The time has come

June 1, 2008

Dear Sir,

Re: Roger Crombie on tax avoidance (May 24, 2008). Roger Crombie's otherwise perceptive article on tax evasion versus tax avoidance, and the plans of the contenders for the American presidency to wreak havoc on Bermuda's economy, illustrates the vast chasm between those engaged in the offshore financial industry, and those engaged in the sector of commerce which are considered "local" companies.

"Tax avoidance is what all Bermuda people involuntarily practice by living in a country without income tax or corporation tax" is a direct quote from Roger Crombie's article. I beg to differ. If residents want a pot to cook in they have to pay 22.25 percent tax. If residents want a car to drive they have to pay more than 33.33 percent tax. If residents want an iPod they have to pay 33.33 percent tax. If residents want a computer they have to pay 33.33 percent tax.

If residents want a wooden spoon to stir the pot on which they have paid 22.25 percent tax, then they have to pay 22.25 percent tax on the wooden spoon too! Then there's payroll tax. Then there's land tax. I could go on but the list would be as long as the Bermuda Import Tariff Book, which is hundreds of pages long.

There was a sadly ignorant letter recently blaming the imposition of import duties on the now defunct stores Trimingham's and Smith's. It was good to see Roger Davidson's letter refuting the nonsensical allegation. In fact, the Chamber of Commerce Members have pleaded to no avail for some alleviation of these penalising duty rates – which have to be paid before any goods are sold! – and have to be paid on the original cost of merchandise, even if such merchandise fails to sell and has to be discounted!

It is the "exempted" companies and the doctors, dentists, and lawyers who practise legal tax avoidance. Not the long-suffering Bermuda public, who not only have to pay these swingeing import taxes – but have to pay the high sea and air freight rates on everything which is imported. With fuel costs rocketing skywards, no doubt on top of these high import tax rates, Bermudians will also find themselves digging deeper into their pockets to fund the increased transport costs of goods. All this of course leads Bermudians to become cynical and to shop overseas.

Which means that our economy loses jobs on the docks and in haulage, loses jobs in IT and the service industries which supply the retail sector, and the flagging retail sector collects less and less of the import taxes as retail declines in volume, and the revenue to Government becomes threatened, and government spending has to consequently suffer cuts. Maybe the time has come to engage an ombudsman and think tank to determine how taxation could be spread equitably over all sectors of the economy, without discouraging or endangering the offshore presence and at the same time helping Bermudians, consumers and employers, merchants and service companies to survive too.

TACITURNUS

Southampton

A war of words

April 21, 2008

Dear Sir,

It appears to me, after reading today's Royal Gazette (Saturday, April 19, 2008) (yes, I still buy your paper every day, mostly because I'm addicted to Crossword puzzles) that you have decided that it is in the best interest of The Royal Gazette and the shareholders of the Bermuda Press Holdings Ltd, for you to conduct an international war of words with our Premier, Dr. Ewart Brown through the medium of your newspaper and other entities such as the Inter American Press Association ((IAPA), Reporters without Borders and the Caribbean Media Workers Association (ACMW).

It also appears to me that you and the Bermuda Press Holdings Ltd. were not only dependent upon the PLP Government to keep your newspaper afloat through advertising and subscriptions, you believe you are entitled to revenue from the Bermuda Government, especially in light of the fact that since 1828, when your newspaper was established, your company cornered the market for the print media advertising dollar.

From what I have read of late, you as the Editor of The Royal Gazette do not sound unlike those people who call the radio talk shows expecting this Government to supply their every need. One woman even had the gall to call a talk show last week and complained that a friend has to use a safety pin to keep her bra in tact and the government was doing nothing about it. As one who has campaigned for the past several months of the people's "right to know" I am surprised that you have not shared with your readers your letter that you sent to the IAPA, Reporters without Borders and the Caribbean Media Workers Association.

I for one do not believe that you shared the whole truth with any of the forementioned organisations. According to the report on the IAPA website you did state in your letter that the Premier is trying to "punish the news media". Certainly you did not share with those organisations the history of The Royal Gazette with regards to the Progressive Labour Party, whether as Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition and now as Her Majesty's Loyal Government. I wonder if you shared with those organisations some of your editorials during the past ten years and those of Tim Hodgson, the editor of your sister newspaper, the Mid Ocean News.

All Bermudians know that The Gazette and your sister paper tried to link the Premier and PLP Cabinet Minister with the theft of cedar beams, illegal real estate dealings and other forms of corruption and that an investigation by the Bermuda Police Service, Scotland Yard, the Department of Public Prosecutions and other organisations found no evidence of any wrongdoing by any PLP Cabinet Minister. I am certain that you did not share with those international bodies that you continued through your editorials and reporting to try and link the Premier and other PLP Cabinet members to the corruption charges almost as if an investigation by the top law enforcement officers had not taken place.

I'm sure you did not share with these international news organisations that few blacks in Bermuda trust The Royal Gazette or its sister newspaper, the Mid Ocean News to report the news of Bermuda without fear or favour. And I would be willing to bet my bottom dollar that you did not inform these international news organisations that between The Royal Gazette and the Mid Ocean News there are only two (black) Bermudians employed as journalists and that the majority of the journalists for these two newspapers are imported from England.

I wonder if you shared with these organisations that right now your newspaper may be involved in the "Run for Freedom" campaign, but did very little to end slavery in Bermuda through its editorial content. In fact your newspaper was quite happy for the advertising dollar paid by slave owners to place advertisements announcing "slaves for sale".

I know you did not share with these organisations that when Bermudian companies were trading with apartheid South Africa, your newspaper did nothing to assist in stamping out that racist system. And I know for certain that when schools, hotels, restaurants and other public places had up signs "Whites Only" The Royal Gazette was silent and accepting of this practice. In other words, I am doubtful that you shared with these international bodies the historical context of Bermuda and the relationship between The Royal Gazette and the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party specifically and black Bermudians generally.

Of course The Royal Gazette is the most widely read newspaper in Bermuda, but we all know that is because it is the only daily newspaper, not because of its fair reporting and editorial content.

I, and others, don't need to see the results of the Omnibus survey and any other survey to know that your newspaper has "an overall reach of 81.1 percent". Even if your newspaper had an overall reach of 100 percent it would not mean that you are not biased against Dr. Brown and the Progressive Labour Party. Just because I and others, like Dr. Brown, believe in freedom of information, does not mean that we should support the ultra biased reporting of The Royal Gazette and the Mid Ocean News. Do you support the publication of "The Final Call"? But it appears to me that you believe that is only through the publications of the Bermuda Press Holdings Ltd. that Bermudians can gain access to Government information. Both of us know that is far from the truth.

Last, but not least, it is my information that you have told the 85 percent Bermudian staff that if they lose their jobs, it will be the fault of Premier Brown. Did you share that tid-bit with the IAPA and others? I think not.

LAVERNE FURBERT

Hamilton Parish

Editor's Note: It has taken an embarrassingly long time to publish this letter, largely because of a vain effort to curtail the length of the following note and to conduct research to answer some of Ms Furbert's accusations. We apologise for the delay.

The Royal Gazette has never said that it is entitled to Government advertising. It has said that it believes The Royal Gazette is the most effective way for the Government to get its message out, and we have simply asked to see the methodology by which the Government determined this was not so. To date, it has not done so.

Ms Furbert appears to believe that critical editorials justifies the Government's refusal to advertise. The Declaration of Chapultepec, which has been signed by 29 countries and three territories, although not by Bermuda, states explicitly in section 7: "... the granting or withdrawal of government advertising may not be used to reward or punish the media or individual journalists".

We did not inform the IAPA that there are only two black Bermudian journalists employed at The Royal Gazette and Mid Ocean News because it is not true. There are 11 black Bermudian journalists employed by The Royal Gazette Ltd. There are six white Bermudians, one white spouse of a Bermudian and 14 non-Bermudians. Thus, the majority of our journalists are not non-Bermudian.

The Royal Gazette makes greater efforts to recruit and train Bermudian journalists, white and black, than the rest of the media combined. We have run a summer student programme for decades, we currently have four Bermudian trainee reporters on staff and over the last three years, we have sent four Bermudian trainees to the UK for a three-month training course aimed at getting them internationally recognised certification as senior reporters. In addition, former employees of The Royal Gazette are employed throughout the media and public relations offices of Bermuda, including the Government's own Department of Communication and Information.

It would be foolish to deny that this newspaper, or any other of its age, had no connection with slavery. But it is worth noting that The Royal Gazette was established in 1828 and slavery was abolished six years later, so any advertisements that were carried were of short duration.

With regard to apartheid and coverage of the then-South African regime, this newspaper gave extensive coverage both to the activities of the Anti-Apartheid Group and to what was happening in South Africa.

Ms Furbert seems to confuse Government spending with PLP spending at the end of her letter. The Government has stated that it has cut spending on advertisements in The Royal Gazette to reduce its costs and because it believes there are other media which are more effective, not because it is dissatisfied with The Royal Gazette's coverage, possibly because it knows it would then be accused of using public money to punish this newspaper.

Ms Furbert's last point is entirely false.

Slavery knows no colour

June 2, 2008

Dear Sir,

I have always had a sneaking suspicion that Dr. Hodgson does not read other letters on the issue of slavery. I know that Alvin Williams does as he responded to the last two letters I wrote on the subject. So (sorry Alvin if I bore you) but in case Dr. Hodgson missed my last two letters on the subject, let me remind her of a couple of salient points from my earlier writing. I use the word "reminder" as being well read, Dr. Hodgson already knows this stuff.

Dr. Hodgson, as always, continues to fail to mention in her writing, that between the 16th century and 18th century, about 1.2 million white Christians were enslaved in Africa under Muslim domination. The interesting fact is that the 1.2 million far surpasses the total of the Atlantic black slave trade. Slavery knows no colour, Dr. Hodgson, as you well know. Whites (in the main) appear to have powered out of the effects of enslavement. Presumably Dr. Hodgson, you are arguing that some blacks have not.

In the final analysis, I suppose it doesn't suit her to mention this detail; to do so weakens her argument and rationale. Furthermore, it is much easier to blame white domination through slavery for the plight of some black people, than to recognise there are other factors involved here, not least of which is culture.

And as for "flying in the face of God" by not taking responsibility for our actions all those years ago, well that depends upon which God you choose to worship. After all, it was the King of Bonny (now in Nigeria) who was horrified when (in 1807) the British Government outlawed slavery. He said:

"We think this trade must go on. That is the verdict of our oracle and the priests. They say that your country (UK), however great, can never stop a trade ordained by God himself." And something tells me that the words of this black African King have stood the test of time. Dr. Hodgson also knows that the enslavement of black people – by black people – continues to this day. Again, she is unlikely to make mention of such detail. It is so embarrassing, isn't it?

SMITH'S

A point of order

May 16, 2008

Dear Sir,

I was interested in the letter from Mr. Fahy a few days ago about legislation the UBP had brought about during its rule of Bermuda. As a neutral observer I wonder how much of that good would have come about had it not been for the PLP. A long time ago when my business 1962 to 2004 was going through hell because of tourism in the mid70s I used to say to any who would listen that the only thing the UBP did without being told by the PLP was install the Paget traffic lights.

ROSS TUZO

Warwick

Keep Club Med beach open

June 3, 2008

Dear Sir,

Yesterday, I ventured to St. George's to spend the afternoon at the Club Med beach. To my delight the bar was open serving refreshments. An added bonus was the fact that a Bermudian band, was playing under the tent. Staff, visitors and locals alike enjoyed the music. The Club Med beach is such a beautiful venue to showcase local musical talent. My plea is to the Minister of Tourism to please keep this venue open. There are few places where one can go on a Sunday to swim in the ocean, eat and be entertained by local musical talent at the same time.

M. LANSING

Pembroke

Support SMARTRISK

June 3, 2008

Dear Sir,

I was pleased to see the Smart Risk report by Jennifer Attride-Stirling and Dr. Marcelo Ramella I am grateful for their excellent research. Given the heightened awareness of driving under the influence I was glad to see the recommendation for DUI training. I found out about the Bermuda DUI School (296-6785) when a friend of mine was killed by drunk taxi driver in 1993 and I have been promoting and supporting the programme in memory of this terrific person who died needlessly.

The programme falls under Road Traffic Act and meets the requirement of sections 35 K, L, M of the Act and through attending and completing the program drivers can have their licences restored in nine months. I hope there will be an article on the success of this programme and document their impact. Now let's mandate all drivers who drink and drive get educated under this education programme already in place and working well. Then Smart Risk can work on the other recommendations.

MICHELLE St. JANE

Southampton

Give us the truth

June 3, 2008

Dear Sir,

It is my opinion that the major reasons for allegations or charges of corruption are one or more of the following: (a) malicious intent, (b) no information (c) misinformation, (d) incorrect information or (e) incomplete information. I sincerely believe that the way to avoid or correct the foregoing is to provide full and truthful information.

CHARLES JEFFERS

City of Hamilton