标签： Grenada

On the observance of World Press Freedom Day, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a stark, urgent warning about the escalating risks facing journalists worldwide and the foundational role of a free press in upholding global peace, human rights, and sustainable development.

Guterres opened his remarks by expanding on the long-held adage that truth is the first casualty of war. He emphasized that in far too many cases, the journalists who put their lives on the line to bring that truth to the public are the first to lose everything. This danger is not limited to active conflict zones; journalists face retaliation for their work anywhere that powerful actors seek to avoid public scrutiny.

Across every region of the world, media workers contend with a growing spectrum of threats. Many face state-backed or non-state censorship, invasive surveillance, and meritless legal harassment designed to silence their reporting. In the worst cases, they pay with their lives. Over recent years, the Secretary-General noted, the number of journalists killed in conflict zones has jumped sharply, with the vast majority of these deaths being deliberate targeted attacks.

One of the most alarming trends Guterres highlighted is the rampant culture of impunity surrounding crimes against media professionals. Data shows that 85 percent of all violent and criminal acts committed against journalists never lead to meaningful investigation, and almost no perpetrators are held legally accountable for their actions. Guterres labeled this level of unpunished violence completely unacceptable.

Beyond physical violence, press freedom is facing unprecedented strain from a combination of systemic pressures. Shrinking economic models for independent media, the spread of new digital technologies that enable mass surveillance and disinformation, and coordinated manipulation of public narratives by bad actors have all combined to erode the ability of journalists to do their work safely and effectively.

Guterres went on to outline the cascading harm that comes when press freedom is weakened. When communities lose consistent access to accurate, verified information, public mistrust in institutions and one another takes deep root. When open public debate is twisted or silenced by outside interference, the social cohesion that holds communities and nations together breaks down. And when independent journalism is undermined, the international community loses its early warning system for emerging crises, making these events far harder to prevent or resolve once they escalate.

“All freedom depends on press freedom,” Guterres stressed. Without an independent, free press, he argued, there can be no meaningful protection of human rights, no pathway to inclusive sustainable development, and no lasting peace for communities or nations.

To mark World Press Freedom Day, Guterres issued a global call to action: world leaders, civil society groups, and individuals everywhere must unite to protect the fundamental rights of journalists, and work collectively to build a global order where truth, and the people who report it, can operate without fear of harm.

This statement from the UN Secretary-General was carried by contributing outlets, with a standard disclaimer from NOW Grenada that the outlet is not responsible for the opinions or content shared by contributing authors, and provides a channel for users to report abusive content.

Grenada has marked a landmark shift toward integrating its economy into the global digital age, with the House of Representatives recently passing legislation to extend the country’s existing Value Added Tax (VAT) regime to international digital platforms and services.

Far from a dry, technical policy adjustment, this change carries tangible implications for everyday Grenadians, touching the monthly household budgets that shape most citizens’ financial lives. Crucially, the reform is not the introduction of an entirely new tax: it is an update to the nation’s longstanding 15% VAT structure, designed to close a long-standing fairness gap in the country’s tax code. For decades, domestic brick-and-mortar and local businesses have operated under Grenada’s VAT rules, while large multinational technology companies providing cross-border digital services operated entirely outside the local tax system. As consumer spending has steadily shifted from physical retail locations to digital platforms accessed via smartphones and laptops, bringing these offshore-provided services into the existing tax framework has become an unavoidable step for leveling the playing field. Contributor Rochelle, however, notes that the policy can only deliver on its promise of fairer taxation if implementation prioritizes household affordability, clear transparency, and continued support for Grenada’s emerging digital sector.

One of the most pressing vulnerabilities facing policymakers as the law rolls out is the threat of double taxation. Many Grenadians currently pay for popular digital services through foreign-registered accounts or international credit cards, which already levy taxes from the service provider’s home country, such as U.S. sales tax or U.K. VAT. Without careful cross-border coordination, the new 15% local VAT will be applied on top of these existing foreign levies, leaving consumers to pay two separate taxes on a single digital subscription or purchase.

To mitigate this risk, Rochelle outlines three targeted policy solutions. First, she urges the government to adopt the international destination principle for digital taxation, which requires service providers to waive their home country’s tax for services sold to Grenadian consumers, ensuring only Grenada’s local VAT is applied. Second, she calls for the expansion of Grenada’s network of Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs) to explicitly cover cross-border digital services, preventing residents from being financially penalized for participating in the global digital economy. Third, she proposes collaboration between the government and local financial institutions to implement bank-level filtering, which ensures the 15% VAT is only applied to the pre-tax base price of a service, rather than stacked on top of already applied foreign taxes.

Beyond addressing double taxation, Rochelle argues that targeted safeguards are needed to ensure the new tax does not become an unnecessary barrier to digital inclusion and economic growth. A 15% cost increase for essential digital tools ranging from educational software used by local students to online advertising platforms relied on by small Grenadian entrepreneurs represents a substantial additional financial burden for these groups.

To turn this policy reform into a net benefit for all Grenadians, Rochelle proposes that all revenue collected from the new digital VAT be designated as a national “Digital Dividend.” These funds should be explicitly earmarked for reinvestment in national digital infrastructure. For example, revenue could be used to subsidize affordable high-speed internet access for underserved rural communities, or to fund free digital literacy training programs that expand access to digital opportunities across all income groups. This model would ensure that every dollar of VAT paid by households circulates back to the public in the form of improved services and expanded economic opportunity.

The core goal of the reform, Rochelle emphasizes, is not to discourage use of essential digital services, but to grow government revenue without placing an unfair financial burden on ordinary citizens. She encourages Grenadians to be deliberate about their digital spending, auditing recurring subscriptions and prioritizing core services to manage household costs. At the same time, she calls on the Grenadian government to uphold the same standard of intentionality in managing the new revenue stream.

If policymakers successfully address the risk of double taxation and commit to full transparency around how digital VAT funds are reinvested, the reform will do more than just update Grenada’s tax code: it will lay the foundation for a more fair, inclusive digital economy that benefits every Grenadian.

(Disclaimer: NOW Grenada does not take responsibility for the opinions and statements shared by contributors. Readers may report inappropriate content through official channels.)