Carib Scope

标签： Suriname

苏里南

  • Twee pluimveebedrijven uit quarantaine, besmet bedrijf blijft gesloten

    Twee pluimveebedrijven uit quarantaine, besmet bedrijf blijft gesloten

    An H5 bird flu outbreak in Suriname has triggered strict quarantine and monitoring measures for local poultry farms, with partial progress reported in containing the spread as of mid-October. Of the five poultry operations placed under lockdown after the outbreak was detected, two have already been cleared to resume normal activities, according to Suriname’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (LVV). Officials project that two more will have their quarantine orders lifted next week, but the farm where the initial infection was confirmed will remain closed indefinitely until all necessary protocols are completed. So far, authorities have found no evidence that the virus has spread beyond the original infection site, the ministry confirmed.

    Acting Director of Livestock Gerald Tjon A San told Suriname’s Communication Service (CDS) on Wednesday, October 14, that all suspect poultry farms tested to date have returned negative results for avian influenza. Despite this encouraging early finding, all existing containment measures remain fully in effect to guard against unexpected spread.

    LVV inspectors carry out daily surveillance checks within a 7-kilometer radius around the index infected farm. They are also auditing all sites that may have received potentially contaminated materials from the affected operation, a step designed to stop any hidden spread of the virus. The index farm will only be released from quarantine after all required eradication and disinfection work is finished, and all contaminated material has been safely neutralized, officials noted.

    While early test results have been favorable, Tjon A San emphasized that it is far too early to declare the outbreak fully under control. A mandatory 28 to 30 day observation period must be completed before officials can confirm the virus is contained, he explained. To date, authorities have not yet identified the exact viral subtype or traced the origin of the outbreak. To get definitive answers, samples must be sent to an overseas reference laboratory for advanced testing, but the shipment is still awaiting final approval and depends on available testing capacity at the facility. “Until we get those results back from the reference lab, we cannot say for certain where this virus came from,” Tjon A San said.

    The LVV has issued an urgent call for all local poultry farmers to strictly adhere to mandatory biosecurity protocols at their operations. Key recommendations include regular cleaning of hands and work boots, and the use of dedicated clothing when entering poultry barns to reduce cross-contamination risks. The ministry has also ramped up inspection efforts at border crossings to crack down on illegal imports of poultry products, a common vector for introducing avian influenza to new regions. Until the full observation period concludes and the index farm is fully decontaminated, continuous close monitoring of the situation will remain a top priority for Suriname’s agricultural and public health authorities.

  • Zonnig, warm en benauwd op deze donderdag

    Zonnig, warm en benauwd op deze donderdag

    The Suriname Meteorological Service has released its detailed weather forecast for Thursday, outlining a day dominated by sunny conditions, high heat, and oppressive humidity across most of the country, with only a small chance of localized severe weather in remote southern regions.

    The day will kick off with largely clear skies, broken only by scattered patches of cloud. Temperatures will begin climbing steadily from dawn, bringing warm conditions early in the morning across all parts of Suriname. For the capital city of Paramaribo and the country’s entire coastal belt, forecasters predict no precipitation through the day. Easterly to east-northeasterly winds will blow at a mild 10 to 20 kilometers per hour, providing only slight relief from the rising heat.

    By midday and afternoon, cloud cover will build temporarily, but dry conditions will hold across coastal zones and the vast majority of the nation’s territory. Maximum air temperatures are projected to reach around 34 degrees Celsius, but high atmospheric humidity will push perceived heat much higher. Along the coast in particular, the feel-like temperature will range between 38 and 41 degrees Celsius, creating potentially oppressive conditions for residents and outdoor workers.

    The only exception to the forecast dry conditions is in the southern interior, specifically the inland districts of Sipaliwini and Brokopondo. There, forecasters warn that isolated rain showers and thunderstorms can develop during the day. Any thunderstorm that forms has the potential to bring short bursts of strong wind bursts and lightning strikes that pose safety risks to anyone caught outdoors.

    As evening approaches, cloud cover will begin to clear again, and dry conditions will return to nearly all localities. Temperatures will slowly drop after sunset, but lingering moisture in the air will keep conditions warm and muggy for hours after dark. Overnight will remain mostly dry with very little cloud cover across the country, though the southern interior may see patches of fog form in the early pre-dawn hours Friday.

  • Costa Rica opent megagevangenis naar voorbeeld van Bukele

    Costa Rica opent megagevangenis naar voorbeeld van Bukele

    Costa Rica has inaugurated a new high-security mega-prison designed to hold up to 5,100 detainees, marking a major policy shift in the country’s escalating fight against organized crime and record-high homicide rates driven by expanding drug trafficking networks. The new facility, named the Centro de Alta Contención contra el Crimen Organizado (CACCO), was officially opened by President Laura Fernández in Alajuela on Wednesday, built at a total cost of roughly $36 million.

    Modeled directly after the tough prison framework implemented by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has led a sweeping, nationwide crackdown on criminal gangs since 2022, the new facility is intended to solve a persistent security gap: preventing top organized crime leaders from continuing to coordinate illicit activities from behind prison walls. President Fernández framed CACCO as a landmark step in Costa Rica’s anti-crime campaign, noting that the government aims for the complex to become an international benchmark for high-security prison management. The first transfer of detainees to the facility is scheduled for the end of October, and the 5,100 capacity equals roughly 20% of Costa Rica’s current total prison population, bringing much-needed relief to the country’s overcrowded correctional system.

    Long recognized as one of the safest nations in Latin America, Costa Rica has seen a sharp and worrying rise in violent crime over the past decade. The increase is largely fueled by turf wars between rival drug trafficking groups fighting for control of profitable smuggling routes running through Central America toward North American consumer markets. In 2023, the country recorded a historic high of 905 homicides. While the total dropped slightly to 876 in 2024 and 873 in 2025, the violence remains a top political and public safety crisis that has put intense pressure on the Fernández administration to deliver results.

    Officials say the primary goal of the new high-security prison is to strengthen state control over the correctional system, cutting off the ability of criminal networks to operate freely inside prison walls and coordinate with outside factions. The opening of CACCO fits into a growing regional trend across Latin America, where a growing number of political leaders have adopted harsher anti-crime policies, including mass arrests, harsher sentencing, and large-scale maximum-security prisons, all following Bukele’s widely discussed model in El Salvador.

    Bukele’s government has credited its emergency rule-era gang crackdown, launched in March 2022, for driving a dramatic drop in El Salvador’s homicide rate, and the policy has earned widespread popular support from Salvadoran citizens who lived for decades under gang violence and extortion. However, human rights organizations have repeatedly raised urgent concerns about the approach, documenting widespread arbitrary arrests, mass detentions, weakened legal safeguards for suspects, and allegations of abuse and mistreatment in custody. Conditions in El Salvador’s own 40,000-inmate mega-prison, the CECOT, have also come under sustained international scrutiny.

    These concerns have sparked broader debate around Costa Rica’s new policy: the core question is not only whether stricter high-security detention can reduce crime rates long-term, but also whether the government can maintain access to fair trials for suspects and uphold protections against human rights abuses amid the crackdown. It remains to be seen how much CACCO will contribute to a sustainable reduction in violent crime in Costa Rica, as the facility’s core design centers on isolating high-risk criminal leaders and disrupting their connections to transnational networks. For a country long known for its peaceful, democratic reputation and respect for human rights, the opening of the mega-pricing marks a clear course change on public safety policy. The Fernández administration now faces the core challenge of tackling organized crime effectively without eroding the rule of law and the fundamental human rights protections that have long defined Costa Rica’s national identity.

  • Column: Evidente vrees ‘gevestigde orde’

    Column: Evidente vrees ‘gevestigde orde’

    The 2024 Concacaf Nations League campaign has come to a close, and despite a promising early run, Suriname’s men’s national football team, nicknamed the Green Guardians, has fallen short of securing a direct qualification spot for the upcoming Gold Cup. Team officials have launched a full post-tournament evaluation to pinpoint exactly where the campaign went wrong, with the goal of extracting key lessons from mistakes made throughout the qualifying process to avoid similar disappointments in future competitions. The review will also examine external challenges the side faced, with plans to turn those obstacles into competitive advantages for the team’s next qualifying cycle.

    Even with the final outcome falling short of expectations, it is widely acknowledged that the Green Guardians have made significant strides in their competitive level, and were never outplayed by any of their opponents in the Nations League. On the contrary, the side proved they can compete at the highest regional standard, and are steadily emerging as a formidable opponent that established regional powerhouses can no longer dismiss out of hand. This upward momentum will be a core focus of the post-campaign work, with officials aiming to build on this progress in the lead-up to future fixtures.

    Still, clear areas for improvement have been identified, most notably the team’s two-game goalless drought that ultimately derailed their qualification push. In particular, during the home leg of the decisive qualifying fixtures, Suriname’s attacking line struggled with poor fitness, preventing the unit from hitting the performance level needed to lock in three points. While the team’s overall build-up play was strong enough to have secured a victory, critical chances went unconverted at key moments, leaving fans and analysts questioning the team’s preparation ahead of the decisive matches.

    One leading theory points to excessive training demands placed on players ahead of the qualifiers. Most members of the national squad earn limited regular playing time at their European and regional club sides, leading some to suggest coaching staff pushed too hard to quickly bring the group up to match fitness in a short window. An alternative explanation centers on the compressed fixture schedule, which left players with little time to recover between matches and likely contributed to the visible fatigue in the attack during decisive games.

    Off the pitch, the campaign also exposed unsportsmanlike conduct from opposing teams and fan bases that the Green Guardians were unprepared for. During the Nations League, Guatemala was unable to neutralize Suriname on the pitch, so opposing fans used aggressive chants and taunts to provoke Suriname’s players into unforced errors. This pattern, which was also seen from El Salvador during the previous World Cup qualifying cycle, is not an accident. For decades, established regional sides took victory over Suriname for granted, and saw no need to resort to off-pitch provocation. But the Green Guardians’ clear progress has not gone unnoticed, and their improvement has begun to unnerve traditional powers in the Concacaf region. Moving forward, the team will prioritize training to help players build resilience against crowd provocation and off-pitch mind games. In football, the best response to unsportsmanlike behavior is not to take the bait, but to secure the on-pitch result that matters.

    Going forward, Suriname’s football association will also push Concacaf to implement rule and format changes to level the playing field for all teams. First, the association will call for all final-round qualifying matches to be played simultaneously, a change that would eliminate the opportunity for unfair scheduling advantages that favor higher-ranked sides. Second, the association will raise the issue of the absent Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system during this qualifying cycle, which allowed questionable refereeing decisions to stand without review. The combination of on-pitch fitness issues, off-pitch provocation, and structural competitive disadvantages ultimately kept Suriname from claiming a direct spot in the Gold Cup. Now it is up to team leadership and players to apply the lessons from this Nations League campaign, and prepare for the upcoming two-legged playoff that still offers a second chance to secure a spot in the Gold Cup’s finals.

  • DNA wil meer waarborgen voor burgers en bedrijven in nieuwe Invorderingswet

    DNA wil meer waarborgen voor burgers en bedrijven in nieuwe Invorderingswet

    On 15 October, parliamentary debate over a landmark new Tax Collection Act continued in Suriname’s National Assembly (DNA), with a core cross-party consensus that the bill must expand the state’s ability to recover unpaid tax debts without unnecessarily pushing citizens or businesses into financial distress. This guiding principle shaped the second round of discussions, held by the committee of rapporteurs, where members pushed for strengthened legal safeguards for taxpayers, clear payment arrangement frameworks, proportionate collection fees, and transparent rules governing asset seizure. The session adjourned after closing the second round, and debate will resume at 10:00 local time on the same day to allow the government time to respond to outstanding questions and proposed amendments.

    During the second sitting, committee members including Rabin Parmessar, Asis Gajadien, Rossellie Cotino, Vreedzaam, Kishan Ramsukul, Ronny Asabina and Jeffrey Lau took the floor to address specific provisions of the bill. While speakers focused on different sections of the draft legislation, widespread attention converged on striking the right balance between effective tax collection and the protection of fundamental taxpayer rights.

    Leader of the NDP parliamentary faction Rabin Parmessar acknowledged that the government has already incorporated feedback from the first round of debate into revised versions of the bill. He highlighted one key clarification: all forms of asset seizure, including digital third-party asset seizure, can only be implemented after a formal enforcement order has been served. The oral address on the government’s behalf was delivered by Minister Stephen Tsang, as incumbent Finance and Planning Minister Adelien Wijnerman is currently out of the country.

    Even with these adjustments, Parmessar argued that critical protections remain insufficiently outlined in the current draft. In particular, he called for further refinement to rules governing the right to file objections, access to payment deferrals, and timely judicial review of aggressive collection measures. He warned that the current framework risks forcing businesses into bankruptcy before a court can rule on the legality of the seizure, even if the taxpayer ultimately wins their legal case.

    Parmessar also raised critical concerns over provisions allowing physical enforcement, restrictions on travel documents, and the protection of basic subsistence income when wages, pensions or bank balances are seized. He pushed for clear statutory definitions of the specific circumstances under which the state may exercise these extreme powers.

    VHP parliamentary faction leader Asis Gajadien focused his remarks on two key areas: director and third-party liability, and the calculation of tax collection fees. He argued that business directors should not automatically be held personally liable for corporate tax debts if they can prove no misconduct on their part. Gajadien noted that businesses often fall into payment difficulty due to broader adverse economic conditions, not fraud or mismanagement.

    He also raised a provocative question: should the same liability rules apply to tax officials and public servants who intentionally facilitate under-reporting of tax liabilities? Beyond liability, Gajadien objected to the current model that sets collection fees as a percentage of the outstanding debt. He pointed out that this creates arbitrary disparities between taxpayers even when the tax authority carries out the same amount of work, and warned that the model could effectively turn collection fees into an extra punitive financial penalty, which he said must be avoided.

    Rossellie Cotino, another member of the committee of rapporteurs, reiterated the need for robust protections for taxpayer rights. She called for clear statutory rules to allow citizens and business owners to recover wrongfully collected tax payments. A reformed tax authority, she argued, should not only have broad powers to collect revenue, but also must fulfill its own obligations to taxpayers.

    Cotino also proposed that the legal basis for collection interest should be enshrined in statute, and that collection fee rates should be updated annually to align with consumer price index data from the General Bureau of Statistics. She added that only reasonably necessary collection costs should be passed on to taxpayers.

    Contributions from other committee members, including Vreedzaam, Kishan Ramsukul, Ronny Asabina and Jeffrey Lau, centered on questions around implementability, legal certainty and the financial impact of the proposed legislation. Speakers repeatedly drew attention to the need to align passed-through collection fees with the actual costs incurred by the tax authority. They also emphasized the importance of clear statutory deadlines and careful application of collection powers, and called for a more customer-focused tax authority that proactively informs citizens and businesses of their rights and obligations.

    The debate also produced broad agreement that while the state needs sufficient tools to combat tax evasion, it must draw a clear line between intentional non-payment and taxpayers facing temporary financial hardship.

    Article 26 of the bill, which governs payment deferrals, emerged as a recurring point of focus. Parliamentarians called for objective criteria for approval of payment arrangements, clear decision-making deadlines, and the ability to temporarily suspend collection measures when a tax assessment is challenged. Members also highlighted the disruptive potential of digital seizure of bank balances, stressing that collection measures must not leave households without sufficient funds to cover basic living expenses and family needs.

    Multiple speakers stressed that the tax authority must invest not only in enforcement tools, but also in improved service delivery and initiatives to encourage voluntary tax compliance.

    To date, the government has already made multiple adjustments to the original draft bill in response to parliamentary feedback. Multiple parliamentarians acknowledged that these changes have delivered meaningful improvements, but key legal and practical questions remain unresolved. Ahead of the resumption of debate, the Finance and Planning Ministry and parliament will exchange additional documentation and proposed amendments. The second round of parliamentary debate concluded at the end of the session, with discussion set to resume at 10:00 on Thursday, when the government will formally respond to all outstanding questions and proposals.

  • Chinese export groeit 36,3 procent door AI-vraag en techproducten

    Chinese export groeit 36,3 procent door AI-vraag en techproducten

    Fresh trade data released by China’s General Administration of Customs on Wednesday reveals a far stronger-than-expected expansion in the country’s international trade for September, with export growth hitting its highest pace in seven months, powered primarily by booming global demand for AI-related technology goods.

    Compared to the same period a year earlier, Chinese exports climbed 36.3% in September to reach $447.18 billion. That marks a sharp acceleration from the 25% growth recorded in August, and handily outpaced the average 25.5% growth forecast by a consensus of economists. The last time China posted such a rapid annual export increase was in February 2026.

    The biggest driver of this export boom is the global rollout of artificial intelligence infrastructure, which includes large-scale data centers and high-performance computing systems. These global investments have spurred explosive demand for the chips, electronic components and specialized equipment that Chinese manufacturers produce at scale. Year-on-year, Chinese semiconductor exports jumped 108.1% in September, while data processing equipment exports rose 54.6%. Auto exports also posted robust double-digit growth, fueled by rising international demand for Chinese-made electric vehicles, a sector that has become an increasingly important part of China’s global trade footprint. A drone image captured by Reuters shows new electric vehicles lined up at a Shanghai port waiting to be loaded onto cargo ships for export.

    Imports also grew at a faster pace last month, rising 31% year-on-year to $313.65 billion, up from 28.2% growth in August. Even with accelerating import growth, exports far outpaced inbound shipments, pushing China’s monthly trade surplus to a record high of $133.53 billion.

    For the first nine months of 2026, China’s cumulative trade surplus stands at $938.11 billion. If the current strong trade trajectory continues through the final quarter of the year, the country is on track to match or surpass the 2025 full-year record surplus of more than $1.2 trillion.

    Regional and major global trading partners all posted double-digit increases in Chinese goods imports last month. Southeast Asia remains a key growth market for China: exports to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states rose 52.3% year-on-year in September to $81.7 billion. Exports to the European Union hit $60.15 billion, a 25.3% annual increase, while exports to the United States grew 39.6% to $47.88 billion.

    The strong export growth to the U.S. comes as Washington and Beijing work to stabilize bilateral trade relations and prevent further escalation of their long-running trade dispute. At the same time, the European Union continues to push for a more balanced trade relationship with China, raising concerns about unfair competition and large persistent trade imbalances.

    Despite the blockbuster export performance, China’s domestic economy still faces persistent structural vulnerabilities that have not been resolved by the international trade boom. Domestic consumption remains weak, the troubled real estate sector is recovering only slowly, and long-term growth prospects are pressured by population aging and shrinking workforce growth.

    While strong export growth is propping up overall Chinese economic activity, it also increases the country’s reliance on foreign demand. Analysts warn that any future slowdown in the global economy, the imposition of new trade restrictions by major partners, or a pullback in global AI infrastructure investment could quickly dampen China’s export expansion.

    The European Union and other trading partners have already raised growing concerns about Chinese manufacturers’ competitive advantage and the country’s persistent large trade surpluses. In particular, the rapid growth of Chinese exports of electric vehicles, batteries and other clean energy and technology goods has sparked new debates over market access and potential protective trade measures in multiple major markets.

    The International Monetary Fund projects that the Chinese economy will grow by approximately 4.5% in 2026, a pace that remains well below the rapid growth rates the country posted in previous decades. While the strong September export figures give Beijing a boost in hitting its full-year growth target of 4.5% to 5%, the solid trade performance does not address the fundamental problem of weak domestic demand that continues to weigh on the economy.

  • Verkeerde arrestant vrijgelaten uit cellenhuis Geyersvlijt

    Verkeerde arrestant vrijgelaten uit cellenhuis Geyersvlijt

    A critical administrative blunder at a Surinamese police station has left law enforcement hunting for a suspect who was released from custody by mistake earlier this week. The error, which occurred on Wednesday afternoon at the Geyersvlijt police precinct, saw 42-year-old Cecilson Jurgen Raymond, a suspect detained in connection with a major narcotics and organized criminal enterprise case, walk free from the station’s holding cells when he was not supposed to.

    The mix-up unfolded at approximately 4:50 p.m. local time, according to initial police reports. Investigations into the incident have confirmed that Raymond was incorrectly processed for release instead of another detainee being held at the same facility: Cecilson Armanai Rihanna, who had been scheduled to be released from custody that afternoon. Both detainees share the same unusual first name, which authorities have suggested may have contributed to the identification error, though no official confirmation of this detail has been released.

    As of Thursday morning, law enforcement officials confirmed that they have launched an urgent manhunt to take Raymond back into custody. Authorities have not yet clarified what specific procedural gaps or oversights allowed the mix-up to occur, and investigations are still ongoing to determine the full set of circumstances that led to the wrongful release. Police have not issued any public warnings about potential danger to the public associated with Raymond’s release, but have reiterated that their top priority is apprehending the suspect as quickly as possible to resolve the error.

  • Herinrichting Domineestraat medio november afgerond

    Herinrichting Domineestraat medio november afgerond

    A major infrastructure redevelopment project on Suriname’s Domineestraat, stretching between Neumanpad and Steenbakkerijstraat, is progressing according to schedule and is set to wrap up by mid-November, local public works officials have confirmed.

    Launched on August 3, the overhaul project has now entered its final phase of construction. Work on the northern section of the street’s sidewalk has already been fully completed, while the southern sidewalk is between 60 and 70 percent finished, according to project updates. Vikash Moenna, deputy director of Dry Civil Engineering at Suriname’s Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning (OWRO), shared that sidewalk paving works are on track to be finished by the end of October, at the latest by the first week of November. The first preliminary layer of asphalt was laid down as early as the third week of August, months ahead of the final completion timeline. Once all sidewalk paving is finalized, crews will apply the permanent top layer of asphalt, followed by installation of new road markings and traffic signage to wrap up the project.

    Monna emphasized that the full redevelopment was a critical necessity for the area. The old road surface had deteriorated severely over time, causing worsening damage to both the roadway and adjacent sidewalks, while also creating persistent failures in the existing sewage drainage network. As part of the overhaul, construction teams have fully removed the old asphalt layer and outdated sewage system, replaced it with a brand-new drainage network, rebuilt the road’s foundational base, laid the preliminary asphalt layer, and carried out new sidewalk paving work.

    Like all active road construction projects, the Domineestraat overhaul has caused some temporary disruption to local businesses operating along the route. However, Moenna noted that local entrepreneurs have been understanding of the work, recognizing that the finished upgrade will ultimately improve access to the area and boost the overall local environment, which will benefit their operations long-term. To minimize disruption and keep traffic moving safely throughout construction, the ministry has placed temporary traffic signage along the route, and implemented dedicated accommodations to keep pedestrian access to sidewalks open for local residents and visitors.

    Following the completion of sidewalk paving, the project team will lay the second and final asphalt top layer, then add new road markings and all remaining traffic infrastructure. “After we finish the top asphalt layer, we will move forward with installing traffic infrastructure, road markings, and signage, after which we will carry out the first handover of the project,” Moenna explained. If construction continues to stay on its current schedule, the fully upgraded stretch of Domineestraat will be ready for its first official handover to the government by mid-November.

  • Cotino wil betere bescherming belastingplichtigen in nieuwe Invorderingswet

    Cotino wil betere bescherming belastingplichtigen in nieuwe Invorderingswet

    During parliamentary debate on proposed new tax collection legislation, National Assembly member Rossellie Cotino of the NDP party has outlined key gaps and proposed targeted amendments to create a fairer balance of rights between the tax authority and the taxpayers it serves.

    Cotino, who serves on the committee of rapporteurs reviewing the bill, argues that the current draft focuses disproportionately on expanding the powers of the tax authority to recover outstanding taxes and associated costs, while failing to enshrine clear legal protections for taxpayers owed refunds for overpaid or wrongfully collected taxes. She emphasized that taxpayers need legal certainty that any improperly collected funds will be returned to them within clearly defined statutory timelines, and pressed the government to specify where in the national legal framework refund processes are formally regulated.

    A core criticism from Cotino is that the proposed framework creates an imbalanced, one-sided system: it provides the state robust tools to collect taxes and pass collection costs onto taxpayers, but offers no clarity on how citizens and business owners can claim back funds they are owed, nor does it address whether taxpayers can recover the costs they incur when pursuing legitimate refunds.

    Beyond refund protections, Cotino has raised questions over the bill’s provisions for collection interest. Under the current draft, the applicable interest rate is set solely by state decree, with no parameters outlined in the primary legislation. She has proposed codifying the foundational methodology for calculating this interest in the act itself, suggesting it could be benchmarked to the central bank rate or prevailing market rate for consistency and transparency. She also called on the government to clarify whether interest can be charged on unpaid collection costs, a point currently unaddressed in the draft.

    Cotino also turned attention to the rules governing recoverable collection costs passed onto taxpayers, specifically highlighting Article 60 which regulates costs for publicizing planned asset sales to recover tax debt. She argued that allowing recovery of only actual incurred costs is insufficient; the legislation should explicitly require that all recoverable costs be reasonably necessary, protecting taxpayers from excessive, unnecessary charges. For example, she noted that advertising costs can vary drastically depending on whether notice is published on a government website or in a national print newspaper, with no current guardrails to prevent taxpayers from being billed for inflated, unnecessary advertising expenses.

    To address the problem of outdated collection tariff schedules that require cumbersome legislative overhauls to update, Cotino put forward a concrete proposal for automatic annual indexation. Rather than fixing tariffs in legislation and updating them only through ad hoc state decrees, she recommends embedding an automatic annual adjustment tied to the consumer price index in the law. Adjustments would take effect each January 1, based on data from the General Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with revised tariffs formally published by December 1 of the preceding year to give taxpayers and businesses advance clarity. She noted that parliament previously required multiple time-consuming sessions to update an outdated tariff in the Funeral Act, and a statutory indexation rule would eliminate such cumbersome procedures entirely. She added that the model could also be adopted for tariff schedules in the Customs Act and other tax legislation to improve long-term efficiency.

    Additional proposed changes relate to legal protections for taxpayers filing objections to collection measures. Cotino pointed out that Article 15 of the draft currently restricts the grounds for objection, and is missing an explicit allowance for objections when the amount claimed has been set too low, not just too high. She argued the amendment is necessary to account for a full range of scenarios that may arise in practice.

    Cotino also proposed several technical legislative adjustments: splitting transitional and closing provisions into separate standalone articles, and framing reference to the responsible minister in general terms (i.e., the minister responsible for finance and tax matters) rather than using the current formal name of the Ministry of Finance and Planning. This change would avoid the need for future legislative amendments if the ministry’s name or institutional structure is modified.

    Acknowledging that the government has already shown willingness to incorporate parliamentary proposals into the draft bill during the review process, Cotino expressed hope that her additional recommendations will also be integrated. She emphasized that tax authority reform should not only deliver more efficient tax collection, but also guarantee clear rights, reasonable costs and greater legal certainty for all taxpayers, both individual citizens and business owners.

  • Jamaica ontvangt eerste groep door VS uitgezette migranten

    Jamaica ontvangt eerste groep door VS uitgezette migranten

    On Tuesday, Jamaica welcomed its first group of 22 non-national migrants deported from the United States, marking the first transfer completed under a controversial bilateral agreement reached with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The deal designates Jamaica as a temporary transit hub for migrants who will ultimately be routed to their countries of origin or other final destinations.

    The transported group included 15 men and 7 women who originated from Ecuador and one European nation. They touched down at Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport. According to Jamaica’s Minister of National Security and Peace, Horace Chang, one additional migrant was denied entry upon arrival, while two others were withdrawn from the transfer process before it was finalized. No children were included in the group. The remaining 22 migrants completed entry processing after landing, then were transported by bus under police escort to an undisclosed location.

    Under the terms of the arrangement, migrants are granted a maximum 90-day stay in Jamaica. Chang confirmed that the official goal is to coordinate their return to their home countries within a 14-day window. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency, has been tasked with managing the migrants’ reception, accommodation, and onward travel arrangements. The Jamaican government has capped arrivals at 25 migrants every two weeks, and the entire program will be paused if 10 migrants submit asylum claims or request other forms of humanitarian protection. Officials have also stressed that no migrants with criminal records will be accepted under the program, and all arrivals have undergone both medical screenings and comprehensive security checks.

    The bilateral agreement between Jamaica and the United States was formalized as a memorandum of understanding in June, with final implementation procedures settled in September. Jamaican authorities have repeatedly emphasized that the country only serves as a transit point, and the Jamaican government will not bear any associated costs. Per the agreed implementation rules, the U.S. will cover all service costs administered by the competent international organization leading the transit process.

    The arrival of the first migrant group has reignited widespread criticism of the agreement across Jamaica. The country’s main opposition party, the People’s National Party (PNP), is demanding that the governing administration release the full text of the agreement, disclose transfer schedules and security protocols, and submit the deal for parliamentary review.

    Fitz Jackson, the PNP’s national security spokesperson, called it unacceptable that the Jamaican public has been barred from seeing the terms of a deal that carries potential risks to the country’s national security. The opposition has pushed for clarity on multiple key points, including where the migrants are being housed, who is overseeing their care, and what legal liability Jamaica will face if a destination country refuses to accept the migrants. Opposition leader Mark Golding has also publicly questioned what tangible benefits Jamaica will gain from the agreement.

    Jamaica’s Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith has defended the arrangement, saying the government negotiated robust safeguards to protect Jamaica’s national interests and security. However, she acknowledged that the U.S. has refused to approve the public release of the full memorandum.

    Damion Gordon, a political scientist at the University of the West Indies, has called on the government to increase transparency and conduct a thorough review of the legal obligations Jamaica has taken on. Gordon warned that the country could face unexpected legal and moral liabilities if the planned repatriation of migrants does not go according to schedule.

    These concerns tie into broader global pushback against the U.S. policy of deporting non-citizen migrants to third countries with which the migrants may have no established ties. Human rights organizations and legal advocates have challenged the legality of such deportations, particularly when migrants are not given adequate opportunity to prove they would face danger if sent to a third country. The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily allowed the Trump administration to continue third-country deportations while legal challenges proceed, but the core question of the policy’s legality remains unresolved.

    Jamaica is now part of a growing network of countries that have reached deals with Washington to host and transit third-country deportees. According to Third Country Deportation Watch, a joint initiative of Refugees International and Human Rights First, at least 35 countries have signed similar agreements with the U.S.

    This first transfer to Jamaica has turned abstract debate over the deal into a concrete policy issue. Over the coming weeks, stakeholders will be watching closely to see if the government can uphold its promised safeguards, if all migrants can be repatriated within the agreed timeline, and if the opposition will succeed in winning greater public access to the terms of the bilateral agreement.