CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The St. Lucia government says nine months after introducing the Value Added Tax (VAT), sections of the business community were still using the measure as a scapegoat for their problems and issues.
The VAT was introduced here on October 1, last year amid objections from opposition elements and sections of the small business community that the timing was bad and the measure would be a further burden on the population.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The St. Lucia government Wednesday said it is moving swiftly to implementing community projects under the Constituency Development Programme (CDP) with financial assistance from the Taiwanese government. The Kenny Anthony government said as a result of the grants provided by Taiwan, it has allocated EC$24 million (One EC dollar = US$0.37 cents) to the CDP this financial year. A government statement said that since the start of the financial year, 120 contracts, valued at five million dollars, had been awarded under the CDP.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC- The Government has ordered the closure of all schools by noon and throughout Tuesday as the country prepares for the passage of Tropical Storm Chantal. According to a government statement, the schools will remain closed until Wednesday morning, unless advised otherwise. Prime Minister Kenny Anthony, is expected to chair a pre- strike meeting of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) on Monday and preparations have begun to ensure that all hurricane shelters are available especially for persons living in flood prone areas.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – A court in the French island of Martinique has convicted four St. Lucian nationals who were on a wanted list for a series of criminal activities including the alleged murder of a French doctor.

Fabian Cherubin, Roger Hilaire, Danny Francis and Roger Avril were accused of committing the acts during a 10- day period in August and September 2008.

Francis and Cherubin were Wednesday convicted of aggravated robbery and kidnapping and were sentenced to 11 years in jail, while Hilaire was given a 13-year jail term at the end of the four-day trial.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, Guardian, Secretary General of Caricom, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, has announced that Dominica and St Lucia are expected to join other countries in making the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) their final court of appeal. While others—including T&T—have not signed on to make the CCJ their final court for all matters, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran said yesterday if there was one area of concern, it was that Caricom had taken collective decisions that were not implemented on a timely basis.