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Crown Depedencies Summit Held

30 May 2012

The Isle of Mans Chief Minister Allan Bell recently held meetings with members of the Jersey and Guernsey governments to increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest and concern..

Bell met the recently-elected Chief Minister of Jersey, Ian Gorst, and Guernseys new Chief Minister, Peter Harwood, along with the islands deputy Chief Ministers and Treasury Ministers.

Ahead of his meetings, Bell noted that: "Whilst the Isle of Man and Channel Islands are often rivals in terms of competing for new business, there are also opportunities for us to work together for our mutual benefit.

Topics discussed at the meetings included the financial challenges facing each of the territories, policies for economic growth, and international developments, including in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Each of the three Crown Dependencies have been affected recently by changes in European rules on business taxation, which has triggered each of the territories to repeal, or schedule the repeal, of their tax regimes deemed distribution provisions. In addition, Jersey and Guernsey have recently suffered from the UK government's decision to revoke low-value consignment relief, a longstanding value-added tax concession on low value goods imported to the United Kingdom.

In comments ahead of the meetings, Bell said: [With the appointment of new Chief Ministers in each of the territories in the last twelve months] this is a new political era for the Crown Dependencies.

This weeks visits will provide an opportunity for me to strike up a personal rapport with both Harwood and Gorst, and deepen our understanding of each others priorities and aspirations. We are all experiencing similar challenges in terms of rebalancing our budgets and stimulating economic growth, and I am sure that our discussions around these common issues will be very positive and productive.

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Crown Depedencies Summit Held

Chief Minister to meet Channel Islands counterparts

by Richard Parslow

Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK is leading a senior Isle of Man Government delegation to the Channel Islands this week for a series of high-level meetings.

Mr Bell is meeting the recently elected Chief Minister of Jersey, Senator Ian Gorst, and Guernseys new Chief Minister, Deputy Peter Harwood, along with the Deputy Chief Ministers and Treasury Ministers of both islands.

The discussions will provide an opportunity to consider a wide range of issues facing all three Crown Dependencies, including financial challenges, the drive for economic growth, and developments within the UK and Europe.

Mr Bell, who is being accompanied by Treasury Minister Eddie Teare MHK, Chief Secretary Will Greenhow and Director of External Relations Della Fletcher, flew into Guernsey today (Tuesday, May 29) and will travel onwards to Jersey this evening.

The visits continue the Isle of Man Governments programme of engagement with political and business leaders in neighbouring jurisdictions.

All three Crown Dependencies have new Chief Ministers. Mr Bell was elected to the post in the Isle of Man in October 2011, Senator Gorst was appointed Chief Minister of the States of Jersey in November last year, while Deputy Harwood became Chief Minister of the States of Guernsey earlier this month.

Mr Bell said: This is a new political era for the Crown Dependencies following the recent general elections in the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, and the appointments of new Chief Ministers in all three islands. This weeks visits will provide an opportunity for me to strike up a personal rapport with both Deputy Harwood and Senator Gorst, and deepen our understanding of each others priorities and aspirations.

He added: We are all experiencing similar challenges in terms of rebalancing our budgets and stimulating economic growth, and I am sure that our discussions around these common issues will be very positive and productive. I am also looking forward to building my relationships with Deputy Harwood and Senator Gorst in the future, in particular when we represent our countries at international forums such as the British-Irish Council Summits.

It will be interesting to gain a personal insight into the current political and economic situation in Jersey and Guernsey. Whilst the Isle of Man and Channel Islands are often rivals in terms of competing for new business, there are also opportunities for us to work together for our mutual benefit.

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Chief Minister to meet Channel Islands counterparts

Ron Paul Real Plan VS Mitt Romney empty Promises – Video

28-05-2012 10:45 While Romney said his tax plan would not add to the deficit, he didn't offer specifics as to how he'd pay for his newly proposed tax cuts. Absent those offsets, the CRFB roughly estimates that his plan could add $2.6 trillion in debt, boosting debt to 96% of GDP by 2021. Ron Paul's plan Debt over next decade: Reduces it by $2.2 trillion, lowering debt to GDP to 76%. Costliest proposal: Get rid of various income taxes, such as the Alternative Minimum Tax and taxes on investment income, Social Security benefits and tips, at a cost of $2.5 trillion. Biggest cost saver: Reduce many parts of non-defense spending, such as eliminating five federal departments including education, commerce and energy, saving $4.5 trillion. Interest costs on the debt: Lowers it by $300 billion. FBI -- WARNING -- Federal law allows citizens to reproduce, distribute or exhibit portions of copyright motion pictures, video tapes, or video disks under certain circumstances without authorization of the copyright holder. This infringement of copyright is called fair use and is allowed for purposes of criticism, news reporting, teaching and parody.

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Ron Paul Real Plan VS Mitt Romney empty Promises - Video

Stop Job Killng Regulations from DC. Conservative Common Sense from Maria Sheffield. – Video

29-05-2012 13:58 Maria Sheffield, mariasheffield.com, is a Reagan conservative. Maria Sheffield supports small businesses and opposes job killing regulations from President Obama and Congressman John Barrow - Join Maria Sheffield's common sense conservative positive policy campaign at http Like the Maria Sheffield Facebook fanpage and follow her on Twitter: @mariasheffield.

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Stop Job Killng Regulations from DC. Conservative Common Sense from Maria Sheffield. - Video

It’s Tax Freedom Day…unless you happen to be super rich (in which case it came and went some time ago)

The Adam Smith Institute said today marks Tax Freedom Day - the point in the calendar when Britons stop working for the Treasury and begin to earn for themselves.

The institute's director, Dr Eamonn Butler, said: "Tax Freedom Day, which the Adam Smith Institute has been calculating for 25 years, is the plainest way to show what the tax burden really is.

"That is why the Treasury hates it. They of course want to conceal how much tax we pay, which is why they are so keen on stealth taxes."

The think tank adds levies including Vat, income tax, national insurance, council tax, excise duties, air passenger taxes, fuel and vehicle taxes in its calculations.

Dr Butler blamed the double-dip recession and increased Vat for pushing back the date by 48 hours compared with last year.

He added: "The stark truth is that this burden costs us all 149 days of hard labour every year.

"That's not how long a rich person has to work - it is the time the average person must labour for the tax collectors."

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It’s Tax Freedom Day…unless you happen to be super rich (in which case it came and went some time ago)