Nevis Administration grateful for EC$80,000 Social Security gift
NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (MAY 23, 2014) — Acting Premier of Nevis Hon. Mark Brantley described an EC$80,000 computer equipment donation to the Nevis Island Administration’s Ministry of Finance from the St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board as a significant investment in Nevis.
Mr. Brantley made the comment as he registered the Administration’s gratitude for the gift while delivering remarks at a handing over ceremony at the Ministry of Finance conference room on May 22, 2014. The survey equipment will be used to run all NIA software among them email, website, accounting applications and tax administration applications.
“It is $ 80,000 which is a significant amount by any analysis but not just $80,000 in terms of monetary value. I think that the true value goes well beyond the monetary value, in that this is an investment in Nevis in trying to put the government and the government’s affairs back on a sensible footing, after the tragedy that we encountered on the 17th of January.
“I would like to record the profound gratitude of the Administration. Of course the Hon. Premier isn’t here and so I am filling in for him but I know that he would wish me to express profound gratitude, to the Social Security Board, its directors and to say that as Social Security, we know, are the stewards of the people’s money,” he said.
He said the gesture by the Social security Board after the Treasury fire in January, showed that the institution continued to care about the people of Nevis.
“I believe that it is known now to all that on the 17th of January Nevis suffered a terrible blow when the building that housed our Treasury, our [Value added Tax] VAT, Inland Revenue Departments and [Information Technology] IT went up in smoke literally and I think that it is testimony to the care of Social Security that they have come to our rescue in Nevis in this fashion…
“The fund, of course, is a fund that all of us pay into and that stewardship, we have been told this morning, now accounts for some $1.2billion…. So I am quite happy to hear, that the fund has grown and has developed to a point, where it can be and has been a remarkable force for good in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis,” he said.
The Acting Premier also spoke to the recovery efforts since the January fire and what the donation meant to Nevis.
“I feel that this recovery effort is ongoing and contributions such as this will assist immensely in putting us back to where we need to be, so that we as an Administration can continue delivering quality service to the people of Nevis and allow the people, of course, to interact with the Government to pay their taxes and allow us to collect those taxes, so we can continue to be a force for good and a positive force for change in the country,” he said.
Meantime, Mr. Brantley who had been a direct beneficiary of the Social Security fund through a scholarship to pursue his secondary school education, spoke to its longevity and impact on the Federation since it began in 1978 and offered his personal gratitude.
Mr. Brantley also thanked Prime Minister Dr. the Rt. Hon. Denzil Douglas, Federal Minister with responsibility for Social Security who travelled to Nevis to make the presentation of the computer equipment. Dr Douglas used the opportunity to pledge ongoing collaboration with the Nevis Island Administration and people of Nevis.
“I thank you Mr. Prime Minister. I thank you again for making the personal visit over. I trust while you are here you sample some of the good things that Nevis has to offer because of course I wear several hats and one of them is to continue to promote the goodness of Nevis and so I thank you for coming over and I thank all of your team, Mrs. Lawrence, for being here to mark this historic and very important occasion for us.
“Please convey to the entire Board our gratitude and with those few words I accept on behalf of the Administration this very, very kind gesture from Social Security,” he said.