Premier: Expats to pay tax

If expats that make more than $20,000 are needed for a sustainable budget. I guess that makes us citizens. Otherwise this country couldn’t exist with the UK, right? I’ll take my passport and status now. Thanks.

10% is a very large number. CI is going to lose a lot of workers over this one. He did not think this one through. The current downward spiral has increased velocity exponentially. Amazing how I thought Government was at an all time low and now it gets even worse. Why not through in a $100 CID exit fee when we go shopping in Miami.

You must be joking? Target expats to make up for Government over spending? I would have less of a problem with a 10% tax if I had the right to have a say on how the government spent it’s money, ex THE RIGHT TO VOTE! I accept that being an expat living in Cayman is a privilege. But I am here in Cayman because I am experinced in what I do and that there is a need for that skill set here. Why expats are willing to live in a place where the cost of living is VERY expensive, basic education for expat children is VERY expensive, everyday essentials water/power are VERY expensive, is we don’t pay taxes. That is what makes up for the other costs. You can not tax one group in a society and not the others!!!

This is a mind boggling measure for the government to be considering – an ill thought out plan to paper over the cracks of poor leadership and terrible budget control. Everyone knows that expenditure is the issue over here, not revenue. Whether Caymanians are fond of the status quo or not, it remains true that the expat working community are the backbone of the finance industry in Cayman. Actions like this may not alone encourage the human capital talent to move to competitor jurisdictions but it will certainly take a giant step that way. Were it to happen the Cayman economy would be crippled as a result, and in turn the good people of the Cayman Islands would go from one of the wealthiest Caribbean islands by GDP to very much worse off. Expats and Caymanians have a symbiotic relationship, where they rely on one another, and for the most part that relationship is not alienated and very friendly. Wedging a fork between the two communities is a hate tool, and a tax like this could be devastating to the future prosperity of the Island. Don’t think that the poor government is merely doing as it’s being asked by the UK, if the government had their house in order and didn’t fall into defecit so often there would be no suggestion that Cayman should follow into a tax system like Turks & Caicos.

It would be great to see Expats and Caymanians unite against this – in truth it’s in everyone’s interest to do so.

i dont have a problem with the tax itself , its the amount of the tax that’s ridiculous !! drop it to 5% and then it will appear less of a travesty than it is.

Crazy crazy crazy! How disappointing! I admit, the tax rate where i come from is considerably higher than the 10% but why target expat workers. cost of living here is high enough why impose tax for certain people living on the island. i came here with the intention of staying here to live and now my mind is thinking otherwise. Government is just a bunch of fat cats with too much time on their hands and too much money to play with. We as expats dont have much rights and the right to live here is getting too expensive.. bills are getting higher and income is getting lower. I see now why caymanians leave and go elsewhere if they can. Time to rethink the future… Good Luck Cayman!

This is pure nonsense!!!The cost of living alone in Cayman is crazier than any where else so where is the justification. Work permit fee etc is going in government pocket what do they do with all this money. This is a downright scam and the island is screwed. MacKeeva not so long ago was giving away status anyone that even smiled at him now he just screw expats. Hes a fool and needs be taken out power. The money is paying for silly trips for him to Panama!!Step down and be quiet!!! I have no rights here cause I am an expat and have to put up and shut up!! but you are taking my money for a community enhancement fee and rollovers.. Yes we appreciate this is not our home and we have come from somewhere else but we are here contributing via working here paying rents bills groceries events restaurants bars all put back into this economy. So what now….it wont be just the expats that suffer in the end.

No more dining out
No more boat trips
No more drinking at clubs
Tighten your belts

Gradual decline of Cayman but immediate impact will be felt immediately if this is adopted. All expats getting out right away is not realistic. small businesses may well indeed pack up and close and move elsewhere. Services will decline. Financial Services and tourism will reduce hiring here and increase elsewhere. Cayman will struggle to attract the right people for the work. Local business, just trying to find its feet and barely hanging on will suffer a serious decline.
Not only are there not enough Caymanians, much less qualified Caymanians to fill jobs lost but that’s irrelevant as the positions and the companies will be elsewhere, not here.
Social resentment amongst expats and Caymanians will increase because of the tax but also because there will be fewer jobs for Caymanians.
Cayman needs to think very carefully about the repercussions of such a step if it is not going to reduce other costs of doing business here.
And you will actually find most expats are fond of the island and the people and the culture, such that it is, here and do not seek to water down or be detrimental to any of that. Also, they would like to raise a family, as does any human being in a safe secure environment in a society into which they contribute and belong. This is not incompatible with defending Caymanian jobs, heritage, rights.

The plus side is that Cayman Airways and other airlines are going to have a boost in sales as the expats leave.
THEN the government will still need money and realize that the only people left to tax is the Caymanians. Therefore..

Dear Fellow Caymanians, don’t get too excited. Think about it logically and you’ll see that we are next. Sincerely, Another Caymanian.

Here’s a idea get the police force to inforce traffic laws, increase their Fine for speeding, and have caymanians pay te insurrance fee renewal, permit registration and tag, just this already will bring you some money…and control the employers who take advantage of the EXPATS by not applying for the right working permit so they can save some $$$$. Mr. Mac is a wise man the Human Right will be in effect as of the 1st of November this year…great strategy…watch for the VAT that will come soon too. I agree with the majority here gave me the right to vote with that 10% , I made the choice to come on this island…with this senseless action you are not giving me a choice…so do have to stay…Mac you’ re not digging in my pocket for cash….

I smile and wonder, do these people really know what they are doing? that 10% that is being taken away from the expats was what they would have used to buy food, go out, and support local businesses. So what do we have now? they are naturally going to support local businesses less because they dont have any money to spend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so Businesses will have to close. Smh. Cayman is doomed if this goes ahead!!!!!!!!!!1 trust me on this one.

Honestly, why doesn’t the U.K government require Bush and his minions to take a pay cut? What would Cayman be without work-permit holders? I remember seeing an advertisement for a personal chef for Mr. Bush back in 2010. Why is our government paying these clowns for doing absolutely nothing but spend money our country really does not have? They need to cut expenses!! So what is Mac and his administration going to do with this money? Our whole government is corrupt and screwed up. We need some intelligent and ethical Caymanians running this country, because it’s obvious the ones in office now are lacking both!!

How about change the requirement that Ex-Pats entrepreneurs require a Caymanian 60 percent shareholder and allow them to own 100% of the companies they build from the ground up. I would rather pay the govt. an annual 15% gross revenue profit. In my case I owned a business on island for 3 years. When the business began to flourish my Caymanian partner got greedy and pushed me out to reap more profits. I left the business and was cheated out of my fair share. 6 months later it was run into the ground and has since gone bankrupt.

Are they Kidding!!!! especially nowadays with this ridiculous cost of living, light,water,rent,food,Gas etc.
This is clearly the beginning of the end for these Islands and this is just the start. I think if they are going to Tax then they better start to sort out some of these utility companies with their outrageous billings and poor service to accommodate the costs of living here, otherwise i can smell a very big EXODUS.

I’m on vacation now in the states. I don’t think I’ll even bother going back get my stuff.

What a major idiot. CU

I am a security guard my pay is 5ci per hour to make enough money to survive i need to work more than 170hr in two weeks. Neither my company nor government think about to raise the base salary.and government still want 10% as tax from that money it very ridiclious. About pension already loose two years pension as holiday. Can gov think anout how the low level expart os working?

I sincerely hope that, should this be accepted by legislature, that there will be some “give and take”. Its a two way street, and as a person with no rights and no voice in the country, one would hope that we would receive some incentive for this tax. I have spent almost seven years here now, my life is here, I call this home, but I have to think about shipping out next year when permits/extensions expire. I spend my money here, I see the doctor here, I shop here, I pay my bills and have paid +- 60,000 dollars to mostly Caymanian landlords in rent. I work my butt off and I dont send my money home, I spend it here because this is where I live. I give back to society, I volunteer for community work, I speak highly of these Islands and its good nature and good people.
If you are going to tax me, then let me stay and pay tax, and let me keep giving back to the country in more ways than just money. But give me the rights of everyone on the Islands, I should be able to have opinion on who spends my money and how. Cayman knows that without expats it would be a flat rock selling coconuts. My problem is that, if I get kicked out in a year, I will get replaced by another expat, who now has to start all over. Who knows nothing. Who would Cayman rather keep?
If I am going to start paying taxes before this country lifts a finger, if you would like me to live in union with its local citizens, if you want me and the other 20,000+ expats to keep paying rent and enriching society, if you still want me to go to the home for the elderly to feed them on Christmas while their families have forgotten about them, if you want me to keep giving donations every Saturday outside every store, THEN PLEASE GIVE ME SOME RIGHTS and RECOGNITION as a person who can make this country better, instead of thinking that I am taking away from it.

Expats already support this country financially, you dont need to be half smart to recognize that.
Look at your neighbour, your doctor, your accountant, the person standing next to you, the one serving your food, the one cooking your meal, cleaning your house, fixing your car. 40% of the population need some rights too…..

As a teacher, and providing a needed business… I will leave. This is the icing on the cake.

10%, 15%, 25%, 50%… can’t see too many expats willing to make long term plans or invest in the islands now. the hurdle to get status from permanent residency now includes the government losing tax revenue. once the government spends this money, come election time they will be giving away more, its how politics works the world over. caymanians cheering now should do so in the knowledge that when the expat tax is no longer enough the money will come from those left….

My husband and I both make less than $20,000 per year but we are still completely against this idea! We already pay taxes in Canada since we can’t rely on any stability in the island to cut off all ties from Canada. The Cayman dollar has also gone down 6 percent since we first moved here, allowing us to save or visit home almost never. We already pay insane amounts for rent, groceries, health insurance to name a few. Since we have been here Cayman is becoming less and less desirable of a place to live. Add a 10 percent tax and watch more ex-pats leave, services becoming more terrible and more expensive than they already are, and we have no reason to stay. Companies (ex: restaurants , movie theaters, retail) will all have to increase their prices to make up for the customers they lost who are now forced to pay that to the government. Everywhere around me I see businesses closing down here already. Now business owners will need to pay 10 percent more in wages to attract the same level of skilled workers and remain competitive with other countries. I’m am so sick of Caymanians who think that just being from here is enough to get them a good job. Sorry, but the people who are spending their hard-earned $ here (mostly tourists) are accustomed to much higher standards and level of service than most of these self-righteous, big-headed Caymanians can offer. Overall, I am disgusted with Cayman already. Time to move back home!!

The Premier’s assertion that this is a UK mandate and not in his control is disingenuous to say the very least.
This proposed tax is unethical and highly discriminatory. To those who say it’s time expats need to “give back” are misguided. Many of these foreign workers come from countries which have an income tax. In return for paying these taxes they receive services from the government. In countries like Canada and the UK, they receive things like subsidised education and free healthcare. They come to Cayman and obtain employment. They pay the same high fees we all pay for utilities, goods etc. but, they also have to pay for their healthcare and the education of their children. They don’t get a free ride when they come to the Cayman Islands and many of them are STILL paying taxes in their home countries.
I agree with Mr. Miller’s assertion that expenditure is the problem. I think of CINICO as a prime example. Many years ago, the government decided to make healthcare free for civil servants but, they did so with no consideration for how the government would cover the costs of this. Today, we see the inevitable breakdown of the current health insurance scheme and wonder why it is such a burden on the Cayman economy.
Mr. Bush demonstrates time and time again that he is not capable of leading this country and it seems those who can influence economic policy are providing very bad advice or simply being ignored.

Dear Expats

If you want to show the true economic value you bring to this country and the local businesses organize a “shut down Cayman day”. In essence it is a pre-planned day where all expats avoid spending any money. Don’t go grocery shopping, don’t fill your car with gas, don’t go to the hardware store, don’t go out to a restaurant or a bar or a movie theater, don’t get a haircut or go to a salon, book your dentist/doctor appointment on a different day, if you have to travel that day try not to use Cayman Airways, anything that you would normally spend money on don’t spend it that day.

If businesses complained about the economic impact of not being able to sell liquor on referendum day imagine the impact if all expats stop spending money for one day. Any day (except Sunday) would work but if you want to make the biggest impact pick a Saturday. This would surely provide government (and Caymanians) some insight as to what a life in the day of Cayman would look like once all the expats have left.

Cayman, like so many other countries, has an Over-sized Bloated Government that cannot be sustained as is, so – instead of cutting 500 Over-Paid Under-Productive jobs (of MB’s cronies, family, friends and vote-supporters) he’s passing a law to unfairly tax 20 000 other hard-working people.

Once a tax has been implemented, it’s SO easy to just raise it every other year or so… 10% becomes 12, 12% becomes 15, etc. And guess where all the businesses who deal with business in Cayman go to? – to Other tax-havens where the cost of business isn’t as exorbitant.

SO the ones who pay tax can’t vote, and the ones who vote don’t have to pay tax…
Amazing – anyone else ever heard of such a system ever having been allowed to operate in the world? Cayman really is a law unto itself – with a ‘religious’ (note: Pharisee-ical, not Christ Follower) thief at the helm.

And the additional tax for employers to hire “Caymanian Dishwashers”..? Surely IF there were enough Caymanians applying for this sort of job, no company in their right mind would’ve hired expats for it anyway (due to WP fees, etc.) – will this tax on well-run companies (as opposed to badly run FAT government agencies with NO accountability) actually change WHO is willing to apply for these kinds of jobs? I think not…

I don’t believe in a Them and Us mentality – not here in Cayman where people from all over the world have merged together pretty well since the first human stepped foot on this island – but Bush is making it so. Basic ‘DIVIDE and conquer’ politics, anyone? MB knows he’s losing support so this is a last ditch effort…

LOL……….. i was looking forward to asking for a raise from my employer. Now i think i should request on getting my pay to be on border line < 20,000/-
This is insane. The tax is going to hit a bad blow on every ex-pat. We need to stand up for such unjust done unto us.

To all International Business in the Cayman Islands that will have to pay the new 10% Payroll Tax. Come to Bermuda and enjoy the Sun and Rum! You are welcome here and we are open for business.

What if I earn $20,001, Do I get taxed 10% as well? Help?????? Should tax state in excess of $20,000?

Im sooo fed up with this island now, if it isn’t one thing it’s the next. Now for expats having to pay for tax it isn’t fair to them nor anyone to pay tax on this island. Remember, expats leave their country to look for something better, some have to come by boat and some have just a plane ticket and no where to go! But remember who are the onces that is building this community right now!??? Because they are the only one to be kissing peoples rare ends. Remember expats are the one people is being abusing right now having them work for days/months with out pay, and sadly even dropping down on there job with STILL NO PAY !!!! ( SECURITY WORKERS) I use to do security work and the amount of work and no pay that is poor service or even being underpaid and overwork with no sleep.. Nobody knows what expats are going through, because they are looking a way out. Caymanians are the lazy ones right now because if they had the ambition to go and look a job for their self they would be better off right now. But no they expect people to help them, when people do help them they abuse the system. i am a young caymanian and I picked up and i manage to find myself a decent job, but the bills that you have to pay when the time comes, groceries, rent, light, water, ectt we are alll BROKE!!!!!! What part of that people do not see in this day and age??? Really, i thought this voting thing mean that we are voting for someone to run our country but while there running our country come to us as a community and ask for our advise and see what we feel and let us debate on what we want to do for our country. Not for someone to jump up and SCREW us over anymore than we already are!!!!! Seriously now THE WAY I SEE IT EVERYONE NEED TO VOICE THERE OPINION ON WHAT MR. MCKEEVA IS DOING TO OUR ISLAND, IN TERMS OF THE CHANGES, IT’S NOT ONLY HIM WHO SHOULD HAVE THE CHOICE TO SAY I AM DOING THIS AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT…. PLEASSSSEEEEEE!!!!!!!