Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Wheatley denies being overtly penal to work permit holders

Wheatley denies being overtly penal to work permit holders

Minister for Labour & Immigration, Vincent Wheatley has denied being overtly penal to work permit holders in the territory, noting instead that he is a compassionate person.

Appearing on the Honestly Speaking radio show recently, Minister Wheatley said there has been various negative comments about his administration’s Labour and Immigration policies since their time in office.

The minister argued, that contrary to what people think, he is not making decisions based on love or hate.

He stated: “So, they say because I make this decision, I hate this group, or because I did this here, I love this group. So, when we came in and regularised about 1,500 persons, ‘oh, you only like these outsiders, that’s why you doing this’. I come now I do something to protect locals, ‘oh, you hate outsiders’, and none of them had to do with like or hate. We were sent here to work for our people.”

According to the Labour Minister, his government’s policies are implemented to empower and to help its people while showing compassion to everyone who resides in the BVI.

He agreed with the host, Claude Skelton Cline, that his government’s approach is entirely policy-driven and was being done in an attempt to correct deficiencies that were found within the system when they first entered office.

Nearly every action has unintended consequences


The minister has also been accused recently of implementing draconian measures against permit holders, particularly in his attempts to have work permit employees secure good-standing certificates which serve to ensure that their employee deductions were paid in full to various entities.

Employee deductions are required by law to be made to National Health Insurance, Social Security and Inland Revenue Departments.

But the measure was found to be rife with issues and had to be suspended after it was discovered that the practice of employers who are not paying employee deductions to the relevant departments was far more widespread than initially imagined.

“Nearly every action has unintended consequences,” Minister Wheatley said. “I think when we first envisioned this – because a lot of businesses we knew were removing the taxes from the employees’ paycheques but not paying them in. I don’t think at that time we had really considered how bad the challenge really was for businesses.”

The minister recently announced that the policy will be rolled back and said another approach will be taken instead at a later date but said there was no timeline planned for this.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
×