Journal 4/10/1987
P17 Chamber debate sparked
Last week’s announcement of a new gross revenue tax law sparked debate during Monday’s Chamber of Commerce meeting, with the Chamber agreeing that it will look into the possibility of filing a constitutional challenge to the legislation. Several businesses expressed concern that the law had been passed by Nitijela without a public hearing. The law authorizes the Minister of Finance to determine which taxes — the three percent gross receipts or import taxes — if any apply to certain businesses.
P18 US grossly underpaying for fish: Fiji economist
The United Sates was grossly underpaying the Forum island nations for their tuna resources, the director of the Committee for Offshore Protection in the South Pacific, Jioji Kotobalavu, said. The US fishing deal with the Forum countries was of only short-term benefit. The access fee of $1.7 million paid by the Americans under the deal was merely 1.2 percent of the total value of tuna it exploited.
Journal 4/9/1999
P1 Ting Hong going, going…
Ting Hong, which has managed Majuro’s fish base for four years, is expected to depart the facility by the end of April, according to fisheries officials. The Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority is in the process of searching for new operators for the facility that provides ice and transshipment services for exporting sashimi grade tuna to off-island markets.
P3 No go, now flow
Despite tests over the weekend, Majuro’s new fresh water distribution system is still not working. The Ministry of R&D/Works is conducting its own review of the drawings and plans to see if it can come up with solutions to the pressure problems. Majuro Water and Sewer Company general manager Billy Roberts said the problems with the fresh water distribution system demonstrated that there was no discussion with local officials knowledgeable in water distribution prior to the system being designed. He cited the large water tank located on the MIHS campus which he said is designed for systems providing 24-hour water, such as would be found in the US, England and Australia. “Nobody looked at this and said 24-hour water isn’t a fact of life in the Marshall Islands,” he said.
P9 MEC expands
Increasing demand for hotel rooms on Jaluit has prompted the Marshalls Energy Company to build a new billing office so that the current office can be renovated into two additional hotel rooms. “The hotel ran at 90 percent occupancy last year,” said MEC general manager Billy Roberts. With two foreign aid project staff booking the current two rooms for the next six months, and increasing demand from divers and fishermen, MEC sees little problem in keeping the small hotel filled.
Journal 4/9/2010
P1 When will it stop?
A report evaluating RMI government’s public enterprises says that simply handing millions of dollars to poorly performing entities “without any strong accountability requirement has sent a very clear message: performance really does not matter.” A ‘Review of 11 Public Enterprises and Options for Reform’ was written by Ben Graham and Lowell Alik as part of an Asian Development Bank technical assistance project for the government to respond to the economic crisis. The problem of “pouring money into failed state owned enterprises” is an important issue for the government to address, said Finance Minister Jack Ading. “When will it stop?”
P3 Supremes deny N-appeal
The expected, but nonetheless momentous action on Monday by the US Supreme Court in deciding not to accept the compensation claims of the people from the former nuclear test sites in the Marshall Islands ends the opportunity for further US court action. “I originally filed this case in the US Claims Court on May 15, 1980 — just about 30 years ago — and it has now run its course,” said Bikini attorney Jonathan Weisgall. “We now have no choice but to go back to Congress.”