Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Gov’t criticised for poor diversity in revenue-generating schemes

Gov’t criticised for poor diversity in revenue-generating schemes

Leader of the Opposition Marlon Penn has accused the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) government of what he described as a lack of innovation in finding areas to generate revenue for the territory.

Speaking on the National Democratic Party (NDP) radio show earlier this week, Penn said the government’s two tools for economic diversification are gambling and marijuana.

The Opposition Leader said the Gambling Bill (Gaming and Betting Control Act) has been passed and the government is yet to have a commission in place to oversee it.

“There are monies in the budget that they have budgeted and saying they are going to get ‘X’ amount of revenue from gambling, and they don’t even have a board in place to run the Gambling Commission. So, you see, there is no focus in terms of the key things that need to be done,” Penn said.

The Opposition Leader also noted that the government has been bragging about monies collected from the seven per cent tax on remittance; a levy he describes as putting pressure on persons who can ill afford to pay that tax.

“These are people that don’t have a choice but try to survive in the BVI where they work and live and also have to send back to their loved ones they left behind. We did that when we use to go to the Dominican Republic and other places to work. That is just the way of life for some persons and the reality for some,” Penn said.

“You cannot be bragging about the money you make from that on the backs of poor people. The government’s approach to the diversification of our economy is taxing the poor. That has been their strategy. Putting taxes on people that can least afford it instead of being innovative and finding innovative ways to generate the revenues in the country. You are putting taxes on the people who could least afford it,” the NDP Leader continued.

Residents not seeing discussions happening


Penn said residents are not seeing any discussions happening on the things over which the Fahie-led government has the power to make less of a burden to taxpayers.

He further said the government has a responsibility for the policy direction of the country and they have the tools at its disposal to make life easier for the ‘so-call little man’ who the government claims it is protecting.

“You are not hearing the government speaking about things which they have control to act. The port fees are one area they could act on, the taxes that are coming in is one area that they could act on. The fuel surcharge. What is the conversation we are having with the Electricity Corporation to ensure that we are not having a drastic bump in electricity cost in the next three to six months, how are we going to sort of level that off? What are the things we are doing to cushion the small man that they continue to put pressure on?” the NDP Leader questioned.

“They are putting more burden on the little man; the persons who are feeling the gas pumps, who are feeling when they are buying the propane, who are feeling when they buy at the grocery store, who are feeling it just for our basic necessities of life,” Penn said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×