Tag: Chris Saunders
Budget creaking under weight of COVID costs
(CNS): Government voted an additional CI$28.4 million for managing and administrating protocols surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic for this year, including quarantine and testing costs. In addition to paying people who are out of work as a result of the closed borders and supporting small businesses, the government is spending a significant amount on the isolation […]
Local seniors to get free passports
(CNS): Cayman Islands passport holders aged 65 and over will no longer have to pay passport fees after Cabinet amended the relevant regulations following a recommendation by the Council of Older Persons made some two years ago. The order waives fees for first-time applications and renewals of British Overseas Territory Citizen (Cayman Islands) passports, change […]
Import regs changed to address cement shortage
(CNS): Government has amended the regulations surrounding the limits on cement importation to address an acute shortage, which is fuelled by the continued commercial construction in Cayman as well as global supply chain problems. Colombia, Cuba and Panama have now been cleared as authorised countries where the cement can be sourced. Customs and Border Control […]
MPs clear CI$3.5 million for wages in 2021
(CNS): Elected members ensured that they will all be paid their newly increased salaries and additional benefits this week when an amendment was added to the supplementary appropriations bill for the 2021 budget to vote for the cash required to cover the cost of running Parliament and their wages. Some CI$3.5 million has been set […]
Inflation one of several threats on horizon
(CNS): In his address to Parliament on Wednesday on the PACT Government’s first strategic policy statement, Finance Minister Chris Saunders painted a relatively optimistic picture of figures for public finances and the economic recovery from the COVID-19 fallout. But he also noted some threats on the horizon, not least the problem of inflation. Caymanians are […]
McTaggart goes on PACT attack
(CNS): The opposition leader wasted no time setting out the opposition stall in his first address to the new Parliament on Thursday, going on the attack against the PACT Government. Roy McTaggart accused the government of leaving the country adrift, taking too long to set out its policies, criticised its border opening plans and derided […]
PACT predicts future surpluses
(CNS): The finance minister has predicted that the government will be able to cover its operating costs throughout this administration, with 2021 being the only exception. Addressing Parliament on Wednesday as he tabled the 2022-2024 Strategic Policy Statement, Chris Saunders has said there will be no new revenue raising measures in the coming years but […]
Chamber boss claims pension system a success
(CNS): Cayman’s national pension system has faced significant criticism from politicians of all stripes but Chamber of Commerce President Mike Gibbs defended it at the organisation’s Legislative Luncheon last week, despite evidence that, 23 years after the system was introduced, few people are retiring with anything like a viable income from their investment.
McTaggart hits back over stipend provision
(CNS): Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart, the former finance minister, is defending his role during the previous administration after the current minister, Chris Saunders, criticised the PPM for not making any provisions to cover the cost of stipends for tourism workers impacted by COVID-19, either at the current rate or with the increase that the former […]
Tourism tax loss eclipsed by financial fees
(CNS): The public purse lost around CI$17 million in accommodation and cruise ship taxes during the first quarter of 2021 as a result of the closure of the borders and the shutdown of Cayman’s tourism sector. However, earnings from the offshore financial sector more than made up for that loss of revenue for government.
Housing trust struggles with building costs
(CNS): With the cost of building materials rising dramatically due to worldwide shortages fuelled by the pandemic, the battle to keep the government’s low cost homes affordable is becoming very challenging, according to officials. National Housing Development Trust (NHDT) Chairman George Powell said their approved contractors have committed to complete the current works within the […]
