Moontown

Juhel Browne jbrowne@trinidadexpress.com

Looking to improve: Martin Joseph

Crime rates have been on the rise in Tobago as law enforcement on the island is suffering from a shortage of 100 police officers.

It was only August 6, that National Security Minister Martin Joseph confirmed a claim by Opposition Senator Wade Mark that while the required strength of the Police Service was some 7,691 officers, it had a manpower shortage of 1,334.

Joseph confirmed the shortfall in Tobago in the Senate on Wednesday evening in response to Independent Senator Annette Nicholson-Alfred who made the disclosure while contributing to the debate on the 2009/2010 budget as she also called on him to account for the delay in the construction of three new police stations in Tobago.

“I heard you with respect to the 100 police, shortage of police officers. It is something that is pervasive in the entire system and we are looking at things to see how best we can improve in terms of recruiting additional persons to assist in that regard but I heard you. I have made note of all what you have said,” Joseph said.

Nicholson-Alfred raised the issue early in her contribution to the Senate’s budget debate on Wednesday evening while Joseph was briefly absent from the Parliament Chamber.

She recalled the brutal cutlass attack against British retirees, 65-year-old Peter and 59-year-old Murium Greene, at their Bacolet Crescent, holiday home last month and the murder of husband and wife Bevan and Judith Toby of Runnemede, Tobago, who were burnt to death at their home on Sunday afternoon.

She also noted that there have been 12 homicides on the island for the year so far and said Joseph had in the Senate last year, “promised” that three new police stations would be constructed to replace those at Old Grange, Moriah and Roxborough.

“I thank the honourable Senator for giving way, especially as it relates to the question about the promise made by this Minister and Government with respect to the construction of police stations and part of the challenge is we are still to get access to the lands for Old Grange and also for Roxborough,” Joseph said.

He added that the Government had “extensive discussions” with the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) on the issue but “there a number of matters that are still outstanding”.

In addition to the crime problem, Nicholson-Alfred also addressed the proposed new property tax as she said that if the Government wanted to implement it, then it should keep its long-standing promise to regularise land ownership in Tobago since “over 70 per cent of the island’s residents have no proper titles for their properties.”

Aretha Welch awelch@trinidadexpress.com

CIVIL MARCH: Members of several civil society groups march yesterday along Independence Square, Port of Spain, protesting the current state of the economy, including the introduction of a new property tax. -Photo: CURTIS CHASE

“No taxation before consultation.” This was the chant of several civil society groups who gathered in the heart of Port of Spain yesterday evening, to protest the current state of the economy.

The group of close to 100 people comprised members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), the One Voice Committee, the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union and several other non-governmental organisations.

Under the watchful eye of a small contingent of police officers, the group marched along Frederick Street, around the Brian Lara Promenade, convening for a short while in front of the Twin Towers where the Ministry of Finance is housed, and then back up to Henry Street, where the march ended at the CWU headquarters.

Several well-known activists such as Fitun’s David Abdulah and new Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce president Stephen Cadiz, as well as artist and activist Rubadiri Victor were present at the march.

The activists spoke out against some of the proposals announced in the budget and the fact that very few citizens were consulted before the decision to increase property taxes was taken by the current administration.

There was a similar march by residents in Felicity yesterday led by Deputy Mayor of Chaguanas Borough Corporation, Orlando Nagessar.

Juhel Browne jbrowne@trinidadexpress.com

NO SURPRISE: Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira

EVEN as there are growing pockets of resistance to Government’s plan to introduce a new property tax regime, Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira was firm last night that there was no chance of backing down from its agenda.

Nunez-Tesheira, in a telephone interview, said the Government was listening to the concerns being raised by property owners across the country, but the new system was necessary to ensure equity and transparency.

She said property owners were informed about a year ago that the Government planned to increase their taxes from January 1, 2010.

Nunez-Tesheira said she announced the Government’s intentions to implement a new property tax system in her 2008/2009 Budget presentation last year.

The new property taxes are contained in the 2009/2010 Budget that is set to be passed by the Senate today.

A copy of the Hansard (the Parliament’s official record) shows that during her budget presentation on September 22, 2008, Nunez-Tesheira said: “The proposed new property tax regime will take effect from January 01, 2010.”

While she did not state, last year, what the new property tax rates would be, she then said that “this new system will be fair and equitable, transparent, user-friendly and easy to administer” and would involve a new centralised system that would be computerised and “will ensure that all taxable properties are registered and valued for taxation at today’s market prices”.

Nunez-Tesheira had made similar remarks in her budget presentation on September 7, except that two weeks ago she announced the taxes are based on the current rentable value of any property and would see flat tax rates of three, six, five and one per cent for residential, industrial, commercial and agricultural properties, respectively.

She said yesterday this proved that the criticisms levelled against the Government by many property owners as well as some Opposition MPs that the new property taxes came out of nowhere and reflect a callous attitude on the Government’s part are unfounded.

“Everybody is saying as though we suddenly came out of nowhere and introduced this… we announced it last year and this, I think, is something long in the making,” Nunez-Tesheira said.

As there is increased anxiety among property owners to the very idea of paying what will be, for many, much higher property taxes, Nunez-Tesheria said the Government is listening to their concerns, but maintained that the move will lead to more equity in the collection system and will actually result in lower taxes for property owners in areas like Chaguanas since they are paying a ten per cent rate on 2004 property assessments.

She said there should not have been any significant reduction in the value of properties in Chaguanas in the last four years and at the new three per cent rate, they would be paying less property tax. “Three per cent as opposed to ten per cent is a vast difference,” Nunez-Tesheira said.

Nunez-Tesheira noted, however, that those living in Port of Spain would not be as fortunate since even though the ten per cent rate now exists there, it is based on 1975 property values.

Nunez-Tesheria also reiterated that under the legislation for the new system, those who prove to the relevant authority that they are under financial hardship will receive a waiver or a reduction in their property taxes.

She said the Finance Ministry will be carrying out a campaign to address what she said was “a lot of misinformation” about the new property taxes.

The purpose of the property tax is to provide a revenue source for the deployment of public goods such as garbage collection, street cleaning and road maintenance, street lighting, fire services, maintenance of recreational parks and other community services.

“These taxes will support the activities of Local Government bodies,” Minister in the Ministry of Finance Mariano Browne said during the Senate sitting last week. See Pages 4 & 9

One of the highest priority health issues facing the Region to be addressed at the Caucus is the Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1). Although CARICOM has responded well to this pandemic, managing to keep the deaths as result of H1N1 to a low of six out of 712 confirmed cases, it will need to be adequately prepared for expected increase in influenza cases due to what is anticipated as a second wave of the pandemic during the North Atlantic winter season.

The Caucus will therefore be expected to, among other things, support the Region’s decision to identify priority vulnerable groups for the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available, as well as the continued use of the seasonal flu vaccine where this is already in place.

Secondly, as the Community moves towards the rationalising of its regional public health sector, the Health Ministers are expected to discuss progress towards the establishment of the Caribbean Public Heath Agency (CARPHA). Discussions will focus on the functions and critical activities of this proposed body; how to incorporate the functions of the five regional institutions and the critical issue of financing this proposed agency.

The meeting of Health Ministers will also discuss progress made in the fight to stop the epidemic of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDS) in accordance with the September 2007 Port-of-Spain Declaration, which outlined 15 actionable points to curb this epidemic. The centre of interest of this issue lies in the development and implementation of policies and legislation that should create an enabling environment for more effective management of health lifestyles in the Region.

The Caucus will review strategies to eliminate congenital syphilis as well as mother-to-child transmission of HIV, the incidence of which has, over the years, shown continued significant reduction in most countries of the Region. The Meeting will also receive reports from the CARICOM Secretariat about on-going health projects in the Region including those relative to cervical cancer, eye care and regulation of pharmaceuticals.

The Community is also seeking to establish a common medical registration exam for all medical graduates in the Region, and to this end a proposal will be fully discussed by the Ministers of Health. In addition, they will discuss regional leadership in health including CARICOM’s role in the governance of international health institutions.

This agenda will be shared with the CARICOM Ambassadorial Corps to the Organisation of American States (OAS). In that forum, the Ministers will seek support from the ambassadors in the area of resource mobilisation for CARHPA, HIV and AIDS and combating NCDs.

Ambassador Isben Williams from St Kitts and Nevis to the OAS will also make a presentation on violence as a public health emergency in the Region.

Ministers will also meet with the Director of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), during the two days as that organisation prepares for its Directing Council which starts on Monday.

Trevor Rhone passed away on Tuesday, 15 September, 2009, at the age of 69. He was known for his mastery as a playwright, exploring the experiences of ordinary people, from urban to rural, which was represented in his work. He was co-author with the late Perry Henzell of the timeless Jamaican film, The Harder They Come, and authored the Jamaican plays, Smile Orange and Old Story Time, the latter of which has become a classic studied by students across the Region for CXC - CSEC examinations. Through his exceptional talents as playwright, director and actor, Trevor contributed extensively to the cultural development of Jamaica and the Caribbean.

Henk Tjon passed away on Friday, 18 September, 2009, at the age of 61. As the co-founder of the Doe-theatre, founder and artistic director of the National Theatre of Suriname and the Alakondre Dron Music Ensemble, his critical role and influence in the cultural development of Suriname has been tremendous. Henk was passionate about CARIFESTA and the cultural integration of the region. He actively participated in every CARIFESTA since its inception in 1972, and served seven times as designer and artistic director of Suriname’s cultural contingent to CARIFESTA and as Artistic Director of the CARIFESTA VIII held in Suriname.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Wayne Brown died on the same day as Trevor Rhone at the age of 65. His literary career encompassed his work as one of the leading poets of the Caribbean; short story writer and newspaper columnist. He is best known for his prize-winning anthology “On the Coast” and as the biographer of the Jamaican sculptress Edna Manley, wife of the former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Norman Manley. His biting and often trenchant weekly columns in the Trinidad Express and Jamaica Observer newspapers earned him the admiration of many in the Region.

Brown made Jamaica his home where he made a lasting contribution to the mentoring, training and development of scores of writers both young and old through his writing workshops. Such was his influence that many went on register for and earn MFA degrees from prestigious US universities and to be published internationally. More than any other single person, Wayne Brown was responsible for the development of a new generation of writers in Jamaica.

The Caribbean Community applauded the excellent artistic contribution of these great cultural icons and mourns their deaths which have undoubtedly created a void in the continued development of the Region’s culture.

The Caribbean Community Secretariat extended its sincere condolences to the families of Trevor Rhone, Henk Tjon and Wayne Brown on their loss and to the Governments and peoples of Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.