NDM also calling for Davies to go

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Humano , go read bout de giovanna n him race horses

Because you have to make tax returns to get tax exempt.
So all the race horse owners farmers and shareholders will make their tax returns.
It does not mean they pay much.

IT only mean they make returns
i would wager that of those 5000, are the shop owners, They are usually very astute on their tax return.
on making returns.
don't know about paying their fair tax rate.
the professionals who work in the informal areas in addition to their government jobs are usually ,........
just say forget to pay or make return on that amount outside of the government net. quote=RichD]<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr.Dudd</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That is how many of them avoid paying taxwes.<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RichD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

why dem need tax shelter when moassa dem not paying tax? </div></div> </div></div>



so doc how does this reconcile with recent disclosure that outside of PAYE filers there were only something like 5000 persons on the tax roles..seems to me that the majority of them just dont file. [/quote]

[evanovitch]

Re: Humano , go read bout de giovanna n him race horses

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr.Dudd</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Wrongggg ''bait. </div></div>

mi no bait..if mi did interested mi would find out...but mi not but mi know seh u is NOT of the family mi name...dats all

[evanovitch]

The strange silence of Omar Davies

The strange silence of Omar Davies

Lately it is becoming fashionable to conclude that reports of the death of the NDM have been highly exaggerated.

I have no evidence that its support among the electorate is even 10 per cent but, as a pressure group, it has its use.

Recently, it produced a press release which to me represented in a concise form the best presentation of the omissions and co-missions of former PNP Finance Minister Omar Davies that I have seen so far. With this being PNP country, it is never in vogue to attempt a rehashing of the sins of the former administration.

Some take the view that we live in the present, therefore, 100 per cent of the past must be left in the past 100 per cent of the time. When that is coupled with the toddler-like approach of the present administration, it brings more fuel to the fire of those who support the view that we should look ahead.

According to the NDM release, it would like PNP leader Portia Simpson Miller to remove the South St Andrew MP as opposition spokesman on finance and as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. The NDM cites the following as reasons:

&quot;Incompetence: in the handling of the employment contract for former Governor Derick Latibeaudiere and for not informing the Cabinet, Parliament and the people about the details in the open-ended contract.&quot;

This charge seems incontrovertible. While there is no sniff of corruption, for a man like Omar Davies who has always prided himself on his technical abilities and attention to detail, it is scandalous in the least that he could have allowed such an open-ended employment contract for the former BOJ head to the extent that he was allowed a $51-million loan at five per cent without Board approval.

&quot;Dishonesty: As reported by the contractor general, for not being truthful and honest to the Office of the Contractor General in a sworn affidavit on matters concerning the sale of an Air Jamaica slot to Virgin Atlantic.&quot;

The Office of the Contractor General is one of those bright lights still burning in Jamaica. It is a first-world operation staffed with bright, dedicated people whose only responsibility seems to be to get the job done without favour to any political stripe. Dr Omar Davies has many holes to fill in some of the explanations given. The revelations, as anyone can read on their website, are demanding of the proper answers.

&quot;Irresponsibility: For approving the forward sale of bauxite which is now costing the people of Jamaica vast sums of money which we cannot afford.&quot;

It was, after all, not Dr Davies' personal bauxite so, with his party out of power, to hell with those who must deal with it now.

&quot;Recklessness: In approving approximately $14 billion in the &quot;run with it&quot; expenditure, causing massive inflation and overspending by government which further increased interest rates.&quot;

After the 2002 election, the finance minister was speaking to 'comrades' (in 2003) at a gathering. It was there that he let it slip that in the months leading up the election his government went on a spending spree to enhance its chances at victory. He was honest, but for a man who was the finance boss, he should have been summarily fired.

&quot;Unpatriotic Action: For presiding over a high interest rate policy, resulting in the strangulation and closure of numerous banks and businesses and the selling of people's homes; the formation of FINSAC and the selling off of Jamaican people's assets to a foreign entity for 30 cents in the dollar.&quot;

It is in this area that I believe the nation must be fully informed of what took place during those years. Not only were people's lives destroyed, but it also set back the efforts of local investors who saw the ease with which the former finance minister, with the stroke of a pen, wiped out the hope and literally killed off the black entrepreneurial class.

To date he is convinced his moves were prudent and he remains unapologetic. I believe Dr Omar Davies should do the decent thing and resign his posts or be forcefully removed.

[email protected]

[evanovitch]

'Omar, we want answers'

'Omar, we want answers'
Published: Sunday | November 22, 2009



Aldrane E Genius, Contributor

Davies - File

IN AN address to Parliament on November 3 on the dismissal of then Bank of Jamaica's (BOJ) governor Derick Latibeaudiere and the resignation of Commissioner of Police Hardley Lewin, Prime Minister Bruce Golding, referring to the overly generous contract that was awarded to Mr Latibeaudiere, stated: &quot;The former governor is not to be blamed for the absurdly generous and open-ended con-tractual terms that he enjoyed. He was the beneficiary. That blame must be laid squarely at the feet of the former government and the former minister of finance, in particular, who authorised and signed the contract.&quot;

Some might argue that the prime minister is being overly generous in his removal of blame from Mr Latibeaudiere, especially given the public perception that he refused to move into the residence provided for him by the central bank, opting instead to remain in his own house - a seemingly more expensive option. What is more, is the report that the former governor allegedly refused to have the terms of his contract renegotiated to reflect a more reasonable payment package.

Golding is correct

In hindsight, Mr Golding is correct not to blame the former governor for the contract he received.

After all, Mr Latibeaudiere did not hold a gun to the head of Dr Omar Davies and demand what was a $38 million contract as at September 2009. Indeed, it is the former government and its so-called world-class finance minister who are primarily to be blamed for that 'sweetheart' contract that was presented to Mr Latibeaudiere.

Although Mr Latibeaudiere, as far as I know, did not coerce Dr Davies into signing such a generous contractual agreement, the former BOJ governor's acceptance of some of the terms of the contract has been perceived by taxpayers as being unconscionable and unethical.

What makes the situation even more offensive to taxpayers is the notion that Mr Latibeaudiere allegedly refused a cost-cutting initiative in relation to his contractual terms, particularly in light of the harsh economic challenges that the country has been facing since the 1990s, and which have been made even worse as a result of the global economic crisis.

Ironically, public opinion is that Mr Latibeaudiere's monetary policies, as head of the central bank, have contributed significantly to the economic quandary in which we now find ourselves.

There is no doubt about the negative impact that the current economic crisis has had on the country. In effect, it has put a severe financial strain on the Government's ability to honour existing wage agreements and to finance much-needed capital-expenditure projects.

We are all aware of the Govern-ment's inability to pay the agreed seven per cent increase to public-sector workers and the difficulties being experienced in meeting the demand for the anticipated reclassification exercise for the island's nurses.

As a result of these harsh economic realities, the Government has made attempts to implement cost-cutting initiatives that will result in the reduction of public expenditure. The finance minister's alleged attempt, therefore, to renegotiate the housing provisions of Mr Latibeaudiere's contract, to arrive at a package that was more reasonable, can be interpreted as being something in the best interest of the country.

Cost-cutting initiatives of this nature are not new and are not confined to public-sector employees. The prime minister and other members of parliament (MPs) on the Government side, as well as the Speaker of the House, in a show of solidarity with the people of Jamaica, have all taken percentage reductions in their salaries.

Recently, the Ministry of Health entered into a two-year contract with telecoms provider Digicel for the provision of mobile and fixed-line services, which will cost the Government approximately J$10 million less than the former fragmented system that was being utilised.

Dr Davies' column

Another pill that the public has been finding hard to swallow is Dr Davies' column, published in The Sunday Gleaner on November 15. His report that Mr Latibeaudiere had confirmed his willingness to negotiate a mutually acceptable figure seems to conflict with statements made in Parliament by the prime minister.

The public is in desperate need of clarification on this matter and is deserving of such. Did the former governor of the BOJ refuse to have some aspects of his contract renegotiated? And if so, what is Dr Davies alluding to in his column?

I strongly urge Mr Latibeaudiere to provide us with some explanation on the matter, as I don't think Dr Davies is doing a good job!

Aldrane E. Genius is a member of Generation 2000 (G2k) Email: [email protected]