Failure to complete surveys on time to be an offence
(CNS): The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is proposing to give more legal teeth to the Economics & Statistics Office (ESO) in the collection of data via surveys and to make it an offense to fail to return a survey form within the given timeframe or to knowingly provide false information. Announcing the start of a public consultation process on proposed changes to the Statistics Law (2011 Revision), officials said the amendments would also provide for voluntary surveys to be conducted amongst exempt companies for the first time.
This would allow the inclusion of their economic contribution to Cayman’s gross domestic product (GDP) while preserving their exempt company status, a release from the ministry stated.
In addition, the Statistics (Amendment) Bill 2014 would permit the ESO to to collect fees for certain technical services, such as survey design and special data processing, requested by users, including private business, consultants and academia.
The Statistics Law (2011 Revision) governs the collection, compilation and publication of statistics on the socio-economic profile and performance of the Cayman Islands and the ministry said the changes to the law would further strengthen the effectiveness of the ESO in the collection of data.
Finance Minister Marco Archer has spoken on a number of occasions about the importance of having accurate statistics about the economy to help government shape better policy. However, with a long culture of secrecy in Cayman and no tax returns, as there are in most countries, to provide income and spending data, the ESO has struggled to persuade people to fill out their surveys in order to shed light on what is happening in the community and the economy.
However, with the proposed amendments, the ministry said it aims to reinforce the legal mandate of ESO’s collection of information and bring greater clarity to respondents by explicitly indicating the timeframe for survey responses. Accordingly, it makes it an offense when there is failure to return the form within the timeframe or to knowingly provide false information.
Comments on the proposed changes are requested in writing by 10 February and should be sent to Michael Nixon, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, at Michael.Nixon@gov.ky.
Statistics (Amendment) Bill 2014
Visit the Economics & Statistics Office website www.eso.ky.
Category: Local News
Cayman leadership, Your lack of intelligence is showing….. Again. You should have gotten some outside consultant to tell you what to do……….. Again.
Sorry, there are third world people who may lap this up but most of us know that this is a massive infringement of privacy, financial and personal information which will ultimately be seen and handled by people with no prior screening or vetting for the post. Due to this and due to historical evidence, you cannot guarantee where that information will end up or what this may be used for? Can it be sold on to other statistical research companies? If so, you may as well contain a box to tick asking whether the person surveyed is interested in buying a large export of gemstones from a barrister in Nigeria?
Was there nothing learnt from the financial infringements of the PR application demanding intrusive financial information?
To add to the embarrassment, a hint is put out that it may become a criminal offence! Are you serious? By the time that hits legislation it will be time for the next census / survey to be considered!
What is next?
Threaten expats that they will not get their permits renewed unless all financial information is included on the survey?
Threaten employees that their jobs could be at risk through some internal policy?
This has been a very poorly conceived idea from the onset. I would not be surprised if this was met with zero per cent cooperation.
Sorry, where do we Iive? North Korea?
If this was across the board for everyone politicians included then I may consider it and any other implications or infringements on my privacy.
Until the politicians show me their income, expenses, other businesses, kickbacks, travel receipts, etc this idea should not have even be suggested.
You can’t get MLA’s and the speaker to reveal their expenses whilst on government business and now we are being threatened with criminal action if we fail to return a survey. How is that going to work especially in a country where the post office is so dysfunctional, where laws are regularly flouted and enforcement is non existent? Seriously, how?
You could not make this crap up! Absurdistan is right.
We should note that the Statistics (Amendment) Bill 2014 largely revises and shifts power from the Governor, to the Director of the ESO and Cabinet. Legally obliging households to comply under threat of penalty, for the purpose of selling this info to third parties, is clearly an abuse of authority. There should be certain ‘unalienable rights’ for citizens of the Cayman Islands, and these should include the right to privacy (including financial privacy). Unless there are taxes to be assessed, a divorce, a loan due, or some other collateral requirement, it should never be compulsory to reveal this personal and indentifiable information to anybody outside your household. Simple as that.
This is more Marco Archer BS! I absolutely agree with the previous comment, Government does not have the right to invade its citizen’s privacy.
Sorry, Mr. Government. You ain’t da boss of me. Go take a hike, the lot of you. Get a real job.
This is the funniest thing I have heard for ages. You cannot make it an offense. Just try and watch the crap hit the ceiling. This would be yet another law that would not and indeed could not be enforced.
Kiss mi backside ESO, good luck with that. If you are taking that stance, surely we can fine Government for their lack of completing anything and everything in a timely manner? Let’s start with the Dump shall we?
I have to disagree with this. It should not be an offence to not return a survey. No matter how important the ESO think they are. This Law would make their surveys more important than voting. (I can choose not to vote, the most important survey in any country.) Yes, any survey is only as good as its data. But any survey result is always limited to its data. That’s a basic statistical truth that no Law will change. And no survey should trump my right to privacy.
This is why I remain, respectfully, Anonymous.