The Turks and Caicos Legislature should not enact the HRTT (Amnesty) Bill of 2019 as currently proposed. In fact it should not be enacted at all.

#Providenciales, March 19, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – The beneficiaries of this Amnesty Bill are enterprises which undoubtedly have previously benefited from extensive Government concessions in the past, in the forms of Development Orders, concession on Accommodations Tax, and other benefits which in hindsight did not inure any particular benefit to the general public.   And here and now the citizens of Turks and Caicos are being bullied into giving up assets and benefits that are rightfully theirs; without the benefit of a fair exchange.

One must ask; what impact would such a giveaway have on the national budget?  Could the Government have immediately repaired the schools following the devastations of hurricanes Irma and Maria; had the recalcitrant operators paid the accommodations tax?  The answer is a resounding yes!! Could the Government have provided a greater number of scholarships for students in essential skills need for the continued growth and development of our economy?  Could the Government with the uncollected accommodations tax provided improved continuing professional education for civil servants to allow for improved fiscal management; the answer again, is a resounding YES!!! And the questions can go on! 

One must also consider that the possibility that the giveaway in the form of the Amnesty is greater than the annual collection by the Government of National Health Insurance Premiums collected from all employees! Comparatively the amount of the giveaway is also greater than the premiums paid from employee paychecks to the National Insurance Board 

Our Treasury needs to collect every penny which belongs to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands; our politicians should not be permitted to give away the peoples wealth in order to achieve personal gains!  Nor should our politicians be permitted to cloak their fiscal failures with a hastily and poorly conceived HRTT (Amnesty) which is not in the best interest of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The HRTT (Amnesty) Bill should never be enacted into law.

The author of this is one is Mr. Alpha Gibbs from Lorimers, Middle Caicos. He is a Howard University graduate Certified Public Accountant (CPA), who has managed his own business for years, and has provided Accounting expertise to projects even involving US Federal entities. This expertise could be well put to good use in securing the best outcome for the people of Turks & Caicos in this matter currently being wrestled with.