Samoa

Caribbean countries that live in fear of being blacklisted by the European Union should band together and take legal action, according to Barbados-based economist and Caribbean policy expert Marla Dukharan.

“I felt like there should be some legal recourse that should be pursued collectively,” Ms. Dukharan said on Feb. 23 on the regional livestreamed show “Territories Talk,” hosted by Shaina Smith-Archer, chairwoman of the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association.

The Virgin Islands has been added to the European Union’s “grey list” along with nine other jurisdictions in the Caribbean and elsewhere, the EU Council announced after its meeting on Feb. 24.

Besides the VI, the EU added the Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Israel, Montserrat, Russia, Tunisia, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Vietnam, bringing the total list up to 25 jurisdictions.

Minister of Finance, Camillo Gonsalves says a December 2 Bloomberg News Wire report falsely suggests that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says this country is on the brink of ‘economic collapse’. 

 “Nowhere in the IMF blog post cited by Bloomberg does IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva mention SVG. Not once; look it up,” Gonsalves commented to SEARCHLIGHT on Monday.  

 The comment was in reference to an article on BNN Bloomberg written by Ana Monteiro with the headline, “IMF Warns of Economic Collapse in Poor Nations Without Debt Fix.” 

by Tricia Simon

Innovation is coined as a new method, idea or product but it is important to note that innovation is cumulative in that it builds on prior technology centered around education – allu weh we dey and wey we goin!

July 13, 2021

By Betty Milton, Information Attaché Brussels, Belgium

During the 112th session of Council of Ministers of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) the Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr Francis Kai-kai pledged Sierra Leone’s commitment to the climate change.

The dawn of Brexit could find the Virgin Islands on the European Union blacklist of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions even though the territory passed economic substance legislation in 2018 specifically to avoid that censure.

Barbados has been officially removed from the European Union’s (EU) controversial tax blacklist.

This morning, the EU Council adopted its latest list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes and Barbados was not on it.

Minister of International Business Ronald Toppin confirmed the news and said Government was “very pleased about this”.

There are, however, other Caribbean countries included, with Anguilla and Trinidad and Tobago still the on list, and Dominica a new addition.