I would imagine the Ports project tax partners are not going to pay any taxes for all the building material they import. How much taxes is Bi-water paying?
Why are tax payers paying a million dollars for a generator for multinational billion dollar company like Bi-Water? So we give Bi-water premium flat land, no import tax on any material, we buy them a generator for a million dollars then they turn around and make millions selling the water back to us.
What breaks are small business getting from this government? Nothing! Noting!! Not a ting!!!
Oh I would like to start a business Hon Ministers, I would like you to provide the people's land free of charge
I would like tax exemption status.
I would like you to buy with tax payers money the most expensive piece of equipment
Then I would like a guaranteed Gov't contract for Millions of dollars a year for 10 years
I am not willing to take too much risk but I demand huge returns
Gotta love this country...