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Cut out perks for foreign investors- Doug Wheatley

- said no need to entice investors with incentives as VI has now made its name
Talk show host and retired civil servant Mr Doug Wheatley said the Virgin Islands is no longer a backwater place and should no longer see the need to offer incentives for foreign investors. Photo: VINO/File
According to Mr Doug Wheatley, the Virgin Islands is now 'a shining star on a hill'. Photo: VINO/File
According to Mr Doug Wheatley, the Virgin Islands is now 'a shining star on a hill'. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- Using the developmental phase of the Silicon Valley in the United States of America as an example, the host of the Speak out BVI radio programme on Tuesday October 11, 2016 on ZBVI 780 AM, Doug Wheatley, said the Virgin Islands should no longer be offering incentives to entrepreneurs and the working class to come to the territory.

He informed that when Silicon Valley started in the early 50’s, they had to try their very best to encourage young and qualified people to come by offering them many incentives, however after many years that area made its name and therefore the incentives are no longer necessary to persons to entice them. As a matter of fact, people are flooding the gates of that community because it now has something to offer people, similar to the Virgin Islands (VI).

Silicon Valley is a nickname for the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay area, in California. It is an area of high technological and scientific development and home to many of the world's largest high-tech corporations and thousands of start-up companies. Silicon Valley is a leading hub and start-up ecosystem for high-tech innovation and development, accounting for one-third of all of the venture capital investment in the United States. It was in the Valley that the silicon-based integrated circuit, the microprocessor, and the microcomputer, among other key technologies, were developed. As of 2013, the region employed about a quarter of a million information technology workers.

VI no longer a backwater place

According to Wheatley, when the VI started on its course to development they used the technique called Development By Invitation and asked people to come to the VI offering several incentives such as pioneer status and exemptions.

“The BVI was a little backwater place, not good roads, not a lot of electricity, no potable water…and therefore to get persons to come here we had to offer a lot of incentives and perks to having them to come. We fast forward from those early days to these days and the BVI now should not be in the position where we still have to be offering all sorts of incentives for businesses to come and set up here.

‘A shining star on a hill’

He said if a businessman sees an opportunity in the territory he should come and invest without giving them the perks.

“Because the BVI is now known and it has a reputation and we must be aware that we have something that we can leverage and it’s not poor little BVI, and please come. People will come anyway because the BVI is a shining star on a hill and people will come, investors will come,” he stated.

11 Responses to “Cut out perks for foreign investors- Doug Wheatley”

  • >? (12/10/2016, 09:37) Like (25) Dislike (0) Reply
    And how has it made its name Doug? Isis Villas? Castle View Hotel? Scatos? You guys make the dog sick with the bullshit all the time. The BVI cannot survive without foreign investment. Peter Island, Little Dix, Bitter End, Scrub Island and many more have put BVI on the map. You don't need to entice investors you say? Take a trip to the other Caribbean Islands and see what's going on. Do you really believe BVI has a bunch of international investors lined up begging to come in here? Where are they? Our Government has just agreed to give a virtually unknown entity Prospect Reef which shows that nobody serious is interested in the BVI so go back to the drawing board with that crazy bs.
    • dog (12/10/2016, 23:44) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
      other islands are concrete jungles with huge hotels, trash and grunge. THEY are envious of BVI because of its environment and charter services etc. Be careful what you ask for. I agree with Douglas. pretty soon the investors will write the regulations in their favour and hold it over the heads of NDP to get their advantage. People keep forgetting that we are in the drivers seat. We can call the shots ultimately. But not if you keep letting red bill boards go up all over island without consequences. Regulations are needed to preserve what we have while trying to plan how to move forward. Don't ruin everything.
  • local business woman (12/10/2016, 10:16) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    I am not too in favor of the duty free concessions....We need to revisit that and put it for certain items for a certain amount of time.
    • Really (12/10/2016, 11:26) Like (11) Dislike (0) Reply
      Do you want them repealed for the local taxi drivers and first time local home builders as well? What's good for the goose? Foreigners pay 12% on the value of property purchased while locals pay 4%. The monies derived from foreign investment goes towards hiring civil servants just to avoid unemployment rates skyrocketing, when we don't even need the people or they're not even doing shit, but getting paid. Local resort and hoteliers get the same concessions as the foreign ones. Where will the jobs come from if all foreign trust companies, law firms and hotels/resorts are not allowed here? We will all work for Foxys, Bomba and Speedys?
  • wtf? (12/10/2016, 10:19) Like (12) Dislike (0) Reply
    “The BVI was a little backwater place, not good roads, not a lot of electricity, no potable water…and therefore to get persons to come here we had to offer a lot of incentives and perks to having them to come. We fast forward from those early days to these days..."

    He quoting the past? I thought he looking out his window today with these remarks!!! He need to get out of the radio booth and drive around and take a look see at what gon on!
    • wize up (12/10/2016, 11:46) Like (4) Dislike (2) Reply
      @ WTF: wake up because this territory had investor from back in the 60s and we still have issues; boss most of the investors are invited to this territory and into private pockets goes the money(ask Hon.Archie he been in the real estate business for almost 30 years)....how many of these investors offers our children scholarships: how many of them have undertaken any road repair project: how many of these investors have built a school in the BVI; the main purpose for any investor coming to this place is to make money and the development of this territory is not on their mind: when some investors come into the BVI they walki with their own private staff....look at bermuda far smaller than tortola but look at their fiscal development(leadership matters and political leadership is now a for profit business in this territory).....its to know what truly happenis in our territory and not just take things at face value(I have work with investors and not one of them ever offered to give back to this society outside of the tax they end up paying and those taxes is pocket change in relation to the annual profits).....
      • dock side blogger (12/10/2016, 22:57) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
        Bermuda is the same size almost as Tortola but they dont grant residence and belonger status like ghey do here. If they grant ten thats a lot.
  • das (12/10/2016, 10:22) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    The BVI still has terrible roads and awful electricity - why are the roads on St. John so much better than here?!!
  • wize up (12/10/2016, 10:52) Like (3) Dislike (4) Reply
    It always fascinates me how the local business owner who struggles at times are mandated to pay all applicable taxes however persons who are deemed to be rich investors are give almost everything thing at no cost(they can afford to pay let them pay)....what I might suggest if the applicable tax is 20% have them pay 15%: there are investors all over this world
  • son of the soil (12/10/2016, 18:19) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
    Those outsiders only coming here to prog.
  • Disagree Doug. (13/10/2016, 06:11) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
    Address the real issues Doug. They Are government wasting and bad spending the returns the money. That's our main issues. Spending like they are in charged of a money form. Wiser spending we would have been further ahead. It's not the policy. It's the bad spending


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