SCCI Proposes Strategy To Work With Ministry of Finance
MINISTRY OF FINANCE, TRADE
& INVESTMENT
PRESS
RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20.12.2013 | REF: MF032
Chamber of Commerce to work more closely with Finance Ministry
The Ministry of Finance, Trade and Investment (MFTI) and the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) will next year work more closely with a view to bring on board more proposals from the business community toward the work of the MFTI.
This point was made during
a meeting today between SCCI councillors and the Minister of Finance, Trade and
Investment, Pierre Laporte. Those discussions centred on the 2014 Budget
address and to mark the end of the year.
Mr Laporte gave a
commitment for more regular meetings with the Chamber during 2014 in order to
gain more private sector input and participation in the budget preparations and
other policy decisions going forward.
“Next year we need to talk
more often and we will be happy to look at proposals from SCCI as contributions
to the 2015 budget,” he stated.
Discussions at the meeting
were hailed as fruitful, with pertinent and constructive input made by the SCCI
councillors on topics such as enabling SME growth, local investment
opportunities, the impact of the salary increase on private businesses, and the
tax regime.
In particular, suggestions
to make the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) tax more equitable for businesses
were tabled, for which the Minister expressed his readiness to consider. Both
sides agreed to conduct further analysis on the proposals which would be
discussed during the coming year.
The Chairman of the SCCI,
Marco Francis, expressed his support for the 2014 Budget on issues such as the
Port Victoria development project, the extended support for the Fisheries
Development Fund and e-government initiatives.
“SCCI is all about promoting economic growth
for the people. I think it is vital to understand that merely because we do not
agree with every proposal from Government that we are against Government,” said
Mr Francis.
“As Government, we
recognize your mandate as a very important one,” agreed Minister Laporte. He
further acknowledged the help that SCCI offered towards identifying policy
issues that would help the private sector become more robust and vibrant.
The two sides also
discussed the issue of Government contribution toward the SCCI. In 2013,
Government gave a SR500,000 contribution to the Chamber and in 2014 it will
increase this contribution to SR750,000. Minister Laporte urged SCCI members to
contribute more actively to the funding of the organization.
Mr Laporte thanked the
SCCI for their input and said that MFTI would meet with the Chamber on a
quarterly basis in 2014 to work together on issues affecting the business
community in Seychelles.
END
Editorial Contact:
Hajira
Amla
Public
Relations and Communications Consultant
Ministry
of Finance, Trade and Investment
Email:
hajira.amla@finance.gov.sc
Tel:
(+248) 438 2037
Mobile:
(+248) 281 2656
Laporte moves go in the rifht direction.While most businesses agrred to CSR it must be kept in mind that CSR in defintion is an atruistic voluntary responsibility for it has to do with externalities.When CSR is not voluntary it is action under duress.In other words,PP forced CSR can be considered a second tax on businesses.
ReplyDeleteNow,Laporte somewhere in his comment said"CSR will help boost economic growth.I disagree with Laporte,for CSR is not a normal way of boost economic growth,Growth is achieved by productivity.Neither should CSR money collected be used to pay back govt.Debt,overspending,wastage,double salary and pension for life.
As a CSR contributor iwould like to see the benefit of CSR, i would like that CSR money usage is defined and used for specific National projects such as :Sponsoring our healthcare system,Building an artificial DAm to sovle our water shortage probelm for centuries to come,to develop new businesses(to boost economic growth) and boost enterpreneurship,sponsor projects such as renewedable energy etc....
Morevoer,governemnt shouldnot just racket businesses it should also lead by example by for instance,cancelling their self-given double salary increment,fight corruption,overspending,wastage,and cancelled their pension for life.
There is no justification that individuals who are physically and mentally fit to the likes RAM,pocket millions in illegal DOLL while as a physically fit persons he should be contributing to the country developemnt by doing an active job and also to make a living as any other Seychellois does namely by Working.Pp cannot continue to to encourage individuals like RAM to live on DOLL as if he is an handicap/DIsable who needs State helps.Such pratices encourage a culture of laziness,dependency on state.RAM should be send find a real job,and deliver his civic duty .
Jeanne D'Arc
I meant DOLE.
ReplyDeleteWHile i agree with Laporte that the S`CCI as an organization(very important roganization) should find means to fiance itself,we must must ask Laporte also to ensure that RAM finds himself a job and stop depedending of illegal pension for life,as a handicap.What Laporte gave to SCCI (which has a useful purposes)is not a drop of water in the Coean of minister self-given double salry,and pension for life.Illegal life pension cost our country multi-millions annaully thus it should be revised or cancelled.Cancel becuase i think any public servant earning over SR20 000 monthly should start paying TAX and stop beneeftiing from free healthcare,etc.....as i equally think EXPATS earning more than Sr 10 000 should aslo be made to contribute,the latter already benefit much more than locals with free house,free car,free flight ticket,free accommodation,bonus,etc...Some might argue that we all equal under the law so no need to pay tax while the rest of the population do not.WEll.first.the slary they earn is astrnomic and often voted by those concerns for thmeslves.Then i could argue that making those in the public sectors earning Sr 20 000 pay their dues,can be considered a positive descrimination.
ReplyDeleteJeanne D'Arc
After Dr Michel we have Dr FAURE graduated from the same Indain UNi as Michel.Their motto is when you cannot achieve one by hard and studious working at UNIVERSATIES then no worry The Indain Uni would give you one.I was told his thesis was about economy due to his experience as minister o ffinance the same two guys namely Michel/FUare who bankrupted us dry.
ReplyDeleteNow at last FAURE can gave up his degree earned in CUba in rolling Cigars--for FAR--and could compete with Michel at the same level.
Hijira ALma--donot sound Seychellois---Should maybe consider making Ministers earning over SR 20 000 monthly to make their contribution ,by paying Tax on their big fat salary.MAybe Laporte should stop sucking money from business persons and start paying his dues.I donot see why Laporte think business persons should give more from what is left after paying what are legally allow when he and his colleagues are eraning a big salary and all kinds of perks and donot pay INCOMe tax.tHEY CANNOT KEEP robbing Seychellois,serving themslves from our coffers at will,get bonus,life pension and all the other perks and walk out contributing nothing while they mis-manage the country and ask Seychellois to do the sacrifice to pay back for their mess.
ReplyDeleteLAPORTE pay you Income tax!
Faure has a honorary degree. It is a publicity stunt. Same was done for James Michel. It means nothing. Especially from AMITY University. My God! Idi Amin Faures ex president could get one from there.
ReplyDeleteCemetry the final palce to rest in peace has been vandalized .but by whom?Do not seem to be drug addicts who may think Hard drug hidden by Police thugs could still be found ther inside.COuld it be those fake Seychellois of Hindus ;Muslim origine who think our country should be their ,and our people should be converted inot their religion?What is clear is that Seychellois though Christians are not in anyway Relgious fanatics.What we could say and seen around the world is that in many countirs like India,Pakistan,and other palces is that relgious fanatism is acute,religious conflicts a dialy occurence and the willness to destory others religous symbols such as Hindus destorying Indian Christian churches is coomon palce and the probability that those imported fake Seychellois and all those primitzive Epats fanatics are behind that,which would mark the begiinnning of what Seychellois have been fearing of when the saw those anwanted HIndus,Muslims being imported on our once peaceful,non ethnical society.Seychellois need a real investigation by ogvernemnt in this affair and i could imagine due to the extends of the vandalism that finger printers,and other traces of evidence could be collected and nay one invovle apprehended.If nay are foreigners then we would ask partilepep who illegally,unilaterally brought those unwanted foreigners back to their country without delay and ensure that they donot come back anymore.We have seen in the past that Hundi expats think they have a legitimate rights to conduct relgious Hinud proccession in our Steeets or even Build Temple for them as if they are of Seychellois orgine and Seychellois.They even wants to reales arches from Burned bodies in our rivers like in India.They think Seychelles should be aprt of India or even the second Home and forced us to implememnt their wills ,their culture,tradition,and so on.
ReplyDeleteThough i donot have any proff ,it is difficult to imagine that Seychellois qwere behind this vandalism.Nd due to the amount of Tombs destory it could only be a big gruop of individuals who did it.
Moreveor,since it was in the early morning hours it could not be that no one living near by havenot heard anything.or observe groups of individuals around the cementry at a time when ususally there is no person on the road.
In the Past Status around the country was destroyed,that many Crosses were removed by partilepepe to Please Arabs.So we must look in Community of those illegal foreigners partilepep imported to take our land,our jobs,and finally enslaave us in our land.
We need to see a real and consequent reduction of Expats in our Land.20 000 PLUS eXPATS IS TOO MUCH AND SHOULD BE REDUCED IMMEDIATELY.
QUota should be set and not exceed.Expats once contract determinated should leave unconditionally and without possiblity to extend it,for providing extension means encouraging them to stay forever.
Yesterday it was our National Symbol the Coco De Mer who was attacked probably by Chinese thugs as many western tvs have shown happenng e.g in Tanzanai where Chinese sponsor,provide arms to locals in order to vcarry porching og Elelphant Ivories.In the Coco de Mer case ,it is no doubt that Chinese were behind,They are known from eating anything and destroying everything and have no sense toward enviroenemnt protection and so on.
WE NEED TO SEE THOSE INVOVLE ARRESTED AND JAILED AND IF THEY ARE FOREIGNERS DEPORTED AND FOLLOW BA A MAASIVE REDUCETION OF THEIR PRESENT ON OUR CHRISTIAN SOIL.
hOW MANY tUIMES HAVE WE WARNED PARTIELEPEP OF PAVING THE WAY FOR RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS,SOEMTHING NOW COMMON TO SEYCHELLOIS BUT A NORMAL AND DAILY PRATICIES IN pAKISTAN,iNDIA,AND OOTHER aSIEN COUNTIRES LIKE bAGLADESH AND SO ON.iMPORT PEOPEL FROM CHRISTIAN COUNTRY LIKE PHILLIPINES.
Profanation by Pp hard drug addicts Hooligans.A product of PP Rennaissance moral policy.Influence by Michel examples of wickedness .
ReplyDeleteJeanne D'Arc