Ascension : Letter From Russell Yon To Island Council
Submitted by The Islander (Islander Internet Editor) 12.11.2009 (Article Archived on 26.11.2009)
Over the past few weeks several conversations and meetings have been held around the Island with the Taxpaying community and most recently many of us had the opportunity to discuss issues with the Tax Advisor who was on the Island, of how to cut/raise taxes to Fund AIG depleting Budget.
Computer Science Raytheon,
US Base.
Ascension Island.
November 09, 2009.
To,
Honorable Elected Members of the Ascension Island Council,
Over the past few weeks several conversations and meetings have been held around the Island with the Taxpaying community and most recently many of us had the opportunity to discuss issues with the Tax Advisor who was on the Island, of how to cut/raise taxes to Fund AIG depleting Budget.
My first issue revolves around the Petrol supply to the Island. In fact if I can remember correctly to the first meeting before any council was elected to represent the Island community the issue of supplying petrol to the Island was mentioned when the MOD informed us that they would at sometime stop supplying petrol to the Island however no date was given. At a further meeting at around 2005 we were reminded of the issue and given a date of around mid 2008. I know that Petrol is still being supplied by the MOD, who recently informed AIG that they will cease supplying petrol to the island by mid 2010. However the info given to the public via the Administrators page a few weeks ago in our local news paper has left everyone in limbo or should I say Dire Straits. It seems that it is now the fault of everyone on the Island who owns mobiles, motorcycles, outboard motors etc that is driven by petrol. AIG claims that through no fault of their own they have been informed by the MOD about the fuel issue and although AIG has tried to source petrol for the island to no avail, even if they could they would not be in a position to cover the cost of repairs that need to be carried out on the storage tank within the MOD containment at Catherine Point or even for that matter undertake construction to build a containment and hazardous storage somewhere else on the island. For those of us it seems with any type of mobility that uses petrol, we were well warned in advance and because we didn’t sell our vehicles etc to someone else we will now become stock with them here on Island if no petrol is sourced and stored correctly or pay the extra cost to have them shipped of Island to use or to sell. Yes. We are to blame! Who on the Island in their right mind would have bought these vehicle then or now, knowing that they will not be able to purchase fuel to keep it motorized? Not all of us can afford to sell and buy vehicles all the time especially if you just need a vehicle to get you from A to B here on Ascension whilst you’re here for your contract. Unlike AIG who could replace their aging fleet with all new Diesel powered vehicles at the taxpayer’s expense.
AIG collects income tax from the majority of us here on the Island and yes I know that includes the AIG working staff also. What happens if I or anyone else doesn’t pay our income tax? We’ll probably be put in the Prison for a few days or weeks until we do pay and eventually lose our jobs. Neglecting our responsibility I should say! Fortunately that shouldn’t happen as our employers have the responsibility of seeing that our taxes are paid under the PAYE scheme. As the collector of our taxes I together with many more taxpayers on the Island see it as an interest of AIG to ensure that the local economy will be supplied with petrol. If they cannot source fuel for the Island then let the MOD continue to supply the fuel as long as another alternative for storage can be met or let the middlemen who own and operate the public fuel service import his fuel for sale. Maybe then it would be feasible for AIG to support him especially with building a containment and hazardous chamber somewhere and let him rent it but not at an extortionate price. At least we will know were some of the money from the Island budget has been spent and AIG would get a substantial amount back in rent payments. I also heard out of a casual conversation with a person who stand’s with high esteem in the Island community that the MOD gave a quote to repair the tank in question for a price close to the amount that they owe AIG for their outlying property tax. If this is true then the property tax issue should be clarified/rectified and resolved between the MOD, AIG, FCO and the Governor of Ascension, not use the population of Ascension to resolve an issue that is out of our control, don’t punish us all for this issue.
Now that brings me onto our Council. Where were our elected members of Council when this situation arose? Did these members become involved with any of the issues and debates in trying to source fuel and the storage of fuel? Our elected members are supposed to look after our economy, control the AIG budget, surely something so important to the Island economy would have been a priority. Why? Did anyone of you tried to get around to the population here looking for suggestions and ideas that could be taken forward for further discussions on this issue? Remember even if I didn’t vote for any of you to become an elected member of council you still didn’t get there on your own. I’m not being offensive in any way as I have enjoyed many a constructive conversation with most of the elected members but I am just concerned that an issue with such high priority seems to be left on the back burner and it doesn’t seem like it is high on the agenda for the elected members of council either. If it is then please inform us with whatever information you have, let the Electorate know that’s the least we can expect of you all. Don’t be puppets for a few but be advocates for us all.
The recent meetings have raised the eyebrows of many and to be honest some of us have vented our frustration out on the visiting Tax Advisor and his two colleagues who were representing AIG. We were asked what ways taxes could be cut/raised without jeopardizing AIG financially. Where can we start as there are many ways that money can be saved within AIG for the fledgling government of AIG before they consider any increase on taxes? First of all we can start at the top. If the British government does not pay any revenue into the Finances of the Island then do we need an Administrator that is sent here by the British Government? Why not appoint someone from the taxpaying community here on the Island to oversee the running of the Island? It’s been done before. Well that won’t save us any money as the Administrator is paid by FCO but it will then justify the reason why all these micro managers are employed within Government. So if we start the review into their management and work our way down the ladder to the general workers we should find some unnecessary well paid managers and workers that could be made redundant, think of the thousands saved there.
If you are employed within any government elsewhere in the world do they pay a food allowance? Why should AIG?
The comfort of being on Ascension and working for Government is to have your family with you, that should make you eligible for a two year contract, used to be three years without a vacation, with the previous employer, so why the mid-tour leave now? If an employee would like to take mid-tour leave why the whole family should be paid from the AIG Budget?
Home to duty transport could be cut, why so many individuals use Government transport to get back and forward to work and for recreational use and yet they are not on 24 hour call duty? Why not purchase a bus to use for this purpose/public transport and consider payments from each individual who use this transport like the government and public sector do in St. Helena?
Was it feasible to replace the heavy equipment fleet? How much money has been spent in keeping the Grove crane operational? Was these purchases’ value for money?
Why employ two policemen from the UK, was our local police force incapable of performing their duties? Are they being paid the same wages as our local police, I guess not and they probably receive all the AIG perks that come with the job.
Why all the school teachers in the school faculty? Why not employ teachers that are multi skilled and not just able to teach one subject. Again are their pay based with equality? Is it at all feasible to have the amount of teachers at the school considering the number of children?
Ladies and gentleman these are just some grey areas within AIG that should be address before looking into the tax system on the Island. Remember that if personnel taxation is raised the companies on the Island will further cut staff because the increase will be putting more burdens on their financial constraints. In today’s financial downturn when every employer here on the Island is looking at ways of maintaining their contractual finances within their own constraints it seem AIG are doing the opposite. Not because their Staff pays personnel tax that they should spend money with no restraints because it is the other companies on the Island that are keeping AIG afloat. Maybe it is time to review AIG’s obligated means for being on the Island or otherwise look at other ways at how the basic services provided for the Island can be supplied.
Toni Bendall’s letter that was addressed to the Tax Advisor and printed in last week’s Islander has highlighted some of the issues as to why the St. Helenians on the US Base are so aggrieved about the whole issue. The astronomical sum of money that is received from us and for what we receive in return is rightly debatable. Now we are talking value for money! What if the employers of the MOD contract who employ their workers on single status contracts should derive the same issue and question the Finance Department of AIG also. We have nothing against paying tax but what we get in return as I’ve mentioned is questionable. If the income tax law was written based on English law then how come our allowance is so low? In the UK no one would pay tax unless they are earning above 10 thousand pounds per year. Under those circumstance most of us wouldn’t be eligible to pay tax here anyway. However because of the circumstances and the unique position that AIG found itself in from the minute it replaced AIS and saw all those Green backs in front of its eyes, AIG have had a field day, nothing seizes to amaze me anymore, oh yes an Ascension Island Tea Party might.
I also heard that a review will be taken on the sports facilities provided on Island since the closure of the Travellers Hill sports facilities, funny eh! This Island could already have had an upgraded sports field at Two Boats, but because all the work was to be carried out voluntary and AIG was not involved it would have been a liability to AIG if some equipment or voluntary operator/worker would have been hurt. The Administrator at the time declined our offer and our sports group was told that in no circumstance would AIG allow it to happen. That was only a few years ago when the community spirit was high, that we don’t have much of anymore. Our committee was ahead of the game and preparing for the day when the MOD/RAF would have made a decision on their facilities. We knew that it wouldn’t last for long as we had been made aware of certain difficulties at the time, mainly paying for insurance to use their facilities.
I will await any response from you all as individuals or as the collective Elected Council members and also hope that what I have written will give you all an insight of how I, US Base St. Helenians and many more of the Islands constituents are feeling. It might be now that you can collectively do something that will help all Islanders and to include AIG to look forward into an open sky for a future that will benefit all and not as presently we are looking into the bleak wide open with anger and frustration. I’ve expressed my views and there are a lot more of how money can be saved within AIG and if that can be done I don’t think we would need to be looking at how more money can be raised.
Sincerely yours,
Russell Yon.
Russell.yon@cwimail.co.ac
Tel: 2685.
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