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Redman wrote::roll:
By that dotish logic ZR...you ve wasted your PNM education....and still enjoying the benefits of the PNM decisions going back to independence.
You should be ashamed .....neemakaram.
zoom rader wrote:Redman wrote::roll:
By that dotish logic ZR...you ve wasted your PNM education....and still enjoying the benefits of the PNM decisions going back to independence.
You should be ashamed .....neemakaram.
Sorry bro, I escaped PNM bondage as I never had a PNM education .
zoom rader wrote:Yeah I did common entrance and did not get enough marks for a Jun sec, so ended up post primary at coffee boys.
Habit7 wrote:zoom rader wrote:Redman wrote::roll:
By that dotish logic ZR...you ve wasted your PNM education....and still enjoying the benefits of the PNM decisions going back to independence.
You should be ashamed .....neemakaram.
Sorry bro, I escaped PNM bondage as I never had a PNM education .
But ZR i thought last month u said:zoom rader wrote:Yeah I did common entrance and did not get enough marks for a Jun sec, so ended up post primary at coffee boys.
???
Redman wrote::roll:
By that dotish logic ZR...you ve wasted your PNM education....and still enjoying the benefits of the PNM decisions going back to independence.
You should be ashamed .....neemakaram.
zoom rader wrote:Meanwhile, the PNM Prime Minister runs off to Jamaica to lick their butts and beg for forgiveness from deporting illegal Jamaica migrants.
Immigration officers doing their wuk which appears to be one of the better run offices in the public service.
PNM making a mess of this as usual
coolfiger wrote:So far all i seeing is blame kamla ... So if the past admin did sheit and firetruck up d economy.. That gives the pnm the right to continue ..... Thats wht im getting here . So you say 9 months is not enough to build a nation ... Fine i agree . But tell me what areas do you see the government fertilizing and moulding for us to have a better tomorow ! Have farmers been given any incentive ? They said buy local ! Fertilizer price and plant food has gone up due to increased taxes . Do you know maritime repairs was a prospering business until govt killed it with tax . Barbados has since taken over as caribbean lead for maritime repairs. Small businesses are feelin the brunt of import tax many have closed down . All road works to caroni farmlands where people have huge gardens have stopped . Taxi fares gone up ..... But i would like to give them a chance .... I just cant see the light at the end of the tunnel . The only businesses thAt prospering is audit companies. The govt is set on finding every wrong doing by the last govt and exposing it . Which i think is great . Lock up d beyotches who theif incl kamla or who ever else but at the same time focus on the country. We dont want to get like vene but everyone in the pnm govt so far has said absolutely nothing of merit ! Tell me if im wrong. But whaf have they said ? What have they positioned us for . Are we trying to win a gold medal for auditing or should we try to stimulate other means of economic growth. Sadly both parties are old fools and would not even understand economic expansion tru electronic means.... So again i want to know where are we headed oil screwed us so what does the govt suggest we do.... Apparently they are fingers crossed waiting on a increase in price
desifemlove wrote:coolfiger wrote:So far all i seeing is blame kamla ... So if the past admin did sheit and firetruck up d economy.. That gives the pnm the right to continue ..... Thats wht im getting here . So you say 9 months is not enough to build a nation ... Fine i agree . But tell me what areas do you see the government fertilizing and moulding for us to have a better tomorow ! Have farmers been given any incentive ? They said buy local ! Fertilizer price and plant food has gone up due to increased taxes . Do you know maritime repairs was a prospering business until govt killed it with tax . Barbados has since taken over as caribbean lead for maritime repairs. Small businesses are feelin the brunt of import tax many have closed down . All road works to caroni farmlands where people have huge gardens have stopped . Taxi fares gone up ..... But i would like to give them a chance .... I just cant see the light at the end of the tunnel . The only businesses thAt prospering is audit companies. The govt is set on finding every wrong doing by the last govt and exposing it . Which i think is great . Lock up d beyotches who theif incl kamla or who ever else but at the same time focus on the country. We dont want to get like vene but everyone in the pnm govt so far has said absolutely nothing of merit ! Tell me if im wrong. But whaf have they said ? What have they positioned us for . Are we trying to win a gold medal for auditing or should we try to stimulate other means of economic growth. Sadly both parties are old fools and would not even understand economic expansion tru electronic means.... So again i want to know where are we headed oil screwed us so what does the govt suggest we do.... Apparently they are fingers crossed waiting on a increase in price
mr. habit?
coolfiger wrote:Yuh cant fite a pnmite nah ... I Own a maritime repair company and he want to tell me when my business decline ...
Vertigrow calcium nitrate which is used by most hydrophinic farmers such as myself has gone from 200 a gal to 350 a gal . Most of the other brands have gone up as well . Im sure you gonda quote some dotish article but is not about he say she say . In the real world its happening . Sad to say you disapproved everything i said except the fact that the pnm has achieved nothing so i am assuming you agree with me on this as you has nothing to say .
But why defend a party that does nothin but occupy space ?
zoom rader wrote:^^^ Which part of PNM is inefficient?
coolfiger wrote:Sorry to say this but when you are a blind pnm .... Nothing can help you . Just to show how they are mis informed
http://www.cnc3.co.tt/press-release/yac ... t-measures
And implying my drop in business has nothing to do with pnm . Every freikin contractor in chaguramas who service foreign boats are feeling it . Most foreign boats are heading to barbados now as its cheaper there . Who should i blame for this vat addition ... Jack frost ? Santa clause ... How about obama ! Cuz definately is not rowley and he dotish regime that implement this right ? He can never do wrong
Habit7 wrote:Dizzy28 wrote:^ Wasn't the purpose of VAT exemptions within the Yachting industry for the purpose of competing regionally as opposed to giving the local yacht owners a bligh?
This is no different from offering incentives under any of the existing legislation for the purpose of boosting exports. e.g. Freezones
The reason why I didn't respond to this because it is based on the silly notion that removing a consumption tax controls prices. The factors affecting the yachting has to do with piracy, local crime, bureaucracy and many other issues. We no longer can afford to forgo tax income while not addressing the other factors that affect the industry. When you have to repair your car do you go by the cheap mechanic under a mango tree or do you go by the profession who has all the equipment and tool, warranties and a nice place for you to wait. I won't mind paying the extra price.Reviving T&T's yachting business
Dixie-Ann Dickson
Published: Thursday, April 12, 2012
T&T’s yachting industry, which had its hey day in the mid-1990s, has been drowning for the past 15 years and is struggling to revive itself. There has been a steady decline of yacht arrivals from 2000-2011, where annual figures consistently fell from 2,500 to 1,030. One of the key stakeholders in the yachting industry, Donald Stollmeyer, chief executive officer of Power Boats, and president of the Yacht Services Association of T&T (YSATT), knows all too well what the issues are. Powerboats, which was established in 1991, was the first commercial marine in Chaguaramas. Stollymeyer said while the other Caribbean countries managed to keep their industry afloat, T&T pushed cruisers away due to increased crime, high costs, piracy sailing between Grenada and Trinidad, poor customer service, reduced skilled labour, service providers’ inability to meet deadlines, shoddy workmanship, oil spills, archaic Immigration and Customs laws and quarantine issues. But don't worry folks, no VAT will solve that
In short, Stollmeyer said T&T lost its overall attractiveness and competitive edge. In a telephone interview, followed by a visit to his office at Power Boats in Chaguaramas last Wednesday, Stollmeyer explained the main drawback to the yachting sector growing again is the archaic Immigration and Customs laws. “The immigration clearance procedures are long and tedious. Yachties have to fill out about four forms for both arrival and departures, which are multi-copied,” Stollmeyer said. “In Grenada and other Caribbean countries, there is only one form that is filled out for both agencies.” Yachties in Trinidad are prohibited from sailing freely from bay to bay within the peninsula unless they notify Immigration or Customs first. “It is frustrating. This is not the experience in other countries.” To compound the situation, Stollmeyer said officers from both agencies do not understand the value of the industry when they provide poor customer service and make it difficult for yachting arrivals. Stollmeyer explained that because T&T is located below the hurricane belt, yachties usually come to Trinidad during the hurricane season, which is the rainy season. They sometimes require an extension because the hurricane may last longer, but Immigration refuses their application.
Crime, piracy, rising costs
Stollmeyer said in 2008, yachties experienced piracy attacks travelling between Grenada and T&T. The industry has not yet recovered from the fallout from those traumatic experiences. “A spate of dinghy and other types of theft over the last two years, in particular, had a big negative impact as it discouraged cruisers from visiting T&T.” Quarantine of yachties pets is another obstacle. Stollmeyer said attendants have often refused to go to Piarco international airport when the need arises, but most times yachties’ pets are not allowed.
T&T’s loss is the region’s gain.
T&T has faced increased competition from other regional boatyards and mariners that worked hard to improve their attractiveness: Grenada, Curacao, St Lucia, Antigua and St Martin.
T&T’s yachting golden years
According to the Cruising World Web site, the yachting industry became very popular in the early 1990s. It stated that until the beginning of the 1990s, the foreign yachting sector was limited to occasional visits, often during Carnival. But this trend has changed Stollmeyer said. Yacht arrivals seldom visit at Carnival time. In 1991, the report said the first yacht haulout facility was established in Chaguaramas when Power Boats commissioned a 50-tonne marine hoist with an onland storage capacity for about 45 vessels.
Crusing World said T&T’s yachting sector took off due to:
• the increasing need for yachting hurricane shelters
• the escalating cost of marine insurance for yachts north of the hurricane belt
• quality workmanship
• and, the availability of skilled and unemployed labour following the 1970s oil boom
Another facility soon followed Power Boats.
T&T now had a thriving yachting industry.
The report said that Customs’ records showed 637 foreign boats came to Trinidad in 1990, which increased steadily through 1994 when 1,459 arrived. That number spiked in 1995 to 2,307 and nearly hit 3,000 in 1999. Trinidad yachting industry peaked in 2000, said a 2000 report by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Eclac). However, from 2001, the industry trended downhill. There was a a 32 per cent drop in yacht arrivals from 2001-2002. In 2003, transient cruising boats contributed an estimated US$25 million to the T&T economy and employed roughly 1,400 people, the study found. External factors also affected the local yachting sector. One of them was the weakening global economies and the fall of United States and European stock markets.
Turnaround strategies
YSATT, established in 1993, had 100 members. Like the industry, its membership fell in 2005, though not as dramatically, to 96. More opted out. Today, YSATT has 64 registered members. Although small in number, Stollmeyer said Ysatt would continue to fulfil its mandate: promote the development of T&T’s yachting services industry. “The association works closely with Customs and Immigration and liaises with the Government. We also provide a forum for dispute resolution between yachting arrivals, boatyards and contractors and assist in cleaning oil spills.” Stollmeyer said YSATT plans to use its cluster of products and services to help rebuild the industry.
For example, Powerboats provides array of services and products: woodworking, welding, rigging, tank cleaning, upholstery, restaurant, rooms, engine repair, fibre repair, painting, marine store, chandlery, and painting. Other marinas and service organisations include Crews Inn Hotel and Yachting Centre, Budget Marine, Peake Yacht Services, Coral Cove Marina, Hotel Ltd and Industrial Marine Services. To preserve the yachting sector’s survival, Stollmeyer said his organisation provides superior customer service and offers competitive prices.
Power Boats has had to reduce its staff from 190 to 140. His boatyard once hauled 476 boats in 2002, but that number fell to 389 in 2010. There was an upturn in 2011 with 420 boats. “So the decline is not so disastrous that we can’t rebuild the industry,” Stollmeyer said. Wazir Martinez, procurement administrator at Budget Marine, said its business was also affected by reduced yacht arrivals. However, Martinez sad Budget Marine has expanded its range of products to lure local customers. Stollmeyer, who is also chairman of the Cabinet-appointed Yacht Steering Committee, is working with the Government and other stakeholders to turn around the industry. The committee, which was instituted by the Government is responsible for establishing the requisite policy and guidelines for the industry. The three-year-old chairman sain the committee is hopeful because most governments in the past were not very supportive of the industry, which was another issue. He said YSATT commissioned a 2011 study to determine the yachting sector’s annual contribution to T&T’s gross domestic product (GDP). The results: GDP fell within the last decade from $130 million to $116 million.
Trade Minister Stephen Cadiz: No easy fix
The Business Guardian spoke with Trade and Industry Minister Stephen Cadiz two weeks ago via telephone, who reiterated most of the problems Stollmeyer outlined. Cadiz said none of these issues are easy to fix. The biggest issue, he said, is that T&T is still operating under old marine law. He said T&T’s marine laws are being modernised and would presented to Parliament soon. To deal with security in and around the peninsula, there is now an increased security presence in the area. Skilled labourers, trade and craftsmen would now be upgraded to international standard through a new certified programme offered by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education. He said the Government is also working on securing accommodation for Immigration and Customs officers at Chaguaramas.
Stollmeyer said stakeholders have created a presentation for Immigration and Customs officers showcasing the value of yaching arrivals to the T&T economy and the potential of its growth. Cadiz said the Government would be looking at finding a solution to the quarantine issues. He said the Government will not only support, but also spend more to advertise and market the industry as its stakeholders have done for years. “They have been attending various cruisers shows. In May, they would be attending one in Florida and the other in England around September, which, in the past, has actively boosted Trinidad’s profile,” Cadiz said. Stollmeyer said the yachting policy has been updated and is before Cadiz to determine if a Yachting Act is required to take the yachting sector to a second boom.
http://m.guardian.co.tt/business-guardi ... g-business
coolfiger wrote:Yuh cant fite a pnmite nah ... I Own a maritime repair company and he want to tell me when my business decline ...
Vertigrow calcium nitrate which is used by most hydrophinic farmers such as myself has gone from 200 a gal to 350 a gal . Most of the other brands have gone up as well . Im sure you gonda quote some dotish article but is not about he say she say . In the real world its happening . Sad to say you disapproved everything i said except the fact that the pnm has achieved nothing so i am assuming you agree with me on this as you has nothing to say .
But why defend a party that does nothin but occupy space ?
coolfiger wrote:Yuh cant fite a pnmite nah ... I Own a maritime repair company and he want to tell me when my business decline ...
Vertigrow calcium nitrate which is used by most hydrophinic farmers such as myself has gone from 200 a gal to 350 a gal . Most of the other brands have gone up as well . Im sure you gonda quote some dotish article but is not about he say she say . In the real world its happening . Sad to say you disapproved everything i said except the fact that the pnm has achieved nothing so i am assuming you agree with me on this as you has nothing to say .
But why defend a party that does nothin but occupy space ?
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