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Turnbull pledges to work with gov’t to help recoup roughly $100M in taxes owed

Opposition legislator Melvin Turnbull has publicly declared that he will be working with members of the Andrew Fahie administration to help the government recoup almost $100 million of revenue owed in taxes.

Turnbull, who is a former financial consultant, made the announcement in a late session in the House of Assembly on Thursday.

“I keep talking about this revenue that is outstanding. I keep talking about this revenue that we are continually leaving on the table. The Deputy Speaker said that he is going to join with me … that we are going to work to collect the monies that are outstanding and owed to government.”

Figures has doubled since 2015

Turnbull said the monies owed was roughly $50 million when he first became an elected official back in 2015, and since then, he said the figures have almost doubled.

“When I brought back that question to the Honourable Premier, I think it was in February, I estimated from 2015 to now that the figure would’ve been about $80 million-plus. And I since revisited with some other components, it’s close to $100 million that we are leaving on the table. Five years later of uncollected government revenue that is out there that can be put back into these systems,” Turnbull stated.

Negligent business owners at fault

The Opposition legislator then made it clear that he was not only referring to monies owed in taxes from previous government investments, but more so monies owed to the government from negligent business owners in the territory.

He said some of these business owners have been making National Health Insurance (NHI) and Social Security deductions from their employees’ salary but not turning it over as they are required. 

“If you are not contributing on behalf of your employees to NHI, stop taking it out of their paychecks. If you are not paying in your Social Security or taxes, stop taking it out,” Turnbull urged.

Constant complaints

He further said these actions have disadvantaged many employees of benefits that would have been rightly owed to them.

“There continue to be complaints all over. People going to Social Security to access. If they are pregnant or if they are ill, they can’t get anything because they are told that they are not up to date … NHI is the same thing,” he argued.

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15 Comments

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  1. WAIT WAIT WAIT says:

    $100 MILLION DOLLARS IN ARREARS AND YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT $7M FROM BVI AIRWAYS!

    THIS IS NOT MISMANAGEMENT, THIS IS CRIMINAL!

    Like 18
    Dislike 1
  2. Wellsaw says:

    Mitch before we go into taxes we want to know what your government did with the overrun for the peir park, the high school wall, the supplies that came in after Irma, the airline money.

    If you are going to come after the people who are struggling to stay afloat in a dismal economy then we want to know what went wrong?

    You all are lucky that you have a Governor who seems to be disinterested in doing what he has to do and rock the boat.

    But there is a greater judge who can’t be influenced who you all will one day answer too. All you politicians VIP and NDP.

    Imagine money missing all over the place from port to the different ministries allegedly and no one is held accountable but John Public the voter is always punished.

    Like 18
    Dislike 1
    • Nonsense says:

      Some of what you say are true but it’s brutal to the employees who can’t get any benefits if they fall ill,SOCIAL SECURITY KNOWS WHO is NOT PAYING NHI KNOW WHO IS PAYING REMEMBER FROM YOU REGISTER YOUR STAFF AT THESE ENTITIES THEY HAVE RECORD SO WHY THESE SO CALL ENTITIES DON’T CLAMP DOWN ON THESE EMPLOYERS AND FIND OUT WHATS GOING AN INSTEAD OF TELLING PEOPLE THEY HAVE NOT CONTRIBUTED IT A SHAME PEOPLE

    • John says:

      @wellsaw: One has nothing to do with the other. Apples and oranges. If dodgy business owners continue to deduct social security and other taxes from employees and willfully refuses to pay it in they should not only be named and shamed but also penalized for so doing.

  3. What is Wrong? says:

    In a dismal economy that is sinking daily and with no stabalization in sight, many are on reduced hours, middle to low income earners and beyond are struggling, they are suffering, some are out of income completely, there is limited money circulating within the economy, yet there are some greedy heartless beasts out there who are still raising food prices weekly, landlords, many, are raising rent, up to this month, and cost of basic existential items are increasing daily.

    So, it appears that since money is not flowing as before the global shut down, and most people are not earning, the greedy is now gouging those that are still earning a few dollars just so to manitain their insatiable lust and greed for exorbitant profits.

    We are witnessing the worst of humanity in thses difficult times.

    If you are going to come after the babies, childre, elders, elderly, sick and shut in, single mothers with bellies to feed, and all other people who are struggling to stay afloat in a dismal economy, then we want to know what went wrong in humanity?

    Like 3
    Dislike 1
  4. Anonymous says:

    Mr. Minister, please call Dept. of Education and find who worked an entire full 31 year career, but is yet receive what he/she has earned and is owed in increment and salary increases.

    Such grave agregious injustices should not have even occured muchless go on for an entire career. Please, sir, respond to this message as best you can.

    Some say, a mind is a terrible thing to waste. Others think a mind is too important; to valuable, but yet too fragile to be destroyed by blatant, wilful victimization and huuman rights oppression.

    Sometimes, it is not bombs alone that explode. The human mind, when forced into extreme conditions will most often lose its capacity to remain rational, especially one that has been paid with irrationality for an entire career.

    • Addition to Anonymous says:

      This is a direct appeal to all authorities, current elected officials, including the governer, the Hon. Premier, Minister and CEO of the Department of Education, to uphold the basic human rights of all.

  5. Come on now says:

    You all need to stop, he’s trying.

    Like 2
    Dislike 1
  6. Thanks but no thanks. says:

    Hey Mitch. Thanks for the thought and offer. Good one. But, nah chief, we got this, it’a okay. We got this part covered. Oh! Hell, you can work with our lawyers to help get back all or some of the 7.2 foe our planes your team invested i but never flew a darm mile our way.

  7. SMH says:

    All those Employers who deducting monies for Social Security and NH from employees wages and not paying it into the Sysyem should be Fined, Sued or Locked Up! This is a Crime. They are stealing from Employees and defrauding the Government.All those Employees should hire lawyers and sue for back payment on All their monies withheld under the presumption that it was being paid into Social Security and NHI. Especially those who are now unemployed and cannot receive any compensation due to an Employer’s Fraudulent Activities. Greed going be the demised of their Businesses. God don’t sleep!

    • FEO Gomez says:

      No they actually should infact a lawyer would take the case pro bono. Get paid when they settle nut all these attorneys is friends with the system. Only thin you can do is if you find out the robbing your NHI deduction then HAVE THE PLACE ROBBED. Sometimes eye for eye everybody need to be blind.

  8. BuzzBvi says:

    Think there are enough laws to cover this. Fraud, theft. Just get with it. Who are they? Oh………… That may be different then.

  9. sam the man says:

    Getting tired of headline making but nothing actually happening – maybe I’m alone here seeing constant sound bites but zero change?

  10. @ SMH says:

    If that was the case, some of them same Politicians sitting in the HOA would be in Jail today.

  11. Busy Bee says:

    I am acquainted with someone in Mr. Turnbull’s district that has not paid his property taxes for in excess of 5 years (probably hasn’t paid them since buying the property 20+ years ago!). Your own district!

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