Congresswoman slams BVI over job losses; suggests tariffs on shoppers
US Virgin Islands Congresswoman and gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Plaskett has criticised the British Virgin Islands over its steep charter yacht fee increases and suggested the US territory could retaliate by imposing tariffs on BVI residents travelling to St Thomas to buy groceries.
Plaskett made the remarks during an appearance on the Caribbean Currency Podcast, where she argued that the BVI’s 2025 fee increases had caused significant damage to the USVI marine industry and should have been introduced more gradually.
Discussing the impact of the revised Commercial Recreational Vessels Licensing regime, Plaskett said the USVI had suffered substantial economic losses as charter operators relocated to the BVI.
“We’ve lost a lot of work from that,” Plaskett stated, adding that: “The impact is … like 800 jobs at the end of the day.”
Plaskett said she had raised the matter directly with BVI lawmakers, arguing that the increases were too steep to be implemented within a single year.
“I’ve had conversations with members of their parliament over there, and they were like, ‘Oh, you all are trying to sick the State Department and the president on us now.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t want that to be the case, but I also don’t think that it’s appropriate for you, whether it was 20 years or not, you can’t make up that time in one year,’” Plaskett stated.
She said the increases should instead have been phased in gradually so businesses could adjust. “We could absorb that,” Plaskett added.
Some people like the stick
Using an example of possible retaliation, she suggested the USVI could respond by targeting BVI shoppers who regularly travel to St Thomas.
“You wouldn’t appreciate it if I’m like, we’re losing a lot of money. Let’s put a fee on individuals that are coming to St Thomas to buy food. You know, we can do a retaliation; retaliatory tariffs on one another. And at the end of the day, we’re all going to lose out,” Plaskett stated.
She maintained that the increase “was way too much for a one-year period,” and said it had “really affected” their industry. Plaskett added that both sides should sit down and discuss a reasonable solution. She then warned that “sometimes people don’t like the carrot. They like the stick.”
The comments come against the backdrop of the BVI’s 2025 overhaul of its Commercial Recreational Vessels Licensing legislation, which significantly increased fees for foreign-based charter vessels after years of relatively low charges.
The move prompted strong objections from the USVI, with Governor Albert Bryan Jr initially threatening retaliatory measures as the dispute escalated. Both governments subsequently entered negotiations in March and April 2025, agreeing to continue discussions and ultimately reaching broad agreement on a revised fee structure with concessions, including reduced rates for day-trip operators, while committing to closer maritime cooperation.
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This woman good in her head? First of all we don’t come there to buy groceries anymore because the prices are the same. Secondly if we come we spend money in your economy that benefits your businesses. IFor this alone she should lose. She ain’t got no sense.
Not Should….Her Epstein texting a** WILL LOSE!!!!
This woman is out of touch number 1. Their industry is dead; they never employed so many people in the sector.
Number 2 there tourist board is using our waters and JVD in their marketing, making it look like they are in the USVI.
Number three, BVI Islanders hardly go there to shop anymore. The money that we injected into their economy, they needed it; that’s why they are collapsing now. The woman is clueless.
Maybe it is me, but how does that make sense as a retaliatory action? The USVI hugely benefits from BVI residents buying products in the USVI – If you tariff them, they will simply stay home and buy food from our already ridiculous cost of living prices here. It benefits BVI businesses and hurts the USVI businesses.
Can anyone explain her logic? I surely must be missing something?
She need a slap. Thjs hurts the USVI economy not us. And when our airport is finished you wouldn’t be seeing us at all. Stay there talking nonsense
Who still goes down to STT to buy groceries?
Apparently a lot of people still go. I don’t see why as the prices are the same as ours up in the BVI. Unless they does catch sale or something. Not too long ago, I came up on the ferry and saw BVI residents with trolleys of groceries coming back from St Thomas
While that may be true, the percentage that go has drastically declined. The shopping that we use to see residents do has cut some 70%. When you add in ferry trip, departure tax, custom duty, cost for them to roll your luggage down a ramp, cost to put your things on the ferry, cost to rent a car or pay taxi, does that make sense? Make it make sense. People ain’t have time or money for this anymore. The numbers have dropped so much that even the ferry operators bawling, so let her go right ahead, and see if it doesn’t hurt USVI even more.
Them wa born US still going because they maintain a US address and get food stamps.
Go ahead.
People stopped shopping in St Thomas years ago since it became so expensive on the ferry.
Any trickle left you going to hurt yourselves by losing that too and the ferry traffic.
They’re really lost on what to do about these Charter fees I see. This is a congresswoman talking about Tariffing….exports? Export Tariffs are technically a real thing that you can do but it does nothing real. It’ll keep more money in the BVI economy and impact the margins of USVI business that got a small bump of sales from BVI locals.
You can tell this woman is a m**on and unfit to lead the USVI. Putting a tariff on BVI shoppers hurts you not us. Money stays in BVI and circulates or they find other avenues. While your businesses and services are the ones that loose. You can tell who failed business 101. Smdh lol what an i**ot……
Where was this lady when BVIslanders USE to frequent USVI (St. Thomas in particular) to shop every 2 weeks leaving BVI businesses as if they were leftovers?
The prices in St. Thomas are the same as the prices in the BVI, the mall is like a ghost town (no interesting items anymore), so what are we really coming down there to shop for?
The ferry prices are currently much higher, they charge you per box or bag (by weight), you have to factor in the price of renting a vehicle or taking a taxi and food to eat while you’re there. We then have to turn around and pay customs duty when we get back to the BVI. THAT SHOPPING TRIP IS NOT WORTH IT.
Placing a tariff on BVIslanders is not going to fix your problem but if you are confident that it will then be our guest.
Its time for them to stop using our name. We’ve sat back and allowed this to happen for too long now. Enough is enough.
Wooaahh,absolutely shaking in our boots. Please dont. Begging and pleading. Let’s sell out our water tourism industry for their benefit before they remove another thing they again benefitting from us…riiiight!! Smh
so she proposes to lose a further 1000+ jobs in retaliation for losing 800. WELLLL SAAHH
Like BVI people inject wayyyy more into the USVI economy than the same marine industry.
That is typical Democrat logic, when it comes to business these are the C and D students of the political world. They do business off of emotions and feelings rather than business and common sense……
Stacey Plaskett’s Gubernatorial chances just bottomed out with these misspoken words.
She’s seeking votes. Saying anything to earn vote while making a fool of herself . Tsk tsk !
Nobody should feel bad for USVI all those job losses are for WHITE AMERICANS not local Vislanders. 95% of the Charter companies out the USVI are WHITE OWNED BY AMERICANS not locals. You shouldn’t care about WHITE AMERICANS suffering smh some of the nastiest caucasians you will ever meet in life.
did ep st ein tell her to say that like he did during that congressional hearing
Oh noes, Epstein buddy, tek weh yourself. We don’t care.
(B)VI businesses will be happy to hear about the threatened fee for persons traveling to STT to purchase items. Heightened incentive to buy (B)VI.
Silliness.
Hear this dinosaur. St. Thomas is the only place with groceries? Plus the prices the same as Tola so why we going there to buy groceries for again? She needs a course in economics because if we were coming there she should be glad because we spend big money in their economy. She is a big congresswoman and that’s all the sense she got?
Miss Plasket you must think we a third world country that we don’t have supermarket or stores it you all that need us we need you.
the people she sees on the boats collecting food stamps .
She think she the female Trump? This woman was a friend to Epstein and turned blind eye to what he was doing in the USVI.
Their charter business doesn’t get to come and just clog up our beaches and waters and not pay for it
Epstein’s minion can go f**k herself!!!!
Maybe she wants to tariff the KFC that many buy down there, and even that’s not up to standard these days.
Seriously though, this kind of rhetoric shows just how far off the rails the conversation has gone. The BVI had every right to review and adjust its fee structure after years of relatively low charges. Disagreeing with the increase is one thing; floating the idea of retaliatory tariffs on ordinary people buying groceries is something else entirely.
Threatening residents who cross over to shop does nothing to solve the underlying issue and only risks damaging the close economic and social ties between the BVI and USVI. Cooperation and negotiation are far more productive than political grandstanding.
I think Stacey Plaskett has completely lost the plot on this issue, and comments like these raise serious questions about her judgement and leadership. If this is the kind of approach she would bring to higher office, voters should consider their choice carefully before re-electing her.
Quick someone call her posing as Epstein’s Ghost and give her some advice…..lol
St Thomas economy took a turn for the worse when we stopped shopping there, who she feeling like? She should be lucky a very small number still shop down there but if she really want, we can go cold turkey like what we did in Puerto Rico. PR can’t catch themselves yet.
Foolish woman.
There are many people in BVI on food stamp, which is wrong.
Stacey tell the devil you ain’t see the BVI please.