NEWS
...Govt begins collecting online tax today
The order introducing the seven per cent online shopping tax will be published today and the tax will take effect later today, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said last night. The tax was previously expected to come into effect at midnight last night. “I will explain how it is intended to work in due course. I have to go to the Senate (today) to complete the budget exercise. The order itself is virtually self-explanatory,” Imbert told the Express via WhatsApp messaging.
The order will be a provisional order that will allow Government to collect the tax when it is published today. Read more here
Hugh waves disrupt life in Matelot
Tobago fisherman, Charles James, has been operating from the Milford Bay area near Pigeon Point for 15 years and has “never seen the sea behave like that.” James, president of the All Tobago Fisherfolk Association, was referring to huge, powerful waves that crossed the beach boundaries and crashed onto the main road inland, flattening fishermen’s makeshift stalls and huts and scattering debris. Read more here
POLITICS
Loser Kamla
The attempt to overturn the democratically determined election result was doomed from the very start.So said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in reacting to the decision of the Court of Appeal to dismiss the United National Congress' (UNC) election petition seeking to invalidate the election results in six constituencies. Read more here
Point Fortin mayor on drunk driving charge
Point Fortin mayor Clyde Paul pleaded not guilty yesterday when he appeared in court not far from his office at the Borough Corporation charged with drunk driving. Paul, 72, was granted $5,000 bail. He was charged on Tuesday night and appeared before Point Fortin magistrate Alicia Chankar. The charge did not specify by how much the mayor allegedly exceeded the limit but the police report stated when he was stopped and administrated the breathalyser test he allegedly recorded a reading of 95 microgrammes. Read more here
BUSINESS
CEPEP to undergo ‘progressive shredding
Government will be “progressively shredding” the Community-based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) which Rural Development and Local Government Minister Franklin Khan says skyrocketed from 6,000 to 12,000 employees in five years. Khan was speaking during the Standing Finance Committee in the Parliament, International Waterfront Complex, Port of Spain, yesterday as the $2.4 billion budgetary allocation for his Ministry was examined. Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal noted that the CEPEP programme moved from an allocation of $609 million in 2016 to a revised $531 million and then to $425 million. Read more here
AmCham calls for hold on online tax
The seven percent online purchase tax (OPT) on air freight goods is set to come into effect today (Thursday) but AmCham is urging Government to delay implementation until collection mechanisms are in place. In the 2016 - 2017 budget presentation on September 30, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said there are 31 courier companies registered and bonded in TT while the estimated value of packages cleared by those companies exceeds TT $1 billion a year. The OPT is expected to generate approximately $70 million in additional revenue. Read more here
REGIONAL
Deadly Trigger - Compressor Malfunction Caused Gas Explosions
Experts at the Jamaica Fire Brigade have determined that a compressor being used to convert and transfer liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from one of two 1,000-gallon tanks housed in a truck ignited and caused Sunday's fire at 3 Jacques Avenue, injuring five persons, including 48-year-old Everett Austin, who succumbed to his injuries. This revelation has come even as local marketing companies are to meet to find ways to end the illegal trade of gas. Assistant Superintendent Courtney Thompson of the York Park Fire Station told The Gleaner that investigations show that the compressor malfunctioned and ignited as a result of overuse, triggering the explosion of cooking gas cylinders containing propane. "It was the compressor that actually started the fire to make it explode," he said, pointing out that the motor "ran hot" after being used to carry out the operation, which would have necessitated the use of bigger-size wiring to effectively carry the electricity load from the 220 voltage required. Read more here
Grenada government postpones constitutional referendum again
Citing a need for additional time to complete the public education process, the government of Grenada has postponed yet again the referendum on constitutional reform most recently planned for October 27. In a press statement, the government noted, that proposed constitutional reform has been ongoing for many years, with a well-documented history of academic research and consultations that have informed this latest attempt. However, with seven Bills finally settled on, and with the announced date approaching, the government, as well as the leadership of Constitutional Review Advisory Committee (CRAC), said it had noticed that the entire nation has begun to pay attention to the issues, in a way that has been unprecedented. "We have sensed a genuine increase in national interest – and at the same time, people are asking for more time to become more familiar with what is being proposed. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Iraqi PM upbeat on Mosul offensive
Who won the debate?
The most troubling part of the debate for many observers came when Donald Trump would not say that he will accept the results of the election. "I'll tell you at the time—I'll keep you in suspense, OK?" he said, words that will provoke great concern among those who feel he is raising dangerous questions about the legitimacy of this election and the results—assuming he does not win. Still, in many ways the debate was more conventional than anyone expected. Hillary Clinton was at her best when she found the opportunities to be aggressive on domestic policy issues. Read more here
20th October 2016