Category Archives: Fiscal Freedom

Published February 21, 2017, 10:00 PM

By Fred Lobo

Fred M. Lobo

The Philippines has leapt 12 places to 58th from 70th in the annual Index of Economic Freedom, said the Washington-based Heritage Foundation.

Economic performance, sustainability and reforms are okay.

***

Meanwhile, the call for the resumption of peace talks between the government and communist rebels continue to draw support from various sectors.

Peace is more productive and better than war between Filipinos.

***

Despite the challenging global economic environment, the Philippines has achieved notable economic expansion, driven by the economys strong export performance and inflows of remittances that have bolstered private consumption, the Heritage Foundation said in its 2017 Index of Economic Freedom released this week.

Translation: PH economic indicators are healthy and encouraging.

***

The HF said the Philippines achieved an Economic Freedom Score of 65.6 out of a possible 100, which is significantly better than the global and regional averages.

PH also ranked 14th among the countries in the Asia-Pacific that were surveyed, it added.

***

HF noted that the improvement in the prosperity ranking brings the Philippines into the first-third of the countries evaluated by the index, adding that since 2010, the Philippine rank has increased fifty-one (51) spots from its rank at 109 and when the country was identified as Mostly Unfree in its economic competitiveness.

PH standing improving among 180 countries surveyed.

***

The 2017 survey which focused on 12 independent factors called Economic Freedoms, with the addition of Judicial Effectiveness and Fiscal Health this year, noted Philippine improvements in property rights (+19.2); monetary freedom (+2.9); and labor freedom (+.1).

Freedoms thrive in PH.

***

HF, while noting some problems in the absence of entrepreneurial dynamism, still needed institutional reforms and a weak judicial system, said it recognized that the Government is pursuing a series of legislative reforms to enhance the overall entrepreneurial environment and develop a stronger private sector in order to generate broader-based job growth.

Some fiscal reforms have been accomplished, too, it said.

***

The Philippines firmly registers today as a Moderately Free country, said Patrick A. Chuasoto, Charge dAffaires of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.

This apparently jibes with Pinoys love for the song Born Free.

***

It clearly indicates the sustainability of the robust and excellent Philippine economic performance of the last few years. We hope that this underpins continued business and investor confidence in one of Asias most dynamic economies, Chuasoto added.

So let it be. Let it be.

***

Meanwhile, various sectors welcomed the Communist Party of the Philippines call on President Duterte to reverse his previous order calling off peace talks with the communist insurgents.

Yes to return to the negotiation table, they said.

***

The communist bloc said in a statement (the CPP) and the New Peoples Army (NPA) reiterate their support for efforts to forge a bilateral ceasefire agreement.

So let the Philippine Government (GRP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) meet again in Utrecht, Netherlands to discuss the proposal, it added.

***

Government Chief Peace Negotiator Jesus Dureza and GRP Peace Panel Chairman Silvestre Bello III welcomed the CPPs call, saying we share the same commitment to work for just and lasting peace in the land.

It is now up to the President, whatever he orders, we will follow, Bello said.

***

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Eduardo Ao said the military was not totally closing its door on peace negotiations with the communists.

The Armed Forcesthe soldiers want the peace talks to succeed he said.

***

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said that he is also in favor for the peace negotiations to get back on track.

While we are doing war, we cannot attain (or) have a modicum of progress he lamented.

So let us all stop the war! And exert greater efforts toward lasting peace!

Tags: Economic performance, Fred Lobo, Heritage Foundation, Index of Economic Freedom, Manila Bulletin, mb.com.ph, PH leaps in economic freedom; yes to calls for lasting peace

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PH leaps in economic freedom; 'yes' to calls for lasting peace - Manila Bulletin

Biafra agitators

Ohanaeze President, John Nwodo has frowned at what he described as oppression to pro-Biafran supporters.

He said the Federal Government treats supporters of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) with disdain.

Nwodo stated in Port Harcourt yesterday during a tour, that if the MASSOB and IPOB members were treated like the Niger Delta Avengers and the Boko Haram in the North East, the agitations would be tamed.

He said, Our people feel marginalized, they feel ill-treated. In this country the most sensitive position pertains to the national security, but there is already a vote of no confidence that the Ibos cannot be trusted with the security of the nation. No Igbo man heads the Nigerians police, no Igbo man heads the military, no Igbo man heads the Federal Road Safety Corps, no Igbo man head the Department of State Service and others. We are not the Minister of Defense despite the zoning policy of the federal government.

I dont know why the Federal Government does not want to give people fiscal freedom. We are calling for true federalism.

I know of the Niger Delta Avengers who are angry as the MASSOB and IPOB and are destroying oil facilities. I dont know any of them that have been arrested. What has the IPOB done to be treated differently?

The fact that we have not joined them means that they have not received our cheers because we still believe that the FG can still handle the situation. I call on the Federal Government to have a rethink on how they handle the issues of IPOB and MASSOB. If they treat them as they have treated others they will have a rethink.

3 hours ago World

4 hours ago Nigeria

4 hours ago Nigeria

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Ohanaeze president worried about maltreatment of pro-Biafran members worries - Guardian

Dear Editor,

Article 26 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) asserts that everyone has the right to education. Subsection 3 declares, Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

The public schools offer their brand of education and most parents avail themselves of it. Some parents prefer different kinds of education (that are also approved by the Ministry of Education). They believe strongly enough to pay for their choice. Even though my brothers and I qualified for free places to attend the top public schools of our choice in the then colony, our parents had sufficient religious belief to pay for our education elsewhere. They paid their taxes and exercised their right as citizen parents. They were not taxed by the British Guiana government for their choice. They were not affluent, and we all had to make sacrifices, but we learnt to depend on the God we believed in.

The private school that I attended later became free for candidates like me. In 1976 such schools were fully taken over by the government. The original brand of education offered by that school continued for a while, but over the years the public school brand took over, and the great traditions and examples of earlier eras faded.

After the restoration of democracy in 1992, there arose again the possibility of parents choosing the kind of systematic education they could bestow on their children, and private schools lived again officially, but by no means easily. Now that choice still exists, but it is being made harder by at least 14%. If Guyana is a land of the free, as we sing so often in our National Anthem, why should this freedom to exercise a right enshrined in the UDHR be impeded?

The tax base that pays for public schools and teacher education has already been broadened in other taxes. Parents who pay for private education are already taxed for being able to afford it. If the government is claiming they are not collecting it and that, As of 2016, there were fifty-four private educational institutions registered with the Guyana Revenue Authority, few of whom were tax compliant, including submission of yearly income and corporate tax returns, then they must learn to fix it according to the law and constitution their predecessors imposed on us. Wasnt there a ministry of governance and highly paid advisors appointed to tell them what is obvious to right-thinking citizens?

I should also not have to be the one to tell the Minister of Finance that money is the legally allowed currency of exchange used by the Guyanese society and that therefore any fiscal policy has social effects. It is like trying to say that raising the temperature (tax) in a closed system (society) will not increase the pressure (stress). Every engineer knows there could be a damaging explosion. Perhaps the social scientists can find a better analogy.

Yours faithfully,

Alfred Bhulai

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Why is a freedom enshrined in the UN declaration of human rights ... - Stabroek News

By Chandeepa Wettasinghe Sri Lanka slipped down to the Mostly Unfree country territory this year in the Index of Economic Freedom, with the lack of government integrity being the only contributor towards the slip in both the ranking and the score. The perceived level of corruption is debilitating, the US-based Heritage Foundation, which compiles the index, said. Sri Lanka slipped to the 112th place from the 93rd place last year, while the country score, which had increased to 59.9 out of 100 in 2016, just 0.1 below a Moderately Free country, declined to 57.4 this year, recording a 6 year low, since 57.1 recorded in 2011. A score below 50 indicates a Repressed country, while a score above 70 denotes a Mostly Free country, and above 80 is classified as Free. Under the rule of law category, the score for property rights increased to 48 in 2017 from 40 in the last year even though the Heritage Foundation noted, investors claim that protection could be flimsy. The unity government, which came to power in 2015, had attracted greater rankings on government integrity, reaching up to 39 in 2016, before nose-diving to 30 this year, matching the lowest levels of 1995 and 1996. Global corruption watchdog, Transparency International, too in its Corruption Perception Index recently pointed out the increasing threats to transparency in Sri Lanka under the current government. However, government ministers claim there is a gap between their good work and the communication of their endeavors to the public. The current government had come to power promising to eliminate corruption, on a wide platform of good governance and transparency. However, many stakeholders are now contradicting the publicly announced policies with the policies formulated in secrecy. The countrys government securities market was also shaken through insider deals allegedly connected to a Central Bank Governor appointed by the unity government, for which action has been slow. Judicial effectiveness for this year was recorded at 48.3. Meanwhile, Sri Lankas tax burden was considered as free, with a score of 85.3, up from 85.1 YoY, despite the increases in taxation legislated in late 2016. Government spending too fared well, increasing to 90.2 from 90.0 YoY continuing an upward trend, despite cuts witnessed in expenditure in 2016 to bring the budget deficit. Fiscal health however, recorded at 31.2. Regulatory efficiencies recorded all-around improvements in 2017, with business freedom increasing to 72.8 from 70.3 YoY, labour freedom increasing to 57.5 from 56.5 YoY and monetary freedom increasing to 76 from 71.5 YoY.

The business start-up process has been streamlined, and the number of licensing requirements has been reduced, the Heritage Foundation said, but noted that labour market lacks efficiency. Sri Lankas commitment towards open markets remained relatively unchanged, with only trade freedom increasing to 74.5 from 72.4 YoY, while investment freedom and financial freedom remaining stagnant at 35.0 and 40.0, respectively. Sri Lanka ranked 25th in the entire Asia Pacific region, while China ranked 24th, Bangladesh 28th, Pakistan 32nd, India 33rd and Vietnam 35th. Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia were ranked in the top 5 both in Asia Pacific as well as in the World. Switzerland managed to edge out Australia by ranking 4th in the world, while Taiwan filled up the 5th position in Asia Pacific.

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Sri Lanka's govt. integrity, economic freedom deteriorate - Daily Mirror

by: Greg Brown Updated: Feb 20, 2017 - 6:09 PM

OKLAHOMA CITY - Quick facts:

Groups across the Sooner State fear an Oklahoma bill that could stripLGBTprotectionsacross the Sooner State as it moves one step closer to becoming law.

Senate Bill 694 bans cities from offering more protections for LGBT folks than the state offers.

If the bill passes, Tulsa's Fair Housing Act that stops landlords from denying housing to LGBTQ people would become illegal.

Trending Now on FOX23.com

The Tulsa city council added the act in April 2015after the local LGBT community asked for an equal housing ordinance for more than 40 years.

The bill, written by State Senator Josh Brecheen (R-District 6), would also affect non-discrimination ordinances in Oklahoma City and Norman.

Freedom Oklahoma executive director Troy Stevenson released a statement on the bill Monday:

"The currentassault on the LGBTQ community by a handful of bigoted zealots under the dome at 23rd and Lincoln is a stain upon our state and anembarrassment to every fair-minded Oklahoman. Freedom Oklahoma and our allies will spare noexpense to stop this bigotry in its tracks. We will not allow our community to be used as a distraction from Oklahoma's fiscal crisis, and we will fight to our last breath to prove that Oklahoma is a state that doesn't hate. Senators Silk and Brecheen are out of touch with the Oklahoma Standard, and their agenda of biasanddiscrimination will not be allowed to move forward."

Toby Jenkins, executive director of Oklahomans for Equality, also released a response to the bill:

"Oklahoma State Senator Brecheen's Senate Bill 694 is discrimination. He admits it is, but does not want it called discrimination, because that means it comes from a place of hate. He wants the LGBTQ community to believe his desire to strip municipalities' and county-elected officials' power to enact anti-discrimination ordinances is an act of love. Local municipal and county leaders across the state are working to create inclusive and welcoming cities and counties, because the state senators and representatives refuse to make it unlawful to discriminate against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer people. Senator Brecheen is saying loud and clear, 'Tulsa, you are not being mean enough to your gay and transgender people.' Oklahomans for Equality will oppose Senate Bill 694 and hope our elected officials will condemn any bill that strips their authority."

The bill now heads to the full senate for a vote.

Brecheen is also a co-author of another senate bill that some fear could affect LGBT rights in the state.

Senate Bill 197, authored by State Senator Joseph Silk (R-District 5),would allow individuals to refuse "any services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods or privileges used in a marriage ceremony or celebration of a specific lifestyle or behavior" they believe contradicts their "sincerely held religious beliefs or conscience."

Freedom Oklahoma described that bill as "worse than HB 2 in North Carolina," referring to the controversial bathroom bill there.

Children burned in Chouteau fire to be treated in Galveston

2017 Cox Media Group.

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Oklahoma bill could strip city LGBT protections not outlined by the state - KOKI FOX 23

PH up by 12 notches in Economic Freedom Index 2017 ranking | SunStar Sun.Star Meanwhile, the new indicators (Fiscal Health and Judicial Effectiveness) placed the country in 26th and 110th rank, respectively. The Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal lauded the Philippines' notable economic growth amid challenging global ...

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PH up by 12 notches in Economic Freedom Index 2017 ranking | SunStar - Sun.Star

Gov. Charlie Baker said last week that the MBTAs Fiscal Management and Control Board should stick around well past its current 2018 expiration date but another major reform at the T isnt getting the same latitude.

The 2015 budget that created the control board along with the option of extending it to 2020 also included a three-year waiver exempting the MBTA from the Pacheco Law, which gave the agency more freedom to explore private contracts for whats currently public work.

And so far, T officials contend, its living up to its potential: The agency is saving money by outsourcing the work of its parts warehouse and its cash room. Its also credited with pushing the Ts largest union, the Carmens Union Local 589, to the bargaining table, where it agreed on a new $1.6 billion contract hailed the State House over by elected officials. But when it comes to the three-year waiver, the law doesnt include the same option for an extension.

Its unclear if T leaders and Baker will push to maintain it, but any talk of doing so was framed not just as premature but unlikely to sit well with the head of the Senate.

The Senate was opposed to the Pacheco Law freeze and Id personally like to see this run its course, Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg said last week. The Amherst Democrat said his hope is that everything (is) going so well at the T that you wouldnt even have to think about that.

That, of course, remains to be seen. The T last week surfaced another potential outsourcing plan, this time targeted at bus maintenance. Rosenberg said its his understanding that there already are discussions going on between the T and Local 264, the union that represents many T mechanics, indicating the potential privatization could be used as another wedge in negotiating.

Rosenberg admitted he hasnt spoken with folks in organized labor for at least six months. But even when talk of privatizing the core parts of the T first got serious last fall, a sense of buyers remorse bubbled up around the Democrat-dominated Legislature thats long-leaned on union support.

With Bakers backing, the Fiscal Management and Control Board is all but ensured to be around until 2020.

But by then, it may not have one of the key tools its used over the last two years.

Pay raise, part 4,567

The controversial pay raises lawmakers passed last month have proven to benefit far more than the lawmakers themselves.

Given their positions throughout the judiciary, those including the father and uncle of sitting senators, the wife of another senator and the partner of the attorney general all scored pay hikes.

You can add another to the list: State Sen. Mark Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat who supported the pay hikes, disclosed in an ethics filing that his yes vote also helped ensure his brother-in-law a clerk-magistrate by trade also got a boost to his paycheck.

Under state ethics law, such a situation doesnt preclude lawmakers from casting a vote on general legislation that could substantially benefit their immediate and extended family. All theyre required to do is acknowledge it.

Legal bills

Felix D. Arroyo, the suspended Suffolk register of probate, has made clear he intends to fight the allegations that prompted officials to put him on paid leave.

(Those have not yet been made public.)

And doing so, apparently, will not come cheap.

Arroyo has set up a legal defense fund through the states Office of Campaign and Political Finance, a move that allows elected officials to defray the costs of a legal fight connected to their job.

It hadnt yet reported any deposits, but costs are already mounting. Arroyo reported spending $5,000 out of his separate campaign account on the law firm Prince Lobel Tye, the home of his reported attorney, Walter B. Prince.

Or at least, it appears that way. In the filing, the $5,000 tab was attributed to Prince Label, with a note explaining that the stated purpose of the bill was not readable.

Either way, he may have to find funds quickly. With the payment, his campaign account dipped to just $3,527.

Pols & Politics will not run next Sunday, and will return on March 5.

State House reporter Matt Stout can be reached at matthew.stout@bostonherald.com.

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Pols & Politics: Battle brews on extending T's Pacheco Law waiver - Boston Herald

Sarah Hauck

What has been dubbed the sound of freedom has been a constant reminder of the areas proximity to Camp Lejeune, particularly in the last week.

As part of an extended training exercise aboard Camp Lejeune artillery blasts have been heard into the wee hours of the morning, causing quite a stir even farther and later than normal.

While many residents are used to the blasts and booms that sometimes rattle windows and doors, many will admit that the last weeks activities have been more, well, active than usual.

The excessive military-related noise is scheduled to end Monday, Camp Lejeune-New River Director of Public Affairs Nat Fahy said.

Some residents have contacted to base to share their frustrations, including some asking if such exercises could be moved elsewhere, he said.

Due to recent fiscal constraints and budget cuts, the Marine Corps is emphasizing home station training, which saves the cost of transporting large amounts of Marines, ammunition, and military equipment to remote locations, Fahy said in response to the residents concerns. Additionally, due to the return of many Marines who were deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq for the last 15 years, many more Marines are at Camp Lejeune. This means that there are more Marines conducting more training so that they can stay ready to fight when the nation calls on them.

A Hubert resident since 1987, Dawn Morton said the occasional blast has become something she and her husband have become accustomed to.

There seems to be less down time between the largest booms, and it usually doesnt continue after 11 p.m. she said.

Morton said the extra noise in the later hours kept her awake the other night, something she isnt used to with the noise.

Camp Lejeune issued a noise advisory early last week to warn the community of the quiet hour violations due to the exercise.

Morton said, however, the cracks in the sheet rock, pictures being broken when they are vibrated off the walls and her pets seeming nervous during the explosions are things she expected when she bought her home.

Were not military, but we love this area and respect and cheer for our military neighbors, she said.

Former Marine and Queens Creek resident Tim Carmody said the blasts have woken his 2-year-old up, which is frustrating. One of the worst parts for him? The late night shoots after 12 a.m. when you are awoken at 1-2 a.m. when your day starts at 3:30-4 a.m., he said.

Carmody said his familiarity with artillery from his time in the military hasnt been able to prevent him from being startled a time or two by the current operations.

The family never would have settled in Hubert had they known the disturbance from the base exercises would be so common, he said.

I lived off of Gum Branch in the Half Moon area and dont recall hearing it, Carmody said. The worst there was the flight path, which wasnt too bad.

In the initial noise advisory Camp Lejeune issued cited weather also playing a factor in how readily heard the artillery blasts may be during the exercise.

On occasions, weather conditions can also greatly affect hownoisetravels, Fahy previously told the Daily News. Variations in temperatures at higher atmospheres can create a trap-like effect that bounce sound waves back toward the ground, creating areas of high intensity sound miles away from the sounds source.

The additional artillery noise outside of quiet hours is part of a comprehensive live fire and maneuver exercise supported by 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fahy said.

Quiet hours are normally 12:01 - 6 a.m. Monday-Saturday and from 12:01 a.m.-noon on Sundays, Fahy said.

The base releases a noise report every Friday in ongoing effort to keep the community informed.

That report can be found at lejeune.marines.mil/news/noise-advisories.

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Sounds of freedom rattling to far reaches of area - News - The Daily ... - Jacksonville Daily News

The United States is no longer among the worlds top 15 freest economies. In fact, according to an annual index released by the Heritage Foundation on Wednesday, the U.S. fell from being the sixth-freest economy in the world when President Barack Obama took office in 2009 to being the 17th freest economy in the world today.

The U.S. economic freedom score for 2017 was 75.1 out of 100. This means economic freedom in the U.S. has fallen to its lowest level since the Heritage Foundation started keeping track in 1995. America now ranks behind such nations as Chile, Estonia, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Since the Heritage Foundation ranks countries with scores above 80 as economically free, it has only ranked the U.S. as mostly free since 2009.

The Heritage economic freedom index is calculated based on 12 factors of economic freedom, including property rights, government spending, freedom from corruption, fiscal freedom, monetary freedom, business freedom, labor freedom, trade freedom, investment freedom and financial freedom. The 2017 report lists large budget deficits, an enormous national debt, a substantial expansion of government bureaucracy and an increased tax burden as contributing factors to the decline in Americas economic freedom.

Another index of economic freedom, published by the Fraser Institute, shows that the U.S. fell from being second freest economy in 1980 to being the 16th freest economy in 2014. According to this assessment, U.S. economic freedom actually rose from 1980 to 2000 but has been in steady decline since the turn of the millennium.

The Fraser Institute reports that the U.S. economic freedom index fell from 8.07 to 7.75 between 1980 and 2014, while Chinas economic freedom index rose from 3.64 to 6.45 during the same time period. As the U.S. turns its back on Adam Smith-style capitalism and China turns its back on Mao Zedong-style communism, both nations are adopting a mixed socialist market economy where property is privately owned but micromanaged by government bureaucrats.

Germany and most members of the European Union also have economic freedom scores in the moderately free zone, a category associated with mixed socialist market economies and authoritarian bureaucracies.

For the past two centuries, the form of government championed by Britain and Americaa form of government that has at its heart some important biblical principleshas spread throughout the Western world. Yet, in recent years, nations around the globe have been turning their back on the Anglo-American methods of economic management.

Even many key American officials have adopted an approach similar to Barack Obamas philosophy that nations should not debate the ideologies of capitalism and communism, but instead should pursue a mixed economy that uses bits of Communist theory and bits of capitalist theory.

To see where this dangerous decline in economic freedom is leading, please read Democracy Is Dying.

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US Economic Freedom Hits Historic Low - theTrumpet.com

Liberian Leader, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Ukraine increased its points from 46.8 to 48.1 score on a scale of 0 to 100, falling from 162nd to 166th position among 180 countries (178 a year ago), according to the Heritage Foundation annual study.

Liberia, Chad, Afghanistan, Sudan and Angola are ahead of Ukraine (with scores from 49.1 to 48.5). Suriname, Bolivia, Guinea and Turkmenistan follow Ukraine (with scores from 48 to 47.4). All these countries are in the group of repressed economies (49.9-40 scores).

Ukraines economy has contracted deeply and remains very fragile. Ongoing disruptions of the countrys productive and export capacities and significant capital outflows have put increasing pressure on the currency and reserves, severely undermining monetary stability, according to the study.

The overall soundness of fiscal policy has deteriorated substantially, and public deficits and debt have increased sharply. The rule of law remains fragile and is further undercut by judicial ineffectiveness.

A strong commitment to structural reforms to reduce corruption and open the economy further to Western investment and financial institutions will be crucial in helping to stabilize the economy. The government has launched a comprehensive set of reforms to restore growth, but progress is not yet evident, reads the study.

Financial freedom is estimated at 30 points, government integrity at 29.2, investment freedom at 25, and judicial effectiveness at 22.6, while trade freedom was assessed at 85.9 and tax burden at 78.6.

The top five countries of the index with 89.8-81 score are Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia.

SOURCE: News Now/ Heritage Foundation annual study

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Liberia Ahead Of Ukraine In Index of Economic Freedom 2017 - Global News Network