The government is the one who must have a Certificate of Good Standing from the citizens, much before asking the citizens to pay. 

Leading by example means: If the law is not followed by the government, the citizens should simply follow the example. If the government breaks the law, citizens are no more bound by the law than the government.

The government is working for the people. The people are not slaves and do not work for the government: they own the government!

Each and every citizen is the Excellency and the Honourable person. As the people are the masters! And each and every official, from the top to the bottom, is just a servant. Let’s not forget this fact while paying by the fake-“culture” playbook of the parasites and the exploiters that keep treating the people as a subjects instead of a humans.

Member of Her Majesty’s Opposition Honourable Melvin M. Turnbull has spoken out against some of the recently introduced policies relating to labour in the Virgin Islands. 

While making his contribution to the budget debate at the House of Assembly (HoA) on Monday, December 14, 2020, Hon Turnbull said employees are the ones being affected.

Some of the policies to renew work permits for expatriates include getting a Certificate of Good Standing from the National Health Insurance (NHI) and Social Security as well as a certificate of earnings from the Inland Revenue Department.

“We heard the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Labour talk about the different fees and requirements for persons on work permit. And, we note that while persons are busy since August or September of this year, employees busy up and down running trying to go to NHI, Social Security and Inland Revenue to get a Good Standing Certificate so that they can be approved to continue to legally live and work in this territory, they are continuously met with the fact that they cannot get one because the employers who have been taking and deducting Inland Revenue, NHI, Social Security taxes have not been paying it to the agencies,” he pointed out.

He added: “And, the people are being told that they have to go to the employer to try and have it work out and then on the flip side of that when they cannot get it worked out, here’s immigration on them, telling them they have to leave.”

Hon Turnbull said that should not be the responsibility of the employee to do.

He explained: “Those agencies should be responsible for collecting the necessary taxes on behalf of these employees and paying them in, make sure they are paid in.”

Opposition Member, Honourable Melvin M. Turnbull has said if business owners should receive contracts, the taxes owed should be deducted.

Some business owners not being pursued for taxes

Turnbull said, on the other side, there are some business owners who are getting away with unpaid taxes.

“You have business owners who owe government and who owe taxes, hundreds of thousands of dollars and yet when you look government contract there, government contract there, going left, right and centre. And, we think this is right Mr Speaker? But, the people who work and try to pay their taxes when them late, them getting penalised but not a man calling the one who outstanding.”

He continued: “Mr Speaker, we serious? You know John Brown owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes, they ain't paid NHI since NHI come in but could be awarded this contract, consultancy here, consultancy there for this ministry, for that ministry, and think people aren't seeing? Mr Speaker, we got to do better, we must do better. It’s not right.”

The Opposition Member said if these business owners should receive contracts, the taxes owed should be deducted.

“Not that I continue to owe and I get paid, and I continue to owe more, and I don’t pay, and nobody wants to address it or talk to you because you are so and so what his name cousin, brother or whatever the case may be. We cannot continue to do this,” Hon Turnbull argued.