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Duty Exemption could get larger as new Traveller Tax introduced, says Deputy Premier 

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By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer

 

 

 

#TurksandCaicos, July 3, 2023 – Government is planning that a new tax to all travellers will be offset by a proposal put before the Turks and Caicos Islands Cabinet to expand how much residents can bring into the country, duty-free.

It’s not activated as yet, but it is in the works; the residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands will have a $400 increase in their Customs Duty Exemptions once Cabinet signs off on the proposal to expand how much can be brought in tax-free by TCI residents.

Confirmation on the impending measure came from E Jay Saunders, Deputy Premier and Finance Minister in response to Magnetic Media questions on Thursday.

Residents had reached out to our news team querying whether the increase was actually happening.  While Saunders stressed that it had not yet been to Cabinet for approval, he said the increase would push the new exemption bracket to $1,000 dollars on every trip into the country.

“It’s our intention to raise the duty exemption limit to $1,000 from $600. It hasn’t been done yet. We still have to approve it in Cabinet – Also, the increase will only be for residents of the TCI,” he explained.

He said the traveler fee for the Destination Marketing and Management Organisation would affect everyone coming in the ports, this will include the residential population.

“With it, we’re seeking to address two issues. The first is that with the Destination Management Fee, every air traveler, including TC residents, will be charged $10. To make up for that charge, our Government is seeking, subject to Cabinet approval, to give all TC residents (i.e. who pay the $10) an additional $400 in duty exemptions.”

The second issue that the increase in duty exemptions will address, he told us,  is the inflationary pressure and cost of living crisis burdening some residents.

“As a country that imports most items, including food items, TC residents are forced to put up with high imported inflation. With the duty exemption increase, TC residents will be able to buy more items, at cheaper prices, abroad, and bring up to $1,000 of those items into the country duty-free. We expect that this will have a huge positive impact on TC residents’ pocket books, especially during this summer period, when many of our residents will travel abroad, and many of our parents with children in school, will be buying items for back to school.”

Saunders did not give a date as to when it would become official as he too was bound to wait on approval at Cabinet.

Government

Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE)

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PRESS RELEASE

 

Turks and Caicos, February 4, 2025 – Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) an election monitoring group established in Jamaica in 1997 has, following a request from the Governor’s Office in the Turks and Caicos Islands, agreed to act as observers for the general election which will be held in the territory on Friday, February 7, 2025. In keeping with this a team of four CAFFE members including two of the organization’s directors will travel to the territory. Two members will arrive on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, and the other two on the 6th. The team will observe and assess the voting and counting on election day.

CAFFE will provide non-partisan and independent observation of the process. The CAFFE team will assess the preparedness for the general election and its conduct against relevant international standards and the applicable domestic TCI laws. The team will release a preliminary statement after the elections. A final report on the observation and assessment of the general election, including recommendations, will be provided within thirty (30) days of the poll.

The observation team includes:

  • Anton Thompson, Deputy Chairman CAFFE and head of mission
  • Audre-Lois Reynolds, CAFFE Director / Treasurer
  • Robin Baston, CAFFE Member
  • Danielle Dunbar, CAFFE Member

CAFFE appreciates this opportunity to support the democratic process in the wider Caribbean region.

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Government

PDM Leader responds to National Debate question on Healthcare

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Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

 

Turks and Caicos, February 3, 2025 – The PDM, if elected government, will create a treatment policy which focuses on getting residents the best possible care and ensure proper funding for treatment abroad travel, said Edwin Astwood during the live-streamed National Debate on Thursday January 30.

“On day one, I will bring a treatment abroad policy to Cabinet, to reverse what is there now.  We will ensure wherever you can get the top treatment you will be sent to.  Whether it is the USA, whether it is Canada, we will not say that you can only go into the Caribbean region.  We want the best for our people, we will put the money there in the treatment abroad policy that we can send you to places where we believe and where the data shows you can get the best treatment possible for you to fully recover and fully be healed, that is what the PDM is about.”

Astwood, who has led the PDM since 2021 and is a former Minister of Health for the TCI said medical centers will not be selected based on a limited budget and a common complaint will be no more.

“We will not send people abroad without having money in their pocket.  We will not send people abroad to be put out of hotels. We will not send people abroad to be put out of hospitals.  We will ensure that whatever allowance you need, you will get that before you go.”

In July 2022, a National Insurance Board Appeals Tribunal was established to field concerns and respond directly to contributor’s complaints, however, in the years following its set up little has been said about the effectiveness or impact of that body.

Additionally, Astwood addressed the quality of healthcare generally in the islands.

“Our people were healthier 15 years ago.  The records can show that; if you look at the birth rate compared to the death rate you will see that that ratio is higher now in ‘23-’24 than what it was in 2017, in 2015 and before.  On day one, I myself is going to push through the Cabinet a bill to ensure that primary health care is rejuvenated in all of our communities.

We know that in order to keep our people healthy, we have to look at prevention. Prevention is always better than cure, the honourable premier’s style is always to put the bandaid on the bleed.  But we (PDM) always want to go in there and stop the bleeding so that you don’t need the bandaid.  So that is what we are going to do, we are going address healthcare at its root cause and put the primary health care clinics back in every community.

He said the goal is for there to be early detection through early screenings.  Astwood said the country’s profits in recent years meant it could afford to set up an Intensive Care Unit.

“They also messed up the entire NHIP system.  Now our people cannot even get an air ambulance to come to the Turks and Caicos islands because they bankrupted the NHIP.  They made it where people are at a critical state.”

The PDM leaders shared that during a recent House of Assembly sitting, members approved $10 million dollars to pay outstanding medical bills.

Also on the PDM agenda is attention to oncology and all aspects of neonatal care due to a raised standard at the Cheshire Hall and Cockburn Town Medical Centers.

“We will get those health professionals in the hospitals.  No more will you see persons googling, to find out what your diagnosis is, we will get the proper machines for scanning.  No longer will you have those misdiagnosis and wrong diagnosis like under the honourable premier and no more will you be sent to places without money.”

He said the PDM has all of the plans to fix healthcare in the Turks and Caicos.

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Government

ED#7 Sammy Been makes a case for re-election; Housing, Schools, Legalise Land and Paved Roads

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Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

 

Turks and Caicos, February 3, 2025 – Economic empowerment was a leading pitch for Samuel Been, who on Friday night held a motorcade and rally in an effort to hold onto his seat in the House of Assembly and keep his Progressive National Party in government.

“Each and everyone of you can be millionaires in this country and we have provided the avenues through the Real Estate Bill, that’s one.  Through all of the grants that we are giving through the MSME and all of the help that we gave through other grants like the $1 million that we gave to 20 fishermen just two months ago; that’s $50,000 a piece to help lift the fishing industry, so we can ease a bit off of all of these canned foods which are making us sick.”

The incumbent member of parliament for Cheshire Hall & Richmond Hill admits there is a concern about the traffic congestion, which is largely experienced by motorists in his constituency in Providenciales.  For this MP, he says there is a plan to alleviate the problem by expanding educational opportunities closer to his residential community.

“We know that there is serious traffic in Provo…. But fortunately enough, we are going to put a high school and a primary here in this area, to stop the parents in this area from having to take their children all the way into Blue Hills, Long Bay and Five Cays,” said Sammy Been.

Been added that there is a need for final resting spaces for his residents; he told attendees at his January 31 rally that he has identified land to address the issue.  Additionally, Sammy Been, in acknowledging the need for affordable housing remarked that the government is slated to build 1,000 homes this year and he laid out the plans for private development in the housing sector in ED7.

“We have already started the Mortgage Corporation, the premier has already sourced land and I am sure you can see in our Manifesto that he intends to build 1,000 homes during this coming year.  To Add to that, a local entrepreneur from this area has decided, in working along with me, that he will build 62 low-cost homes in the Backamara area.  These homes will be beautiful 2 and 3 bedroom homes, where you will have a mortgage payment of less than $1,000. That’s an accomplishment!”

A burning issue for residents of electoral district seven continues to be the rights of residents to land upon which they currently live.  A mandate for the new Informal Settlements Unit, ISU, established in the Washington Misick-led PNP Government is aimed at ending squatting and reducing the problem of informal settlements.  For many, the argument is the land upon which they live was paid for and is rightfully their own.

Samuel Been acknowledged the issue when he took the stage at Butterfield Square, in downtown Providenciales.

“It is a good thing that the British Government has given back Crown Land, residential Crown Land under the political government which means our premier has some say in giving crown land. Because of this, I urge everybody in the Kew Town area, whose land is not straight, who does not have papers for their houses; find your old receipts, if you need help in getting in done, you can bring it to me, to my assistant and my team, I guarantee that we will help you.”

He said the Progressive National Party is on the move and called on voters to “keep it where you got it.”

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