Premier: Reuters Misrepresented Position
Following the reports today [June 12] by the Reuters news agency saying Bermuda would not sign a tax deal, Premier Craig Cannonier said he “has taken issue with two Reuters headlines that completely misrepresented Bermuda’s position on the Multilateral Convention Agreement.”
The first Reuters article declared “Bermuda Premier says UK territories won’t sign tax deal before G8”, and Premier Cannonier “flatly denies” stating that the British Overseas Territories would not sign the Multilateral Convention Agreement prior to the upcoming G8 Meeting in Northern Ireland next week.
“After having talks with my counterparts in the Overseas Territories last week regarding the upcoming meeting in London, members are ready to agree that increased sharing of information with international tax authorities is the way forward, but there are varying degrees of concern relating to the Convention; however, none were categorically opposed to it.” said Premier Cannonier.
The second headline said “Bermuda says won’t agree UK Territories tax deal before G8”, and the Premier — who is in London this week to meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron — says: “Bermuda is in active discussions with the UK Government over Bermuda’s concerns with some of the provisions in the proposed Multilateral Convention Agreement and that it is wrong to rule out the possibility of agreement before the G8 as implied by the headlines.”
Premier Cannonier added: “We support the Multilateral Convention Agreement in principle, but have several concerns relating to costs, security of data and treaty duplication.
“These concerns need to be addressed before Bermuda signs up. I will be meeting this weekend with British Prime Minister David Cameron and it is my hope that Bermuda’s concerns will be settled as quickly as possible.”
The Premier’s comments were picked up by other international media outlets, and also attracted the attention of a UK anti-poverty charity.
Reuters reports are often carried by many media outlets, and a quick Google search for one of the key sentences in the report indicates it has been carried on over 300 online news outlets as of 8.30pm this evening.
A report from the UK’s Independent, called “Hopes of G8 tax avoidance breakthrough fading fast”, said an international deal to “crack down on secretive tax havens is in jeopardy” after Bermuda “refused to sign up to new transparency rules.”
The Financial Times ran an article headlined “Bermuda deals blow to Cameron’s hopes for tax evasion deal,” saying Mr Cameron’s hopes of striking a deal on “fighting tax evasion was dealt a blow on Wednesday when Bermuda said it would not commit to a pact on the issue…”
The Guardian’s article was titled “Bermuda refuses to sign up to Cameron’s tax evasion deal.” and said that Mr Cameron’s “agenda to close down cross-border tax evasion dealt blow by Bermuda prime minister Craig Cannonier”.
Economia’s article was headlined “Bermuda refuses tax convention,” and said: “Bermuda could put a spanner in the works for David Cameron as he attempts to get the British territories to sign a convention on tax evasion..”
Murray Worthy, tax campaigner at the British anti-poverty charity War on Want, issued a statement saying, “Bermuda’s rejection of this international tax treaty shows that Cameron’s tough talk of taking on tax havens is just that – talk.
“If Cameron was actually serious about tackling tax havens, he could simply legislate to abolish all the UK’s tax havens, including Bermuda.”
Earlier today the Premier noted that Bermuda has signed 39 Tax Information Exchange Agreements, has signed Tax Agreements with 90% of the G20, and has tax agreements with 76% of OECD member states.
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Reuters reputation has long since gone down the toilet and been flushed away.
UK newspapers have only one agenda…to sell their papers!
Nah, your leader should shut the ~@##$##@# up!!!!! He is the weakest leader we’ve ever had……he knows nothing about diplomacy nor does he know about this countries financial policies, after all he cant even run a gas station !!!!
Robert,
as usual with most like you,you don’t have a clue what you are yakking about.
SHUT UP and do your homework and go to bed!
It’s not his fault. He’s been told what to do. They could pay me his salary and give me free rides on a private jet and I’d be a pawn just like him. Craig get that money, and tell the haters ya blind to them just like Dr. Brown did.
Adding to that do it while ya can because ya still one dumb Premier.
Not so dumb as to get us into a real pickle of over $1b in debt…
Jesus, the unbridled hatred shown by some is just unbearable in this island.
The PLP and its supporters are becoming a party of hate. Hate foreigners, hate white people, hate black people that dare to work with white people, hate gays and basically hate any opposition and/or critics. Will it ever stop?
For once I would like to see an intellectual response as opposed to downright hatred.
But I guess this is BDA and thus that is asking way too much from such simpletons above.
The OBA donkeys are hating and the PLP sheeps are hating. Both suck at it so SHUT the F up and go to work.
Actually its the bloated goof ball he hired to manage the stations who’s been goofing things up. He should have never took his advice to get buzz in on his game. Bet he’s loosing loads of profit to buzz now while the food service in the stations have gone down the drain along with Bermudians jobs taken by foreign workers.
If someone wants to run a country they need to already have their other parts of life in order. Now that he’s premier I couldn’t give two boogies about his businesses. He’s holding the fate of a countries population in his hands so tuff teat if his business fails. Besides he gets paid more than Cameron to run a island 1/16th the size of England.
And it was the former premier who was getting those papers signed
errr,NO,it wasnt!
So who did?
You guys are idiots. With situations like this, the wrong move could devastate out advantage over the many competing overseas business climates. He is taking the careful approach when dealing with our “owners”. We could lose ALOT of business if those papers are signed. It could potentially destroy our economy. He is a great premier and stands of for Bermuda when overseas tabloids try to destroy our rep.
The only idiot I have heard for the last few months is this new Premier. Someone needs to coach him more, on EVERYTHING!!!!
The wrong move, you mean like the premier muting that we’re considering requiring companies to have a physical presence.
I’m sure thats the wrong move you are talking about right. Does that fit in with your “careful approach”….. didn’t think so.
Rueters is not a Tabloid, sorry.
Why is it when it comes to letting Bermuda know what’s going on, the premier holds his cards to his chest. But the minute he gets under the international spotlight, he decides to pour the punch before the party’s started…
THANK YOU!!!!
This will go down as likely the worst day in our limited democratic history….
SHUT UP CRAIG!!!!
I guess Ms. Worthy would like oting more than to see us all running around serving Piña Coladas to pseudo lefty busybodies like herself.
Premier Cannonier doesn’t think that every news organization in the world is pro OBA like a certain media here. And only print and high light the wood stories. And when the rest of Bermuda wakes up to the fact that the OBA and Mr. Cannonier can’t blame the PLP anymore. This is their show. And they either have to put up or shut up.
One way or another, Bermuda needs to strongly counter – PR campaign, news bites and quotes – ASAP.
It would be easier if the Premier would have kept his mouth shut. Bermuda is the subject of negative headlines around the world becuase he felt the need to open his mouth in ADVANCE of a meeting.
Nice to hear the PLP prepared Bermuda well…
Premier Canonnier “solid as a rock”
You mean like a “coconut”
Damn you PLPers are funny.
First ones to claim and cry about racism and also the first to practice and preach it.
Funny, but ultimately dangerous for our society.
Premier Canonnier “dumb as a rock”
Maybe we should have sent the doorman that you guys elected as your Deputy leader instead…
Seeing that he understands negotiations, I’m sure he wouldn’t have made this rookie mistake!
hahahahaha. you’re joking right?
What would he do if didn’t get his way if he would’ve travelled to London? Call ‘em rednecks or house ******? Or maybe he would instigate a fight with his own entourage?
Possibly demand that Westminster Abbey demand that he be seated up front along with idle threats (like he did against the AME churches)?
Or would he threaten to have them deported from the island like a particular Canadian foreman who was building the NSC pool?
Or maybe he will teach the UK Labour Party how to bankrupt their Unions as he did with the insistence that he BIU underwrite the Berkeley perfomance bond that required the fogiving of that taxpayer debt by Dr. Brown as a means to ensure the Union didn’t crumble? And all that after labelling the former AG, who stated that the Union should not be anyway involved in the performance bond due to their financial limitations, as a white supremacist racist etc etc.
Anyways, since you seem so disturbed by Prem Cannonier’s remarks what say you about Mr. Walton Brown’s suggestion to act like petulant little children and not even attend the meeting? Is that also the worst day in the history of our limited democratic island?
I thought that was why we spend $250,000 a year on his press secretary, speech writer and chief of staff; so that his positions are NOT misrepresented.
A lot more than that. But the issue isn’t that he was misrepresented, the issue is that he opened his mouth and they reported what he said.
Craig, close your mouth and Call a Friend. Grant Gibbons or Bob Richards.
it is nerve wrecking having a limited leader in the international areana.
Think back awhile to when your mate DREB was at the helm.
If he was in this position he would have flat out told Cameron to F off and we would have all been swirling down the toilet eventually, so appreciate a bit a tact for once.
Carry on Mr Premier and do the right thing.
Like Ewart you mean who sold us out for a bunch of Uighurs to get his fifteen seconds on CNN…
LEAVE THE UYGHURS ALONE ALREADY! Its not as if these men are trying to bring their whole country here like others are. This is the only humane thing even if unintentional that Ewart did while premier. Plus he racked up a few browny points from the closest super power to us. Do you really think UK was that concerned about the Uyghurs? The UK has sent soldiers to war for America & brought child POWs to be incarcerated in Bermuda. Taking a handful of refugees is small stuff. We’ve stab England in the back a lot worse to the point they lost a war because of us & we were forgiven. England just wanted us to recognize that they still are in charge when it came to the Uyghur situation & we showed that we did so all is good in the queendom.
Tommy, I’ve got no problem the Uighurs, in fact I wish them well in their quest against Chinese suppression. My issue is with Ewart and his annihilation of the basic fabric of this society, his extra-judicial handling of the Uighurs being but one example, (think about it: he promised them near instant status, whilst many thousands who have spent decades here are denied this). This sort of thing makes me ashamed and embarrassed to be a born Bermudian.
Really? And what exactly about your Marc Bean is NOT limited?
Exactly. Mr. Bean is just like Mr. Bean (Rowan that is).. a bunch of mumbling..
Premier Cannonier…stand firm my brother…”LET THE CANNONS LOOSE!”
Regardless of which party you support watching Mr. Cannonier attempt to carry out the role as premier is embarrassing, guy doesnt have a clue,, such a shame
Actually I have to respectfully disagree – never underestimate sincerity and goodwill which we are slowly rebuilding after years of “hustle” Government. Premier Cannonier is the essence of this movement which is in large part why his party was elected (the other large part being the economy of course).
Sincerity and Goodwill.
This man in one interview destroyed a reputation that we’ve spend years protecting!!!
Headlines around the world, “Bermuda refuses to sign deal to crack down on tax evasion” “Bermuda scuppers deal” “Hopes of G8 tax avoidance breakthrough fading fast as Bermuda refuses to sign up to new rules”…
All this while we’ve already signed up to the rules with the US and UK!!! It was a self inflicted move, he should have kept his mouth shut!
Lets just wait and see what transpires with the meeting…in the meantime, my comments stand.
Bermuda can continue to blame the former government for the next 14 years possibly more ,because its going to take longer than that to restore Bermuda to what it once was.
andrew fox • 9 hours ago
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Flag as inappropriateBermuda doesn’t exactly have an army so why are we asking them rather than telling them? I’m sure that economic sanctions would change their minds. Why are we allowing these insignificant countries to constantly con us out of billions?
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\\as British overseas possessions, they’re hardly even “countries” – just the last vestiges of empire. So indeed they could be “told”. Like Northern Ireland a while back, they could even be brought back under “direct rule”.
But then, the gravy train of financial jiggery-pokery and the money it earns having been brought to an end, the economies of these islands would be much reduced, and keeping the show on the road there would ultimately become a charge on the cash-strapped UK Treasury. The up side of the present situation is that it gives the islands prosperous economies so that they need no subsidy from us.
And, since a lot of influential people in Bermuda and the other island vestiges of empire do pretty well out of the present situation, their governments might respond by threatening a plebiscite in which they recommended repudiating queen and commonwealth so that they can continue business as usual. Given the money that comes in from “tax-havenry”, I wouldn’t bet on a “loyalist” outcome! And our politicians – not to mention ‘er in Buck House! – like the Empire, or what’s left of it.
And if the UK government refused to accept a plebiscite, the islands could appeal to the UN’s decolonization committee, where the mere appearance of tiny colonies of black folk being bossed around by Brits would guarantee a highly sympathetic response. All the more so given the certainty of vociferous and enthusiastic support from Argentina, whose government has everything to gain from precedents which detach New World islands from British rule!
On a gut level I agree with you – but I think there is a potential domino effect which has at least to be borne in mind …