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Big Story: Is the expat only tax discriminatory?

Posted By Priscilla Eden
Thursday, 26 July 2012 8:02 pm

Since news broke of government’s proposed Community Enhancement Fee Wednesday, 25 July, Cayman 27’s phone lines and website have been inundated with comments.

Government says it’s looking to impose a 10% payroll tax on private sector foreign workers. Many of the responses asked whether the new revenue measure is an infringement of human rights.

Cayman 27′s Tammi Sulliman has been on the case and has all the details in this segment.  She discusses the topic with Ben Meade on 27 Tonight.

  • T6

    You should have asked, it the expat tax racially discriminative? NO IT IS NOT! IS IT NATIONALLY DISCRIMINATIVE? YES. Now, is that enough reason to adopt another sustained revenue measure which the UK demands? NO Why? Because BEWARE CAYMAN, Alden and Ezzard fail to tell you that a another sustained revenue measure could very well mean a MUCH WORSE TAX to replace the EXPAT PAYROLL one that the Premier has proposed. Think: Nobody want to have an INCOME TAX or a PROPERTY TAX – these are killers. Remember Alden and Ezzard are good at OPPOSING every idea that comes from government. Remember they opposed all those projects that could have brought revenue into the country. They even had street protest against Dart and investors, and offered no SOLUTIONS to the government to at least offer help. And so they will oppose this tax that the Premier has proposed, but they certainly will not mention to you its REPLACEMENT! What do Alden and Ezzard expect the UDP to replace the EXPAT PAYROLL TAX with? I am surprised that Cayman27 has not mentioned their take; perhaps they need to have an interview with them again to find out… just what are they then proposing??? Because if Alden and Ezzard is suggesting a reduction of staff 500 to 700 from the Civil Service, I can tell you now that that will increase everybody’s suffering and will cause crime to increase and societal disorder. I just wish they would be transparent to the people of these islands before they attempt to tear down everything government proposes so they can secure votes next May. Shame Shame Shame

  • Anonymous

    If tax they want then tax they will get! A property tax would be disastrous, because imagine people who have to pay all like 3000 a month on their property insurance plus that tax. No way! Also an Income would be very harmful to businesses. Imagine being tax on all income and that include your rental as well. All that you make. Imagine the lost incentives and lost of morale of employees when you tax their income. McKeeva had to pick the best of the worse one, and so I think that an expat payroll tax is not worser that the two others I mentioned. Leave Ezzard and Alden alone, they will chit chat, but I think the pros and cons have been weighed carefully pertaining to other taxes out there. But like you said, I would like to hear their SOLUTIONS and alternatives.

  • Chucky

    Discriminatory? Will you say that having emplyers for foreignors pay for their Work Permits and not Caymanians is discriminatory?? So if they pay for a tax and not Caymanians, it shouldn’t be any problem. You go to their countries and they will do the same thing to Caymanians. CASE CLOSED

    • Susan

      Actually Chucky, Caymanians can go to any of the 27 EU countries and work, thanks to the British passport the UK government has kindly bestowed upon each and every Cayman passport holder that chooses to apply for it. In each of those countries, you’d be welcomed and would you be taxed? Yes, in the same way that ALL their citizens are taxed – and then, in time you’d be given the vote and full rights like ALL of their citizens….getting the difference now? CASE CLOSED…..

    • Rob

      You as an ex pat in Canada would have to pay tax just like all of all of the people who live there, citizens included. Tax is the same for everybody across the board.

  • Dec

    Speaking as an ex-pat I really hope that they tax us and make it hard, that way the people will get what they want, that is the ex-pats leaving to other countries who will welcome their skills and knowledge. Thereafter, the wonderful loving people of Cayman can do their own house keeping, man their own police force as well as the hospitals resultingin jobs for all. But wait that means with no one to tax where will they get the money from?

  • bushido

    Hmmm, Susan’s right.
    Who would want to move country only to be booted out after 7 or so years. Why would Cayman want to give anyone status now?
    I know so many people who have moved to the UK only to be given a passport and all rights after
    7 years.
    Tax everyone if you’re going to tax anyone. There’s so much to say, too much. Never mind case closed, better keep MOUTH CLOSED! (says it all doesn’t it ;)

  • Chucky

    Susan, the problem is, Europe is not a 23 mile long island with less than a 100 thousand people. What applies to Europe with their infrastruture which we don’t have, cant apply to us. Cheerio :)

  • Caymanian

    Expats are replaceble! So if they want to leave, let them. More will just come and replace them. Simple as that. It happened before after Hurrican Ivan when all the expats fleed for their lives, and then we got new faces.

    • caymanian canadian

      No expats will no come if some leave because there is no point. Yes expats pay tax in their countries but they recieve benifits from those taxes. If this Tax goes through we lose pension and have to pay 10-14% tax for what? This will no appeal to anyone who is foreign which in turn will effect the Caymanian people. I don’t understand why there is this barrier between caymanians and expats we benefit from each other and Cayman is what it is because of it. I do have the choice to leave as I am Canadian who has been here 16yrs. I have a Caymanian child who I have to take care of and think of her future. This is a bad, quick, not thought out decision which will make Cayman turn into a 3rd world country. At that point no one benefits!!!
      SO sad to this happening to my home of 16yrs. So sad that my daughter will not be able to grow up where she was born and won’t grow up with her Cayman family.

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