TCI News Now!

by David Tapfer

This is not about a poker hand but is about how governments big and little make stupid decisions.

A number of years ago, US politicians decided to save water by passing a law that toilets must only use 1.6 gallons of water per flush. What government failed to realize was that they could not control the number of flushes. Some politicians lack common sense.

David Tapfer is a retired, US-born engineer and management executive. He is the former chairman of the Middle Caicos Branch of the Peoples Democratic Movement

Many years ago, the WC, water closet or toilet was seriously improved by a British fellow named John Crapper. The device and its contents have inherited his name. The first one, invented by another “John” (Harrington), was installed in the first Queen Elizabeth's bathroom, creating the first Royal Flush.

Isn't history wonderful?

New York Mayor Bloomberg has now limited the size of sugary soft drinks to 16 ounces. The 20-ounce size is out. Is this what Bloomberg was elected to do? Now people will buy two bottles and guzzle 32 ounces.

We have been told that, come April next year, value added tax (VAT) will be the law of the land. The consultants do not know what size businesses will be exempt; they do not know the rate of taxation nor do they know what items will have import duty reduced or by how much. They have suggested that business will love it because they will have VAT import taxes rebated. However, the business people of the Chamber of Commerce have rejected the tax. Make sense, please! No one with VAT likes it; St Lucia is up in arms over VAT and Cayman has rejected it. No other Overseas Territory has it.

The value added tax grew out of a concept applicable to manufacturing based economies, where raw materials costing 10 percent of the finished product’s price have 90 percent of their “value added” as they are transformed into usable products. We only manufacture straw goods and souvenirs and they will certainly be exempt. Eddington Powell of Fortis has said he is against manufacturing in the TCI. It is not only politicians that lack common sense.

VAT is just a complicated sales tax in disguise and is in fact a tax imposed and easily adjusted upwards without the vote of the people. Taxation without representation. High taxes are needed because Mike and company ran up the bills and installed something called NHIP. Health care now soaks up 40 percent of the government’s income.

Some cynics believe that NHIP can't be touched because it will expose certain conservative British lords and UK-based owners of InterHealth Canada. I wonder how far Helen will go. Attorneys do insist on money up front so SIPT can be stopped by the Tory-run FCO by simply halting the money flow to Garlick.

Rufus says he was only responsible for the medical issues of NHIP. However sick folks walk in the hospital’s front door and are carried out the back door. Pat Boyle says Rufus was a central player.

With the draconian cost increases has health care really improved or is it in the toilet?

There is after all a certain rewarding sound when those 1.6 gallons carry the stuff away. When we flush away VAT and NHIP it will be much more rewarding sound.

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