Why would govt purchase No mans land!

[Ben_spanna]

Government has purchased the controversial Buccoo Estate in Tobago, popularly known as No Man’s Land, for $174, 806,775 million.

The 398.42 acre property

Hold on ONE big fricking second here... I thought Trinidad does NOT have money? I thought we spent it all on a worthless Stadium for cricket ????
Why in the hell would our govt WASTE money when SO much more Important things need to be attended to?

[vaiostation]

1% men controlling de show not the pnm. Decisions have already been made behind the scenes.
So just hush and pay ya tax... More tax coming later this year so you might have to get a second job...

Also fixing the stadium isn't really the priority here. You hadda look at who got the contracts there.

When will people realize that these political parties don't come into government to help the country. It's about paying back financiers and fixing up themselves and they family...

[Ben_spanna]

^^^ YEs I know all of this viostation, but why do the people sit back quietly and allow the government to do this to us over and over ?
As business people if you speak out, you and your company and your family become victims of political assassination, this current government has been doing so much wrong yet the general public is NOT crying out!

[Dizzy28]

But as far as I am aware that land is owned by Angostura which is owned in turn owned by CL Financial which is owned by the GORTT.
So in essence the Government paid themselves.

[whizzard]

Well as long as we continue with the PNM vs UNC fighting amongst ourselves, they are free to do whatever they want. Ask too many questions and a new smoke screen emerges, no answera are given and like a child we move on to the next distraction.

[Redress10]

^^^ YEs I know all of this viostation, but why do the people sit back quietly and allow the government to do this to us over and over ?
As business people if you speak out, you and your company and your family become victims of political assassination, this current government has been doing so much wrong yet the general public is NOT crying out!

Because they are all stupid and easily distracted with idiot things such as carnival and "band launches", "1%" discussions at the dinner table, wanna be socialites carnival fights and the list goes on and on. Also, they are silently hoping to be given some scraps or crumbs under the dinner table if they find favor with the ruling class. They know that if given the chance they would do the same or even worst.

[maj. tom]

^They pay off the unions and leaders so there can be no organised protest against the establishment for the increasing grievances. You cannot expect working people to go out there and protest when they have to work to pay taxes. People don't actively protest unless their family and lives are in danger. Protests have to be organized by a legitimate body.
And that's the common cry of the internetz trini "we like it so, why we doh protest, why we letting it happen, in other countries they would protest..."
What can the middle class population do individually?

"As long as the population has the basic needs of food (First world is obese now), entertainment (TV, internet, etc), and shelter (most of us have housing of some sort), other issues are easily overlooked or pardoned by the population. Laziness is the most effective weapon against revolution."


Revolution requires the following things:
Actual problems
A united cause with clear objectives and solutions
A Leader or group of leaders
A trained population to commit themselves to either violence or non-violence.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=469338&p=7240414#p7240414

[Redress10]

^^^^ Let's not even start with those unions aka dinosaurs. They are the absolute worst here. Another distraction ofc. Anyone see the police union trying to stop the body cameras? How does one go on tv and try to justify that?

[hydroep]

Doh worry, Property Tax go pay fuh dat...

[Strugglerzinc]

Time for Sandals 2.0 ?

[Dave]

That seems like the eventual plan. Reminds me of ppl who have the latest phone and on pay day say they have no money.

[eliteauto]

Amazing how with access to the internet people can still make a thread like this. All the information prior to the transfer was in the public domain for months. The only info not readily accessible now is the land valuation which based on shareholders suggests the government got the land and a grossly undervalued price. In addition to Sandals there are two other resort developers interested in the property. Now it's just wait and see

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Two years later we go hear the land belonged to the nephew in law of a mp

[nemisis]

Two years later we go hear the land belonged to the nephew in law of a mp

considering the size of Trinidad this is always going to be the case so what's the point you trying to make?

[Dizzy28]

Amazing how with access to the internet people can still make a thread like this. All the information prior to the transfer was in the public domain for months. The only info not readily accessible now is the land valuation which based on shareholders suggests the government got the land and a grossly undervalued price. In addition to Sandals there are two other resort developers interested in the property. Now it's just wait and see

The Shareholders and Policy holders have their own agenda and any statements they make has to be taken with a grain of salt.
Given a 2015 valuation those figures the shareholders quoting is very much inflated.

I personally have no problem with any resort development. Everybody clamoring for the Government to diversify, do things, be proactive, develop Tourism etc. GORTT announces a resort and suddenly everybody loses their mind and have a problem.
Jobs and Economic growth doesn't always come out the ground and into pipelines like we as a nation accustomed too.

[Dizzy28]

Two years later we go hear the land belonged to the nephew in law of a mp

There is so much newspaper articles with recent times detailing the ownership.
It used to be part of CL Financial and they sold it to GORTT via subsidiary companies.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2017-07- ... -land-govt

[10-01]

Buccoo Estate in Tobago, popularly known as No Man’s Land, for $174, 806,775 million.

so PNM has money to buy No man land to build a resort but

1.Hospital has no drugs
2.people hav no jobs
3.flooding all over
4.no money for salaries
5.renting a boat to tobago


should i go on ?

[Ben_spanna]

EXACTLY!- yet there are "clowns" here that would blindly defend their precious government!

Buccoo Estate in Tobago, popularly known as No Man’s Land, for $174, 806,775 million.

so PNM has money to buy No man land to build a resort but

1.Hospital has no drugs
2.people hav no jobs
3.flooding all over
4.no money for salaries
5.renting a boat to tobago


should i go on ?

[Chimera]

its going to be offered to sandals to build a resort

which is another issue

sandals does get all kinda 10-20 year tax concessions when they agree to build a resort

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2016-06- ... ews-impact

Sandals collects an Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax (ABST) from its customers and, according to Browne, keeps 65 per cent of the yields. The Antigua and Barbuda government is trying to change this, but Stewart is claiming it means the rescinding of a concession agreement with Sandals.

The disagreement with the Antigua and Barbuda government highlights the extent to which Sandals polarises opinion about its business model in the Caribbean. The Sandals chain, founded by Jamaican billionaire Gordon Butch Stewart, has asked for significant tax concessions in other islands in which the all-inclusive hotel chain operates.

In Antigua and Barbuda, the Sandals Resort pays no direct taxes to the government treasury, an agreement that extends for another 25 years. It also pays no taxes on imported capital items, none on food or beverage, and none on items needed for resort improvements.

Meanwhile, in Barbados, Sandals also negotiated a 25-year tax holiday on all import duties, imports and levies, including VAT on the importation or local purchase of all capital goods from Barbados—including hotel equipment, furniture, fixtures, vehicles, and computer equipment. Barbados also had to give a 25-year tax holiday on all food, alcohol and beverages imported or bought locally by the resort.

The question the Rowley administration has to consider is whether the economic impact of permanent tourism jobs created would outweigh the tax concessions Sandals is likely to demand.

A Sandals/Beaches Resort in Tobago would boost tourist numbers, and significantly help market Tobago as a tourist destination, says one hotel industry expert.

[Dizzy28]

You all would be vex that Sandals get a tax break.
Are you in agreement that Nestle should pay no taxes in Trinidad? Because they don't.

You develop industries through incentives. That's how it is worldwide.

[The_Honourable]

Government has purchased the controversial Buccoo Estate in Tobago, popularly known as No Man’s Land, for $174, 806,775 million.

The 398.42 acre property

Hold on ONE big fricking second here... I thought Trinidad does NOT have money? I thought we spent it all on a worthless Stadium for cricket ????
Why in the hell would our govt WASTE money when SO much more Important things need to be attended to?

Buccoo Estate in Tobago, popularly known as No Man’s Land, for $174, 806,775 million.

so PNM has money to buy No man land to build a resort but

1.Hospital has no drugs
2.people hav no jobs
3.flooding all over
4.no money for salaries
5.renting a boat to tobago

should i go on ?

Amm... although i think Rowley and co are clowns, the government did not take taxpayers money and purchased No Man's Land.

The Government made the decision to acquire the land which lowers CL Financial's debt by $174, 806,775 with approx 15 Billion in debt remaining. Why would the government pay CL Financial close to 175mil for the land where the company owes the government itself billions? Government simply recovered a fraction of their bailout in land.

It's like i loan you $100k. After some time, you are unable to pay the full debt in cash so i took your car valued at $40k with a remaining 60k owed to me.

[10-01]

Government has purchased the controversial Buccoo Estate in Tobago, popularly known as No Man’s Land, for $174, 806,775 million.

The 398.42 acre property

Hold on ONE big fricking second here... I thought Trinidad does NOT have money? I thought we spent it all on a worthless Stadium for cricket ????
Why in the hell would our govt WASTE money when SO much more Important things need to be attended to?

Buccoo Estate in Tobago, popularly known as No Man’s Land, for $174, 806,775 million.

so PNM has money to buy No man land to build a resort but

1.Hospital has no drugs
2.people hav no jobs
3.flooding all over
4.no money for salaries
5.renting a boat to tobago

should i go on ?

Amm... although i think Rowley and co are clowns, the government did not take taxpayers money and purchased No Man's Land.

The Government made the decision to acquire the land which lowers CL Financial's debt by $174, 806,775 with approx 15 Billion in debt remaining. Why would the government pay CL Financial close to 175mil for the land where the company owes the government itself billions? Government simply recovered a fraction of their bailout in land.

It's like i loan you $100k. After some time, you are unable to pay the full debt in cash so i took your car valued at $40k with a remaining 60k owed to me.

my bad they should sell it and invest it into the country and not build on it .... for sure that will cause environmental destruction of the life on the reef and if ema gives the government the green light to do such a thing well is puppets all over

[shake d livin wake d dead]

Two years later we go hear the land belonged to the nephew in law of a mp

considering the size of Trinidad this is always going to be the case so what's the point you trying to make?

my point simply is...somebody must eat ah food...if the land is really for the hotel project....some mp go have ah in law with a contracting company to get summn...just the way it is

[10-01]

Two years later we go hear the land belonged to the nephew in law of a mp

considering the size of Trinidad this is always going to be the case so what's the point you trying to make?

my point simply is...somebody must eat ah food...if the land is really for the hotel project....some mp go have ah in law with a contracting company to get summn...just the way it is

currently no MP family has a contracting company .... still in the making .....

[pugboy]

Manning and Ewart Williams should take the blame for this whole fiasco of taking taxpayers billions
and lending without any collateral or repayment terms
They got hoodwinked by monteil, a former pnm treasurer and manning padna

as someone mentioned above, if you lend somebody money, the obvious thing is that you should try and take what is most valuable as collateral somehow.

It is no secret that duprey and his padnas wanting to take back control of the company
they are the ones who bankrupted the company as a big pyramid scheme
why arent the noisemakers making noise about them instead ?

if they take back control, they can and likely will choose to not pay us back the money loaned
so guess who would be ripped off in this case ?

btw these are the same folks who took the bailout money and paid themselves a bonus the week after manning give them it...........

[meccalli]

No hotel on No Man’s Land
Friday, July 28 2017

PRIME MINISTER Dr Keith Rowley said, yesterday, the proposed Sandals Resort would not be built on No Man’s Land in Tobago .

Addressing this issue at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, Rowley asked a reporter, “Do you think we are going to build a hotel on No Man’s Land?” When the reporter said no, the Prime Minister replied, “Good, thank you very much. Tell the rest of the country that.” He said the hotel was being built on Buccoo Estate .

Rowley said peop opposed to the project had been alleging “that the Government took land from this very wealthy company below value and we were probably breaking the law.” “Nothing is further from the truth,” he added .

He said the land on which the hotel was to be built was owned by two companies .

“The Government quite properly, through the relevant authority in all of this, the board, set off the monies owed for the value of those lands,” Rowley said .

He said the value of the lands was established by reputable, independent valuators in TT .

The Prime Minister said the law required the disposal of any assets held under the Central Bank to be done at fair market value and that “is exactly what the Government did.” He was confident his explanation would “put to rest” the notion that “the Government took land worth x and we paid half x for it.”
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,246960.html

[teems1]

398.42 acres is approximately 17,355,175.2 square feet.

It being sold for $174, 806,775 means it was sold at $10.07 per square foot.

That is seriously low considering the piece of land it is. That is a deal then if the Government got it so cheaply from CL.

[Morpheus]

You all would be vex that Sandals get a tax break.
Are you in agreement that Nestle should pay no taxes in Trinidad? Because they don't.

You develop industries through incentives. That's how it is worldwide.

^^Correct. Give us a break and we give your people employment and also use local milk - keep farmers employed.

[hydroep]

Under the Manning administration there was a conference on food prices where stakeholders had their say. A dairy farmer got up to speak and the man was almost to tears saying that local farmers were being forced to sell their milk to certain company at a price well below production cost, contributing in no small part to the decline of the industry.

Not sure if that issue was ever resolved.

[airuma]

398.42 acres is approximately 17,355,175.2 square feet.

It being sold for $174, 806,775 means it was sold at $10.07 per square foot.

That is seriously low considering the piece of land it is. That is a deal then if the Government got it so cheaply from CL.

Good! This is the first thing I checked. Land at Millennium Lakes was recently advertised as starting at $250.00/ sq.ft. I see land in very remote areas in Trinidad selling at $50/ sq.ft.
The Government got a steal of a deal here, let's hope they put it to good use and not use it to fatten their pockets and those of their financiers.