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Big Story: Proposed expats-only tax

Posted By Priscilla Eden
Monday, 30 July 2012 8:03 pm

Government says it needs to raise revenue and propose a 10% payroll tax for expatriates.

Cayman 27 has been told government is looking for around $50 million and is hoping the Community Enhancement Fee will do that.

Cayman 27′s Tammi Sulliman has the report.

  • davoid

    Why would Government fear the citizens?

  • Tiger

    Well let’s see if the handful of expats that came out to the Mary Miller Hall yesterday, can be so brazen to protest in West Bay where McKeeva’s base is. They are so vocal to protest for Caymanians… but I bet you if the tax fell on Caymanians only, you wouldn’t hear nor see a mouse!

  • anonymouos

    I would caution the Independent member for N. Side Mr. Ezzard Miller be very carefully to avoid political postering and consider what is really happening to Caymanians. What he is suggesting as a solution in part is

    far from the truth and far from reality.

    CONSIDER WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING TO CAYMANIANS
    Firstly, I need to know which Chamber of Commerce you Mr. Ezzard and the caller on Rooster this morning is talking about? suggesting the chamber should participate in the solution to this budget issue?.
    It is common knowledge that the Cayman. Islands chamber of commerce “does not promote hiring Caymanians!!” NEITHER DOES THE PRIVATE SECTOR HIRE CAYMANIANS with degrees or not, skilled or unskilled ? Is Mr. Miller suggesting that government make the cuts and then rely on the enemies of Caymanians to provide employment for our civil servants after throwing them out into the streets on their face?

    So which private sector & which Chamber of Commerce in which country are you Mr. Miller and the West Bay caller talking about?

    I am confused; as this is the worst recommendation ever. It will not happen.
    AS WE ARE ALL AWARE THE CHAMBER BUSINESS MEMBERS WILL ONLY SEE TO IT THAT FOREIGNERS FILL ALL JOB POSITIONS WITH FOREIGN CIVIL SERVANTS OR PAPER CAYMANIANS!!!! They will continue to do what they have been doing for years…. It will be deja vu all over again.
    MR. MILLER BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT MESSAGE OR RECOMMENDATIONS YOU MAKE IT COULD ALL BACK FIRE. The premier is protecting Caymanians in making the cuts he has made, whereas you Mr. Ezzard Miller is not really showing us the other side of the coin,and not really looking at the reality that only Government and CUC hires Caymanians not the private sector (only CUC). We can not touch the civil servants its like shaking Israel, a bee hive….!

    So Mr. Miller, where do you think you’re going from here? The lottery idea can work as long as the bookies pay a hefty license fee and a percentage of the winnings paid to government up front before the winner collects his net amount. Otherwise it makes no sense.

    I do not approve of gambling but since they will continue to gamble then government must immediately begin the process to tax them.

    • M Jackson

      Dear Ms. Nozza, The ONLY reason for unemployment of locals in Grand Cayman is the lack of interest in working hard and starting where we all start — at the bottom. Youngsters need to start working in high school and staying with their job and doing their best. Here they learn a work ethic, the way our grandparents knew it. But no — they WILL NOT be a waitress, or a gardener, or a stock boy or a bus boy. They WILL NOT be a house cleaner or work at a hotel. They WILL NOT start low and work their way up to management. Once they work their way through college, then they DO get jobs. We have Caymanian lawyers, veterinarians, accountants and more. They DO have jobs, and they DO run businesses. But I know of no expat that has ever taken the place of a perfectly good Caymanian who is equally skilled, and equally hard working.

      Our biggest problem is that our leader of government is stealing faster than we can hand it over to him. He gives my hard earned cash to his church and to pave driveways for his friends, he gives more of MY money taken as duty, etc, to give HIS constituents refrigerators, generators, and now solar panels and help with their mortgages. He takes from our tax money to give to his constituents. Some people would go so far as to calling this stealing. It is indeed going to hurt this island big time!! This island is almost fully supported by income from non-Caymanians — in the form of work permit fees, room tax on tourists, head tax on cruise ship visitors, bank fees on foreign accounts, and on and on. Local Caymanians pay a small percent to support their own government — mostly in the form of duty on their purchases.

      Don’t forget to check on the education level of our leaders, (do they ALL have a high school diploma?) and ask someone how much is lost gambling. Now, go back and blame all of your problems on expats. All abusive governments get their strength by blaming all the nation’s woes on some type of outsider. But Caymanians are facing big problems if we do not start taking responsibility for the health of our country. No expat gets a job without the nod of a Caymanian. No law is made, no decision formed without the nod of Caymanian. Start with them, not the expat.

  • motorbiker45

    Dear Mr. Tiger, I would like to invite you to have a more open view about what the consequences will be if expats have to pay direct taxation:
    - they will have less money to spend on the island, therefore less income for local business
    - wealthy people coming here and spending here their winter, would go and hide and spend their money somewhere else, on a tex free country and again, less income for local business
    - sad to say, but expats will have to leave and the government still will need money and will start taxing Caymanians as well

    Conclusion:
    in my opinion, also in case the tax would be applied only on Caymanians , expats will be active and will speak up in the same way.

  • anonymouos

    McKeeva your political career will end if you lay off civil servants to keep expats here working just to please or pander up to them! DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

    Its time to send some of them home. this is what happens when youovercrown the place
    they believe they have the upper hand. Send 99% of them back home.

    SEE THEY HAVE GANGED UP ON YOU, so I hope you are now over the expat fever
    putting them first instead of Caymanians.

    ITS TIME TO TAKE CARE OF CAYMANIANS, I MEAN REALLY TAKE CARE OF THEM
    LIKE SHIFT THIS WORK PERMIT REVENUE SOURCE TO SOMETHING ELSE, SHUT DOWN THE WORK PERMIT BOARD AND PUT CAYMANIANS BACK TO WORK.

    • anonymouous

      Mr. Caymanian…Very disrespectful comment on your side. Worry about your youngsters, and give them the right education so they learn that Cayman WAS part of the same jurisdiction as Jamaica, so they appreciate the brotherhood that should exist amongst yourselves, and not look at them as the ones not working as hard. Teach your youngsters to appreciate the only little culture they have left…apart of the one they got from Jamaica, do not even know what it is anymore…music? not really, as you guys dance soca too which is from Trinidad and Jamaica, reggae maybe…not really, folklore? not really, what do you have Caymanians that is your own?, your lack of common sense to build a pier maybe? when tourism is key on your island?, or do you still want your kids to dream with a job at a bank, giving expats their money? hahaha, be real!
      future is your kids like everywhere else, teach them and do not waste your time blaming it on someone else. Spend time understanding and comprehending where you all come from, instead of denying it! then you will have the authority to talk.

  • Lindy

    The funny thing about this is that these people want unemployed Caymanians to protest along side of them. Some of them are the same people who are hired over Caymanians looking for jobs. Ezzard dissappoints me because I thought he championed the cause for Caymanians, but when he start talking about reducing the staff numbers of the Civil Service and taking people off welfare government beenfits, I couldn’t help but think otherwise. It seems like now Bush is more for the Caymanian.

  • anonymouos

    Jackson

    Being Pro Caymanian is not a crime nor being Pro American or Pro-Canadian. so what is your problem if someone choses to show the greatest interest and concern for their own over anyone else?

    In America we have a saying “I’m proud to be an American” and we promote our own people and provide services for them putting Americans first. Why do you accuse others of being patriotic and extreme, such accusations are tailored to coverup your own guilt
    for the way you treat the natives, name calling etc.
    I have heard some of my own American friends call themselves paper
    Caymanians. so what is wrong if someone else refers to you as a paper Caymanian, isn’t that who the person really is?

    I remember some years back Ms. Nozza acting out of consideration for expats, recommended we do away with the term “expat” and refer to work permit holders as “guest workers” you have stirred up so much trouble and division amongst the natives that the reference to expats has now prevailed and its your own fault. Give credit where it is due, had you all been focusing on bringing peace to Cayman and its people instead of division and controlling everything and everyone you would not be getting so much resistance.

    M. Jackson obviously is a political mouth piece for the failed PPM government that put the country in this unrecovered mess since 2009;
    So Jackson will continue to rant making no sense. His comments are not more educated, nor rational and does not represent how the true Caymanians that are well meaning feel about people and the situation at hand right now. that is a distortion of the truth.

    There are two kinds of non-Caymanians living in the Cayman Islands.

    1. Those that mean the country well who bring peace, love and assimilation into the society.

    2. Those who come to war with the local people, with a chip on their shoulder causing much trouble in their politics and continuing with their verbal assaults and racial wars. You are largely the blame for how Caymanianss that resist your abusive behavior towards them react.

    Regarding the Payroll Tax. I am an American and a Caymanian and unlike most of you I am ashamed of your behavior.
    I do not mind at all paying a small pay roll fee since we already out number Caymanians and are a hefty liability on the infrastructure of the country and its resources. We as expats are consuming more on the island than anyone else, so there’s nothing wrong with giving back something to ease up the high expense government is facing in the budget in question.

    Most of you come over here to get what you can, I believe in contributing to Cayman’s society and its time to give back something.

    There’s also nothing wrong with going back home, because I’m sure you should know by now that Premier Bush is not afraid of anyone, if you haven’t learned anything about him you should at least realize that this man is scared of no one. So what is your plan B? return to the US or Canada and pay some real taxes? The empty threats are baseless go ahead and pay the payroll fee, its just what it is a fee and not a tax.

    Stop making a mountain out of a molehill, the opposition PPM is only using you and if they get elected the UK is going to impose some real taxes on you, if you listen to Alden McLaughlin on Rooster this morning, he has no real solutions. He did make it clear that ‘EXPATS WOULD BE THE FIRST CIVIL SERVANTS THAT WOULD BE CUT AND SENT HOME PACKING! at least the Premier has shown much sympathy and kindness towards foreigners in Cayman giving them almost everything they ask for. Now you have gotten on the wrong side of him so where are you going to run to ? home to pay more taxes or are you going to settle down, obey the laws of the land and pay the little 10% payroll fee?
    Reply

  • Donggle

    No More Jolly Roger
    No More Michaels
    No More Subsciption to HD
    No More Movies in Camana (Netflix will do)
    No More to Yogurt Ice Cream every week
    No More trips to Brac
    No More Staycation
    I hope this is enought to cover the tax…

  • Trina

    In the midst of all this crisis no one seems to notice or care abuot the amount of smoke that is being blown to mask the other issues facing Cayman!! This TAX- cuz, McKeeva.. that’s what it is … TAX! is only one small part of teh problem! We have taxes already imposed on Caymanians i the form of DIRECT TAXATION!! Take note: CUC!! How much electricity do you actually consume verses what you are demanded to pay! That is clear! The Cayman Islands have long sinced priced themselves out of being competitive in the Caribbean! For those who want to jump the gun…. I AM CAYMANIAN!! For the past year, I have spent time pounding the soil of Cayman seeking employment and to no avail, the Americans/ Canadians/ Jamaicans… etc… are rarely the ones that are “taking our jobs”! Not to ignite discrimination but lets be honest here! Filipinos will work for a fraction of what a Caymanian will! How do you advertise for a position and require a Bachelors degree and the starting salary is CI 1200 per MONTH!!!! Get Real! Listen, taxes are just another way of life! IF the government wants to make money.. LEGALIZE gambeling… it happens anyway! Collect a tarriff on that!! Open the Cayman Islands to a casino and make it more attractive for tourism…. that would certainly boost the economy as well as offer new employment! CAYMAN needs JOBS… not TAXES!! Social Services do the best that they can but if you are not a citizen of this country then you should not be a burden to this country, if you are then you should leave! What is here is ours! Every country goes through some form of hardship… but the foreign nationals are NOT our responsibility to care for! Create more JOBS, boost the economy with well thought out EMPLOYMENT STRATEGIES, BRING INVESTORS…. Charge people like DART, an INVESTORS FEE!! After all they will make more money than they will ever put into this country in terms of new projects!!

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