integrity

Be assured the Isle of Man government, the legal system and our judiciary are swimming around in a cesspool of their own making.

INTO THE LONG GRASS. Our new team of legislators, have failed the people of the Isle of Man. Their manifesto's at election time screamed for reform The reforms recommended in this report have the support of the people of the Isle of Man. Our masters made sure that this was discussed twelve months after they made sure our new members were given government responsibilities. This lot are not for reform, it only took twelve months to find them out.

How about a film by Pinewood, on off shore, money laundering,tax evasion,corporate deception,by the film industry? Whoops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The most interesting thing to me is that given Panama's popularity on the other side of the Atlantic and its known trading links with lawyers, tax advisors and business advisors across Latin America, Central America, and the USA not one U.S. Politician or business leader appears to have been caught up in any leak. The focus seems to have been exclusively on exposing the activities of Russians and other nationalities which are decidedly anti West. Maybe the European press aren't interested in exposing U.S. linked persons, but you would expect a provider on the side of the world that is also home to Delaware, Cayman, Bermuda etc, as well as Panama, to have had more than its fair share of U.S clients who would have got caught up in this mess. Mean while are man from The Dept Economic Development arrives in China to do buisnesss. What timing!!

I was rather hoping you might have the answer! Interesting that on the BBC regional news tonight no one from the Manx Government was available to comment on the Panamanian revelations. Here we are thrust in front of the world as a tax haven and our well paid politicians are to shy to appear in public to defend us. Surprised?

From the media development? Profits from films, exposure for the TT from Closer to the Edge and indirect income from film production on the island and most crucially a large benefit to GNP. Like Eddie all talk no substance. The followers of this thread will need more than the above examples. 49million pounds written off, none of the above fanciful examples will convince anybody.

There was a debate and vote for the pinewood investment which had a majority in favour. And as per usual one might wonder if half of them even knew what they were voting for? I doubt if anybody outside of Bell, Teare and maybe Skelly know the true facts of this, but I'm tempted to go along with Lib Van's appraisal of what's gone on. At the end of the day, our elected wise men have ploughed almost £50M of taxpayer's money into the Film Industry over the last 12-odd years. TANGIBLY, we have the remaining £10M-odd exposure, plus the £5M that we made an additional £2.5M profit on the sale of the shares. Therefore, simplistically speaking, we have £17.5M left of that original £50m. Therefore leaving £32.5M spent on a worthwhile cause or lost, according to your point of view. Now the story goes that this has brought all manner of intangible, unquantifiable benefits to the Isle of Man as a whole. Though being intangible and unquantifiable (arguably conveniently), nobody seems to be able to define exactly how. Particularly to the tune of £32.5M. It could however also be argued that this £50M might, under our current fiscal circumstances, with foresight, have been better spent elsewhere. Perhaps staving off NHS dental charges? Maintaining free school buses? Keeping Car Road Tax down for a couple of years maybe? Or even making an equally intangible dent in the MEA/Utilities Debt? Or keeping the Incinerator costs off the Rates for a bit longer.... I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle. The long and short of it is that the Isle of Man needed to and still needs to diversify its industry and income sources. Be that through tourism, engineering, eGaming, shippping, aircraft, film investment etc etc etc etc. I believe there has been tangible benefits to the island and I think if you isolated that £6m loss in the Zack Efron film then I think overall things might not look so bad over a 10-12 year period. We can always sit back at numorous financial decisions and think "that could have been spent here/there" but it doesn't work like that. Please what are those tangible benifits? I have no problem in our government searching and striving to look for opportunities and benifits in order for our country to prosper Sadly the last decade, two administrations, have shown none or little TANGIBLE benifit for their efforts. Please if you have examples of those TANGIBLE benifits can you give examples?

17 in favour, only 9 in the council of ministers which if I remember correctly included Peter Karren at the time who voted in favour in comin then didn't support in Tynwald. Only 1 against in Legco too. Given what is unfolding on this appalling waste of public money would our intrepid guardians in Tynwald and espescially Legco do the same? Yes, because they continually fail to do what there employed to do and that is ensure checks and balances on the Executive.

Given all the comments on this forum on the Steam Packet without doubt the Easter weekend has been a disaster for a considerable amount of people travelling to and from the Island. Our reputation has been considerable damaged. The response from those who are elected to protect our interests have gone AWOL (absent with out leave) What a mess. Will our media now confront those in power about these issues?

Has the above comment been addressed,is the profit made by the Isle of Man Treasury now exposed to UK tax? yes and yes, no profit has been made Woody2 I was discussing this in the pub of all places and I was challenged that no way was the this money that Eddie has earned on our behalf is exposed to UK tax? We have a reciprocal agreement, we declare our earnings to the Isle of Man tax and they make a charge. Is that the case?

Has the above comment been addressed,is the profit made by the Isle of Man Treasury now exposed to UK tax?

Press release in the paper today in the Examiner Tuesday, from Liberal Vannin, reflects a lot of the comments made over the last few days on this forum.

Nothing changed then since the user agreement was signed a decade ago, yet still this company has not met the challenge, nor able to communicate with its customers. Total lack of leadership from senior management and the Isle of Man government who job it is to protect our interests as tax payers.

Is Teare having his strings pulled by Peel Holding, or is it just a coincidence that the group we bought the shares off sell and we do likewise?