We are less than 10 minutes from
the Queens Nassau Border and have
sourcing to all manufacturers
MONDAY-FRIDAY 10AM-6PM
SUNDAYS 12PM-5PM
CLOSED SATURDAYS
Caribbean L 18 ife, July 12–18, 2019 BQ
HASSLE FREE TRAVEL
In the coming months, security
guards and agricultural workers will
join folks working in regional media,
health workers, musicians, aviation
workers, sportsmen, university /
tertiary education school graduates and
other categories of Caribbean nationals
enjoying this right.
The matter was extensively discussed
during the three-day meeting and has
been one of the main recurring themes
and agenda items of the two yearly
summit for decades. Still some leaders
are not satisfied with the progress made
so far and want the pace to be stepped
up.
The issue has now been handed
down to the bloc’s council for
human and social sub committee for
refinement. The leaders say that all the
arrangements for the new categories
of workers to enjoy free movement and
resettlement in any country of their
choice should be administratively settled
by December. The next stage would be
for various parliaments to complete law
amendments by July of next year.
The leaders ruled that the sub
committee must” expedite its work
on the definition and qualification
requirements in order for member
states to meet the stipulated timelines”
as time is of the essence and frustration
is building in the region regarding the
relatively slow level of progress in this
area.
Meanwhile, the meeting also spent
considerable time discussing the habit
by the European Union to blacklist
Caribbean countries with offshore
financial services, accusing them of
facilitating money laundering and tax
avoidance activities.
Bloc Chairman and St. Lucian Prime
Minister, Allan Chastanet accused the
EU of using the blacklisting system as a
strategy to crush the offshore sector even
though this is a key lifeline industry for
many of the countries involved.
Belize and Trinidad remain firmly
on the EU’s blacklist despite efforts by
authorities to comply with ever changing
rules by that bloc. The bloc said that
Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia,
St. Kitts, The Bahamas, Associate
Members, Bermuda, the British Virgin
Islands, and Cayman Islands are all on
a so-called grey list which officials say is
a monitoring system. Dominica, which
was devastated by two major natural
disasters in 2015 and 2017, was the latest
to be grey-listed on June 6.
“The question now is, how do we
as developing countries meet the
requirements of a just tax regime while
maintaining our fiscal sovereignty.
We must as a region be committed
to a high standard of governance but
this cannot cross the line and infringe
on our competitiveness. As a region
we should rebel against the use of a
blacklist that permanently damages
our reputations. There is absolutely no
justification for this methodology. Some
serious introspection is required on our
part,” Chastanet said.
In their final communique, the leaders
argued that continued blacklisting
serves only to give the impression that
the region is a “high risk area” and this
has led to international correspondent
banks cutting ties with those in the
Caribbean in recent years.
“Heads of government expressed the
view that such behaviour undermined
global rule-making and the relevant
multilateral systems. They emphasized
the need for member states to continue
their vigilance in regard to the various
processes underway in the European
Union (EU) in order to protect their
national interests.”
Continued from Page 1
PFC appointments
commission that has the skills and
expertise to do the job,” he added.
“With Ms. Getachew’s experience on
good government reforms, Mr. Nonna’s
experience serving in local government,
and Mr. Berger’s extensive election
law expertise, I am confident that the
Majority Leader’s appointees will equip
the commission to succeed.”
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Senate
Majority Leader Andrea Stewart
Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl
Heastie, Senate Minority Leader John
Flanagan and Assembly Minority
Leader Brian Kolb on July 3 announced
the members of the Public Campaign
Financing Commission.
Established as part of the fiscal year
2020 Enacted Budget, the Commission
will have the binding power to
implement public campaign financing
for legislative and statewide offices,
authorizing up to $100 million annually
in public funds.
The commission will determine
specific aspects of the public financing
system, including eligibility thresholds,
public financing limits and contribution
limits for participating candidates.
The governor said the commission’s
findings will be due in a report by Dec.
1, 2019 and will be binding unless
modified by law within 20 days.
The commission comprises 10
members: Two appointed by Cuomo;
two appointed by Stewart-Cousins; two
appointed by Heastie; one at large seat
jointly selected by the governor, the
Assembly Speaker and the Majority
Leader; and one appointee each for the
two minority leaders.
Stewart-Cousins appointed DeNora
Getachew, New York City executive
director of Generation Citizen.
Getachew was previously Campaign
Manager and Legislative Counsel for
the Brennan Center’s Democracy
Program and Policy Director for the
Public Advocate’s Office.
Continued from Page 1