Baules: No new taxes during this term

Senator Hokkons Baules in his closing remarks during the hearing said that despite the new Tax Taskforce recommendation to increase certain taxes he can assuredly tell everyone who are present that there will be no tax increase during this congressional term. And he confidently says he has the vote to prove it.

He went on to say "sel kumes er kid el rokui e ked ngara chelsel a imong el diall el mla merael ngmasech ra meched. E kid el rokui el di medengei el kmo ngera uchul. Ng President. A President a uchul aikal rokui el tekoi. Ma uchul mekede usaisei er elechang."

Comments

[Mechas]

Ngdiak dil President a uchel ma dirrek ar OEK mekkid el chad er belau el di ngelomel emla obesiul el ngmasech. Becherei ea mla metemall el tegoi a diak dou keruul er ngii. Bai dosiik a mo uchel eng sebeched el individually el servive er tiang. Mekedeom start el melalem a keled, olsiu a ngau e start le merael el morker adil keid. Ngoumesind er tirkel merau mamo comfortable ra delengcheklir a omdasu ra klukuk er tir. Metengerang a ngara delongeled adioumoungdai instead losiik amo uchel klungiolir ra klukuk el merael mei.

[rubak]

Mechas,

Te ngarngii a rechad era merikel er chelchal taem el mlo meruul a ua aikal molekoi. Te mla mo mengudel aidengelir, e mla mo ou solar, ouspech a wood stove e mla modiak lou TV, omkeroul a charm, melalm a yasai el kelir e dirrek el mla kutmokl a bosir le tedomdasu el uasei ng mo klou a chelbuul ma rechad a mo merchorch mete mengetmokl er tir chelchal kirel a ngarmederir. Tou merang el uasei tial cheral a cheluch el diak luut el mor riou ma rokui tekoi a di merael el mo meringel. Mal sekum metechad ra ngebard e omdasu el uasei e mengotmokl er tir lomdasu ra tara klebesei er tir ekid a rechad er Belau a diak kired el lomdasu el uasei ngdiak el sebeched el lemuut el mo olsiu a ngau el ua ngara mong. Kerdi kid el rulid el mo meringel a klengar er kid.

[Naiiro]

Our leaders have to get together and address our economic and financial crunch boldly and courageously and to produce real solutions to problems. Tax alone will never get us anywhere.

Senator Baules, you are on the right course and I totally admire your courage for saying the right thing!

[Naiiro]

Please do not raise taxes alone just to keep our country afloat financially? Take all cost-effective measures first before considering any taxation.

[Husky]

Malewaisei, e Mechas ma Rubak. Kemam kol mowangerang a klukuk er kemam?- kekmul kmo domdasu ra ngiaus, me bolsebeched lomuchel melanmel a yasai, e domngar.
Kemiu ra kibomodengei a rengmam e koumoureor. Dim lak a tal tiem el kimesekemiu el melalm a rodch.
Kom milekoi er kemam ra chom ngalk el milruul a tekoi ra sers ma chei lobelterir a chedam ma chedil.
Kemam tiang el melasm louspech aikal derstal lochur ma chomeluches el meruul a delencheklam ra bek el sils.
Ma kimolekoi er ngii el tekoi er chelechal taem.. a kmo- aki kmal mengul erkemiu endi tekoi ra olsiiu a ngau a diak el sebechel tekoi omkie ra Oreor. Ngmla mo diak choreomel sebeched el metik ai duungel.
A klukuk er kemam a mui luttuil ra chochur ra cheral a klalou ra stowang ma kel lechukel ra pay check er kid. A kidirek el menguui ai kel lechukel ra babier el mesaud ra oretel tial beluul.
A kiolengit meng ngesukemam el moungiil melanngch ra klukuk lokiu ai kal derstal duch el kimolab.
A kimla ra skuul el kmo: meng mo sebeched el loreour e ngii a momesiou er kid.

Chelechal taem e tengarngii ar chad ra sers ma chei, endi diak el kid rokui.

Mlamo diak ai dungel unless kemeruul a kelel a babii.

Kemam el di Ngalk

[Islander]

Yes! We need to do the right things to make Palau self sufficient!

Our people have been calling to our leaders to do the right things for a very long time to no avail!

Prestigious International bodies such as The World Bank, The ADB have conducted dozens of studies and have given recommendations to the KN and TR administration, but nothing substantial has been achieved for Palau! Palau received hundreds of millions of dollars in grants, in aid packages, in stimulous packages, in Compact funding etc., etc., etc. yet the people have not benefitted. many of us still living below the poverty line. While our leaders own mansions, own luxury cars and boats and fly first class and at times by private jet.

Our leaders have shown reluctance to take advice but have instead squandered all the money given to Palau by gracious and caring Nations.

The corruption grows, the arrogance grows, the human rights abuse grows. The money, well that does not grow, it just dissapears into deep pockets.

People of Palau, we all know that Palau's best asset is its potential for tourism.

For Palau to earn meaningful revenue from tourism the industry must be developed on a large scale, otherwise, it will only benefit a few hotel owners, tour operators and the rich and priviliged Palauans.

Palau needs a revenue of at least $100 million per annum for the government to be able to function properly and for the people to benefit. To generate this volumne of income we need at least 1 million high end tourists to visit Palau annually!

There is no way that Palau can accomodate these numbers with the current infrastructure and accomodations available today. There lies the delemma.

What is then the solution?

Easy, invite foreign investors to develop and expand Palau's tourist industry! Extend the red carpet to UKIHL maybe they will come back.

Make investing in Palau easy and investment friendly! Do this by reforming the meaningless barriers that make Palau repulsive to foreign investors i.e Reform the FIB Act of 1990!

Pass laws that that enables ALL Palau citizens to benefit from FDI coming to Palau. How? Easy. Make it mandatory for all foreign investors who want to do business in Palau to take locals as shareholders in their company. Singapore did it, malaysia did it. These two countries are the most successful countries in the world. We do not have to reinvent the wheel, just follow what the successful countries have done. We can even ask these countries for assistance.

Make it mandatory for all foreign companies who want to do business in Palau have at least two Palaun citizens as directors of the foreign companies.

Make it law for foreign companies who want to operate in Palau to provide a minimum of 15% of the company to locals.

Place restrictions on local Palauans on the number of foreign companies they can join as members and directors of. The restriction will give other everyday Palauans a chance to become members in foreign companies instread of the same few getting the benefits.

Place restrictions on politicians and/or their immediate family members from becomeing members and/or directors of foreign companies doing business in Palau. This will avoid conflict of interest and corruption.

Last but not least Vote for Johnson Toribiong because he can do for Palau what the others have not even thought of!

Sulang.

[LF]

I say no to tax increase but I support the draw of COFA funds for the following reasons:

1. We can't afford saying no when government lack money to pay the people and services that has been provided.

2. We can't afford rising cost of power given present earning base. PPUC need new generators and alternative source of energy.

3. We can't continue to die due to lack of medical supplies and services needed to keep our love one's alive. The hospital needs medical supplies and funding to send patients for care outside of Palau.

4. We can't afford to disregard the need of education as it is the future of our children. All private school needs supplies and teachers must be well compensated so that quality education could be provided.

Prioritize use of COFA funds to be withdrawn should apply to the above while we come up with a plan to induce foreign investors and tourist arrivals to build our private sector.

We have lost gain on our investment as a result of SARS, War in Irag, Terrorist impact on travelers and so forth.

Let us not loss more when economy is at the bottom due to rising fuel price. Let us take that money now when it's still there for good use. To leave it for tomorrow is not promising. To take it now when we need it the most is a smart thing to do.

Although, I agree with some of you that we wait on drawing this money until we put the right people in place to take a swift action of the above matters.

Kabong..Ng techang ngkel mellomes e mereched a kedib er ngii. A taem a diak morkedii ma techall a di tang, eia bo mekngit el melilt eia beluam a mad a olbidelel ra di mereched el taem.

Ng melkedukem a heart er ngak el mekngit a renguk ra rechad er belau el mla tmuu ra ringel el daob eia captain a mocha omak ra Ngebard e kltmokl a delengcheklel e tmeu a rengul ra sils er ngii el mecha merek.

Erei eia luut er ngii eia ta ngolab a okasi!

[edeng]

hhmmmm...sounds familiar. President Bush Sr. back in 1992..."Read my lips, no new taxes"....the same shit is said now in our little coconut island. politicians will say shit the public wants to hear but when the public turn their back then it's another story.

[Islander]

Hello LF,

I have to agree with you in regards to drawing on COFA funds ONLY because Palau is in such dire financial straits!

However, we must understand why our country is in this terrible. delemma. We must say NEVER AGAIN!

We must wait until the next administration is in power before we draw on the COFA funds otherwise the money drawn will wilter away as the other funds have gone without any accountability.

However, I have to disagree with you when you say; "we have lost gain on our investments as a result of SARS, war in Iraq, terrorist impact on travellers and so forth".

Let me inform you that Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Australia, Malaysia and Thailand were and are exposed to the same phenomenom, but all these countried have bounced back, tourism and business is booming in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Hong and Macau.

Palau on the other hand is going down the gurgler fast! This is because our President is dancing the gitterbug, like Nero playing his harp while Rome burns!

Palau needs to bring in FDI fast! We need a leader who can reform the FIB Act fast!

We need Johnson Toribiong fast!

Sulang.

[Know All]

Islander,

You should have said; NEVER AGAIN TO THE LIKES OF TR, TS, ES, CHIN AND SURANGEL. The cronies who have benefited from the corrupt T.R. Admin.

[yadang]

Is there a way TR can get us out of this ECONOMIC DEPRESSION before leaving office?

We all know he is departing with FAT wallet and secured retirements.

[Michelle]

Yeah, right,.. TR has less than a year left in his presidency and at the top of his list is his concern toward citizens of Belau. Not gonna happen, Yadang. You're wishing on a miracle that TR cannot perform.

[yadang]

yeah, only priest believes in
miracles.

eh- lien

[buddie]

Tommy will just travel to see the world before his term expires! What is he flying to Oregon for? to party? Who's paying his airfare? Maybe if he stays in Palau long enough he can see some of the pressing issues facing the local people.

[buddie]

Hey Islander and LF, you both's got some good points there. Any plans to run for office?

[Surangel4Prez]

Vote Surangel for President and and he'll fix the government, reduce its size as it should be according to JICA Recommendation.

[Naiiro]

Chin will win the presidency, and he will devote all his attention to serving the republic. But I still want to hear what other candidates have to say in Portland,Or.I am very flexible and could change my voting attitude!