Toppin: Caribbean must fight EU, OECD impositions
The time has come for Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean to consider taking the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to the International Court of Justice over the continuous imposition of stifling regulations and restrictions related to international business.
Advocating this in the House of Assembly yesterday, Minister of International Business and Industry Ronald Toppin said in frustration: “We have to fight back and I do believe that the way to resolve this issue, hopefully once and for all, is to recognise that there is an International Court of Justice to hear and determine these matters.
“I believe that our time has to be well spent in time to come, ensuring that we can muster enough support regionally and internationally to mount a serious challenge in a court of law . . . . That is the direction that I believe ultimately sooner rather than later, we as a small developing island state will have to go to avoid being pushed around.”
While introducing an amendment to legislation connected with a suite mandated by the EU to force compliance with its international business tax regulations, Toppin complained about the pressure constantly placed on Barbados and other small states, which made it difficult for those states to benefit from their tax regimes in place for international business operations. (GC)
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