Black Immigrant Daily News

À quelques heures de l’annonce de la liste des 26 joueurs pour le Mondial au Qatar, le suspense monte. France-Antilles, avec France-Guyane, font le point sur la forme des joueurs, et leurs chances d’être retenues dans le groupe de Didier Deschamps.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

Small island nations suffering the brunt of climate change want Big Oil to pay for mounting damage from ocean storms and sea-level rise, Antigua’s prime minister told delegates at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt on Tuesday.

The comments by Gaston Browne kicked off the second day of speeches from heads of state and government at the two-week conference in the seaside resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. “The oil and gas industry continues to earn almost 3 billion United States dollars daily in profits,” Browne said, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States.

“It is about time that these companies are made to pay a global carbon tax on their profits as a source of funding for loss and damage.

Profligate producers of fossil fuels have benefited from extortionate profits at the expense of human civilization. While they are profiting, the planet is burning.” Senegal’s President Macky Sall told the conference poor developing nations in Africa were also insisting on increased funding for adaptation to worsening climate change, and would resist calls for an immediate shift away from fossil fuels that could drive economic growth.

“Let’s be clear, we are in favor of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. But we Africans cannot accept that our vital interests be ignored,” he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

News

Attorney General Reginald Armour and Finance Minister Colm Minister during the Senate sitting to debate the Finance Bill 2022 on Tuesday. – SUREASH CHOLAI

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert said a current law and a court decision both allow WASA, TTEC and TTPost to join a list of entities required to supply information to help compile a list of house/land occupants (ahead of enacting the property tax.)

He was piloting the Finance Bill 2022 in the Senate on Tuesday, where he sought to anticipate opposition objections. Later, Opposition Senator Wade Mark vowed to go the court to challenge the bill if passed, insisting it violated people’s constitutional rights and so could only be passed by a special majority in Parliament.

Imbert said the Valuation Act allows valuation information to be sought from certain entities such as the BIR, Registrar General and Registrar of the Supreme Court, while the Data Protection Act (DPA) would permit the Commissioner of Valuations (CoV) to seek people’s details from WASA, TTEC and TTPost. More so, he said a 2022 court ruling in the Dominic Suraj case would refute any opposition argument that a special majority was required to add this trio of organisations to the list of entities which must comply with the CoV.

He said in 2021 acting president Christine Kangaloo had proclaimed section 42 (a) and (b) of the DPA Act to allow the gathering of public information, including by the CoV.

Imbert said when the Finance Bill was in the House of Representatives last week, the Opposition had seemed unaware of the Dominic Suraj case but perhaps understandably as it was a 2022 ruling. He said the ruling could be aptly applied to the addition of WASA, TTEC and TTPost to the list of complying entities.

Otherwise, Imbert said the latest tax amnesty could net the government some $680 million, adding, “But it could be double.” He expected 30,000 taxpayers to comply.

He listed sums collected in past amnesties. These were 2010-2011– $1.6 billion; 2014-2015 – $1.2 billion; 2016 – $766 million; 2019 – $2.5 billion; 2021– $1.1 billion, and 2022 – $700 million.

Imbert said the pandemic had made some businesses select how to use limited funds to pay rent, salaries or taxes. The amnesty would simply relieve any extra burdens of penalties or interest but not remove the underlying tax debt, he said. Imbert said the sums charged for firearms users and dealers licences were just a fraction of the administration costs to issue these, such as for the police to investigate whether one was a fit and proper person to be a firearms dealer. Imbert complained that it cost $2 million to clean up an oil slick for which an errant company would be fined up to only $100,000, and lamented that the recent theft of a $200,000 sluice gate attracted a fine of just $15,000.

Mark urged the Government to no longer pursue the property tax which he said was a draconian measure. He feared repeated tax amnesties gave delinquent taxpayers an opportunity to duck their obligations, and reckoned this all could damage the BIR.

He objected to the proposed addition of WASA, TTEC and TT Post to the list of entities supplying information under the Valuation of Lands Act.

Mark said the DPA had a definition of information, which he described as “personal and sensitive” and as including race, religion, address, phone number, medical status, education, and views and opinions. What information would be requested from WASA, TTPost and TTEC, he wondered aloud.

“We warn this Government. We will take you to court.

“We will not let the Government undermine the privacy rights of the people of TT.

“I want to warn WASA, TTEC and TTPost. If you provide any data to this Government we’ll come after you.” He said under the law, these entities must first get someone’s permission before passing on their data. Saying the Constitution provides protection from intrusion, Mark said, “If you want to invade, come with a special constitutional majority.”

He urged the Government to table in Parliament the form which the finance minister must use to request people’s details from public entities. “The Government is asking us to sign a blank cheque.”

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

News

A foreign-used car dealership in Chaguanas. – File photo

THE Trade Licence Unit (TLU) of the Ministry of Trade and Industry has announced that all import licences for used cars issued this year will expire on December 31.

The ministry issued a media release on Tuesday, addressed to registered foreign-used car dealers, individual importers and other stakeholders.

It said, in addition to the December 31 expiry of all import licences, the TLU will not revalidate import licences issued this year until 2023 for used right-hand-drive vehicles, including sedans, station wagons and sports utility vehicles (SUV), which arrive after December 31.

The ministry noted that the permissible age for the import of used right-hand-drive sedans, station wagons and SUV is three years from the date of manufacture for vehicles with a gasoline, diesel, CNG or hybrid engine; and two years from the date of manufacture for vehicles outfitted with an electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery pack.

The ministry said the TLU should be contacted for additional information.

NewsAmericasNow.com