Premier Andrew Fahie has abruptly reversed most of the controversial fee hikes from the BVI Ports Authority that have put the business community in an uproar. “The majority of the …
Sopers Hole is reborn
Opening a new business in the midst of a global pandemic may seem risky, but entrepreneurs in Sopers Hole, an area that has been recovering steadily from the devastation of …
Public battle over port fee hikes rages on
Opposition Leader Marlon Penn has now weighed in on the heated debate over the BVI Ports Authority’s ongoing fee increases, which have caused consternation among business owners who were already …
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Premier isolates, tests negative after Covid-19 exposure
As elected officials self-isolated due to potential exposure to Covid-19 at a Sea Cows Bay funeral and active cases rose to their highest level in months, Health and Social Development …
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Ernst & Young survey: Global profits likely up next year
A recent survey of 2,400 CEOs and other top executives in 52 countries worldwide found that most of the respondents expect revenues to return to pre-pandemic levels this year with …
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Mark Vanterpool buys Pusser’s
An iconic Virgin Islands brand has entered a new chapter. Mark Vanterpool, Fourth District representative and the owner of the One Mart chain, on Monday announced his purchase of the …
Saba Rock owner dies in Alaska copter crash
Petr Kellner was someone who knew the value of a simple glass of cold water. “I remember him bringing in a container of ice after the hurricanes,” Virgin Gorda resident …
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Commission to be “one-stop shop” for trade
Two proposed laws will reclassify businesses, up some fees, and implement new processes related to investment, work permits and trade licenses under the umbrella of the new Trade Commission, establishing …
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VI again fires back at ‘tax haven’ index
Although the Virgin Islands topped the Tax Justice Network’s “Corporate Tax Haven Index” for the second time in a row, BVI Finance swiftly struck back against the ranking, calling the …
Layoff extensions nearly over
Time is nearly up for employers who have managed to avoid paying severance to their furloughed employees for nearly a year, Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration Minister Vincent Wheatley announced …
CDB: VI sees major GDP decline
The Virgin Islands experienced the fourth-highest decline in gross domestic product of the Caribbean Development Bank’s 19 borrowing member countries in 2020, according to the CDB’s Regional Report: 2020 Review …
Port fee hike being phased in
After the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association called the first planned port fee hike in at least 20 years “borderline madness,” the BVI Ports Authority is attempting to …
Territory avoids EU blacklist again
Despite threats from the European Council in the wake of Brexit, the Virgin Islands has once again escaped the latest EU blacklist of non cooperative tax jurisdictions. Instead, the EU …
Panel: Prep for Caribbean tourism rebound in Q4
A boom in Caribbean tourism in late 2021 could be in the cards, but only if governments have the tools in place to capitalise on it, according to a panel …
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New bill passed to boost electronic transfers
A bill that would boost mobile commerce by regulating the electronic transfer of funds for both the public and private sectors passed unanimously Tuesday in the House of Assembly. Bipartisan …
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Tourist Board gives virtual tours at Golden Roadshow
“Good morning, everyone. On behalf of BVI Golden Roadshow Airlines, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard Flight 284 with nonstop first-class service from San Juan, Puerto Rico to …
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Trade Commission ‘launches’ with no members
A streamlined, business-friendly environment across all sectors of the economy will be the goal of the Virgin Islands Trade Commission, which was officially “launched” on Tuesday during a virtual ceremony …
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CIBC FirstCaribbean sale called off
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce’s efforts to close a $797 million sale that would see it unload FirstCaribbean banks in the Virgin Islands and 15 other Caribbean locations was …
Finance industry copes with inquiry fallout
The financial services industry that has helped keep the Virgin Islands economy afloat amid the global pandemic is rushing to distance itself from a new threat posed by the commission …
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Slight Q3 spike in incorporations offers hope
New company incorporations climbed by 32 percent to reach 6,254 in the third quarter of 2020 after three straight quarters of falling numbers, as the financial services industry proved a …
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Port fee hikes vex businesses
Fees for cargo, wharfage and other services will double and the cost of some licences will more than triple under a new fee hike announced last week by the BVI …
VI threatened with EU blacklist again
The dawn of Brexit could find the Virgin Islands on the European Union blacklist of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions even though the territory passed economic substance legislation in 2018 specifically to …
Attorney general’s residence to be repaired
A Virgin Islands construction firm has been tapped to perform more than $300,000 worth of repairs to the attorney general’s residence in McNamara, more than three years after the building …
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Caribbean tourism looks to diaspora
The Caribbean tourism economy continues to struggle, with the World Travel and Tourism Council estimating recently that the best-case scenario will see it take a hit of $27 billion and …
VI court freezes assets in $6b case
A Virgin Islands court has frozen shares in two hotels belonging to Pakistan’s national airline in one of the highest-dollar cases ever mediated through the territory’s courts. The order may …