Tax chicken imports to encourage local support-Shaina M. Smith
Smith said the supermarkets need to make more of an effort to support locally produced goods and the government should consider taxing imported goods such as chicken that can be produced on a local level.
Her remarks come following talks that the territory should move towards becoming more self-sustainable.
Ms Smith was speaking on the programme UMOJA on ZBVI 780 AM on Thursday December 8, 2016.
“Apart from me as a private person, who can buy it directly from the farmer, the supermarket is where they would sell their produce to and are given a platform so to speak, but if we don’t think as a local supermarket that ‘I need to support my local farmer more so than I support my imports’, Government can actually get drastic and tax the imported chicken so that the prices on it now goes up… to encourage them to buy local, to encourage everyone to buy local,” she said.
“We have to start making decisions in our own interest and have no apology about it,” Smith said. “If the government is saying it is serious about business development there are a lot of things that they can do in terms of policies.”
Local entrepreneurs need a ‘holding hand’
Host of the programme, Mr Cromwell Smith aka Edju Enka said local entrepreneurs need a holding hand to maintain and expand their businesses.
“Our business owners not only need the helping hand but they also need a holding hand –training, management skills, accounting skills, negotiating skills, financial management, an organisational structure within the business…so our National Business Bureau if it is going to be serious about developing entrepreneurship; they are going to have to put some money to finance it, put a cadre of human resources in there- Business Managers, Marketing Experts, Masters of Business Administration, Lawyers, Financiers, Accountants to be able to identify market trends, develop entrepreneurs, finance businesses, help to install an organisational structure in the businesses, train the young entrepreneurs and help to manage the businesses so that they can stand on their own two feet,” he pointed out.
57 Responses to “Tax chicken imports to encourage local support-Shaina M. Smith”
Did she consider the people that are already struggling to purchase chicken at the price it is? The people that cannot afford to buy it at all? It’s easy for some persons to buy the more expensive” organic” or local grown products that are sometimes 100% more than that of the cheaper alternative, but to most it is impossible to even consider.
I believe that a better suggestion that Ms Smith could have come up with was to reduce the import taxes on supplies to farmers so that they can LOWER their selling prices. Also providing tax cuts and subsidies such as reduced water, electricity and fuel rates to farmers and providers of local goods will further help with the bottom line. A lower selling price can ultimately be achieved for locally grown organic meat, fruit and vegetables. Then persons my sacrifice and purchase local as the price should be a few cents or dollars more than the imported goods.
What u need to push for Ms Smith is price control in this country that is the key to the problems that way people's personal finances can go along way
Have u ever went to the service station and bought a gallon of gas in a gallon container and relize more than quarter of the gas is missing but the price that is charged is paid but u don't have the gas for the money that is what the people of this country is facing every day with price control that will be no more but again your party is not in favor of price control
How do we get our government to understand the concept of "protectionism" in all it's forms?
Hopefully, the New and Improved VIP candidates will take notice and implement shortly after reelection!
I want to vote now. I have some big x x x x x x to make. Even if VIP bring total, eggy or yellow mehson I still voting out them ndp a$$*$. Shaina shut up. All you got people hot.
And them really have great quilty chicken u all should try .....support local
Government need to investigate and make sure the purpose of the duty free products are meeting their objectives...
Shut up Smith .tax what tax my @$$$ set of wicked people
FYI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju7-n7wygP0
Hi Shaina,
I like you personally but let me tell you something ms!
If the NDP government would stop thieving our tax paying dollars the chickens will be here in abundance from local and international distributors.
Many call it mismanagement but I call it "THIEVING" because a man can't be bankrupt with his business and in the twinkle of an eye he is a millionaire! HOW MANY CHICKENS DID HE SOLD TO BOUNCE BACK SO FAST? OR IS IT HOW MUCH OF OUR TAX PAYING DOLLARS DID HE THIEF?
The BVI people know what is going on. They are not as stupid as you may think. Many including you are on FAT cheques from our taxes and you can probably open your own chicken farm but at this point where you all rape the treasury, we can NOT afford to raise another tax on what we mostly eat. Seems like you want us to LITERALLY go more hungry than we are now!
So please go and sit down with that crazy talk about taxing our chicken because for sure WE the PEOPLE will be AXING the NDP immediately!!!!
@ms.smith. do you listen to yourself when you speak or think of these things that you suggest? Prices are already high at the supermarkets and your solution is to increase tax. I'm a consumer and I rather go to stthomas to shop any day. Because of ppl who think that they are so educated, comes up with stupid ideas like this. We are a country that depends on importion of goods, and the only solution I see to this problem is to lower tax down to a 3% on all imported produces, canned, perishables and nonperishables, wheat, meat and all dry goods. This will make we the consumer buy more and the supermarkets will move note volume but when doing so make sure you make and in force laws to protect the comuers from these money hungry stores. That one solution but theirs more , but raising tax or finding a new ways to tax people who can barely make ends meet is the way to go.
Does the VI have either an absolute or comparative advantage in poultry production over say the US? If no, it may make economic sense to import poultry. Would raising duty on imported poultry lower the sale price? Does local producers have the capacity to consistently meet the growing demand? Would lowering duties on poultry production related products lower the sale price? Would the sale price be cheaper than imported chicken? How would government revenues be impacted with reduced duty?
Undoubtedly, there are competitive challenges for local producers. Local producers will need to differentiated themselves and compete on more than price. They can compete on 1)organic, 2)freshness.....etc. What can be done to narrow the competitive gap? Government can set up an incubator for local producers training, lower import duty on poultry products, construct poultry farms on Crown land and leased to select producers, lower income tax, if any, on profit from poultry farm...........etc.
Another challenge for local producers is convincing local consumers that local poultry is of at
least equal quality to imported poultry. Additionally, producers will have to improve the packaging and marketing of their products.
Moreover, government will have to establish poultry production standards and an establish agency or office to monitor and administer adherence to the standards. Minimum licensing requirements will have to be established. All these and other costs will have to be considered.
WE THE THRUSHES AND ALLIES ARE PLANNING TO RETURN HOME TO THE BVI ONCE YOU THE PUBLIC GET RID OF THE NDP AND CRONIES!