PORT-OF-SPAIN – Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has assured that there will be no new taxes in the 2010/2011 national budget to be delivered by Finance Minister Winston Dookeran on Wednesday.
As a bonus, she disclosed that the People’s Partnership government will move to lower land and building taxes and in doing so these taxes will not have to be paid until 2011.
“Read my lips, no new taxes, including no property tax. But, what you will get is what was there before.
“What we’ve done, we’ve promised and we will keep that promise. The property tax will not be implemented, it will be repealed and so on but there must be something in place, so we will revert back to the lands and building taxes,” said Persad-Bissessar. (Trinidad Express)
Jamaicans off to apple farms
KINGSTON – Nine hundred and fifty men and women – the majority of whom were requested multiple times by farm operators – left the island over the last three days to work on apple orchards in the United States as Jamaicans continue to be the most sought-after group of farm workers.
The latest batch of 70 workers displayed high expectations as they prepared for the journey from the Ministry of Labour offices in downtown Kingston to the Norman Manley International Airport for the flight to New York. (Jamaica Observer)
Opposition denies charge
PARAMARIBO, Suriname – The opposition United Reform Party (VHP) dismissed allegations that it was behind the revolt at the Santo Boma prison where more than 100 inmates staged a revolt on Sunday night.
VHP vice president Ram Sardjoe said reports that his party supported the revolt in protest at the appointment of Martin Misiedjan as Minister of Justice and Police are totally untrue. (CMC)
Call to tackle high crime
ST GEORGE’S – The main opposition New National Party (NNP) yesterday called on The Grenada Conference of Churches, civil society and other interest groups to work together to formulate strategies and plans to deal with the escalating level of crime and violence on the island.
The call by the NNP follows the gruesome discovery of the body of 52 year-old businessman Michael Delfish, who had been missing for more than a week.
Police said that a postmortem revealed the “cause of death was as a result of hypovolemic shock due to severe chop wounds”. (CMC)
Suriname Opposition denies link to prison revolt
PARAMARIBO, Suriname – The opposition United Reform Party (VHP) yesterday dismissed allegations that it was behind the revolt at the Santo Boma prison where more than 100 inmates staged a revolt on Sunday night.
VHP vice president, Ram Sardjoe said reports that his party supported the revolt in protest at the appointment of Martin Misiedjan as Minister of Justice and Police are totally untrue.
Police spokesman John Jones confirmed that while some prisoners had staged a brief revolt the situation was now under control.
The prisoners have been complaining at the treatment they have been receiving and have also written a letter to President Desi Bouterse on the issue. (CMC)
