Mediaboss Marketing

by John Quirk

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company is supporting National Ferry Fortnight, which launches this weekend.

The fourth annual celebration of all things ferry-related around the British Isles receives widespread coverage and in addition to ensuring the media have all the relevant information about the Islands ferry links, the Steam Packet Company is marking the occasion by promoting its Children Go Free offer.

Organised by the Passenger Shipping Association via its Discover Ferries website, National Ferry Fortnight will run from March 17th to March 31st.

Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: National Ferry Fortnight is a high-profile event, attracting features within the likes of The Times and Mail on Sunday. It is supported by all ferry line members of the PSA and was created to increase awareness, amongst both consumers and the media, of the extensive ferry network which services the British Isles.

During 2011, ferries transported 35 million people, 8 million cars and 140,000 coaches to and from mainland Europe and within the British Isles.

There has been continuous investment in recent years by ferry operators to provide modern fleets, reinforcing the pivotal role that ferries play in the transport infrastructure, Mr Woodward said. Were proud to be part of that network and were delighted to be able to play our part in promoting ferry travel over the next couple of weeks.

The Children Go Free summer special offers a midweek (Tuesday to Thursday) fare from 119 each way for a car plus two people, with up to three children travelling for free.

For full details, visit http://www.steam-packet.com, call in at the Ferry Travel Shop in the Sea Terminal, Douglas or call the Reservations Team on 661661.

-ENDS-

Excerpt from:
National Ferry Fortnight Gets Underway

by Charlotte Easton

Continued Support For Wish Upon A Dream And Remember Me

Moore Stephens Isle of Man, leading providers of multi-sector accountancy, consultancy and wealth management services is pleased to continue its sponsorship of Wish Upon a Dream and extend to sponsoring a new charity, Remember Me. Moore Stephens Isle of Man is the charitys auditor and has assisted in setting up social media channels alongside ongoing fundraising and support. At the annual Wish Upon A Dream Fundraiser Ball, the firm also announced its sponsorship of a suite of stationery for the charity.

Wish Upon a Dream is truly doing very special work for some very special young people, said Clive Dixon, senior partner for Moore Stephens Isle of Man, They bring hope and light to young lives darkened by severe illness. We feel honoured to be able to help.

Wish Upon A Dream is an Isle of Man registered charity. Its goal is to grant wishes for sick and terminally ill children living on the Island. Ranging from providing extra care facilities at home to meeting Mickey Mouse, the charity is always working towards granting a childs wish. As the charity is completely independent, no one connected to the charity receives a salary or expenses and all time and expertise is given absolutely free of charge.

Sometimes its a race against time; sadly, there may be occasions when time is against us in making a dream wish come true, so it really is very important that funds are always available, said Lesley Turnbull, founder of Wish Upon A Dream, We must be ready to help and corporate support is vital for that; needless to say we welcome the continued support and encouragement of Moore Stephens. Pledging their assistance for the next three years helps us raise funds for both charities; as without fundraising we cant grant wishes.

To find out more about Wish Upon A Dream please visit http://www.wishuponadream.co.uk, email wishuponadream@manx.net or follow the firm on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/WUAD.

To find out more about Moore Stephens Isle of Man please visit http://www.msiom.im or follow the firm on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/MSIOM, Facebook http://goo.gl/g50zd and LinkedIn http://goo.gl/lhsrl.

Moore Stephens Isle of Man also supports a number of other Island charities and offers a broad range of services including personal wealth management and financial planning, fiduciary services, trust and company administration, yachting and aviation services, insurance brokerage/luxury asset insurance, corporate pensions and personal retirement solutions, investigations and forensic, audit and assurance, accounting, corporate recovery, taxation advice and consulting and HR services, all under one roof.

-Ends-

Read the original here:
Moore Stephens Isle of Man Helps Make Dreams Come True

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, March 16 (Reuters) - The Ritz-Carlton luxury resort and high-end residential developments in the Cayman Islands were placed into receivership this week because of an outstanding $250 million loan.

RC Cayman Holdings LLC, which is registered in Delaware, appointed KPMG (Cayman) as the receiver of the group of four companies, which had developed and owned the five-star hotel and residential developments, effectively wresting control from its chairman and chief executive, Michael Ryan.

The 365-room oceanfront Ritz-Carlton opened on Grand Cayman Island in 2005 and was the first and only five-star hotel in the British Caribbean territory.

In the last several months, Ryan had been trying to renegotiate $7.5 million in deferred import duties owed to the Cayman government as part of its discussions with its primary lender, RC Cayman Holdings, according to correspondence with the Financial Secretary released under a Freedom of Information request.

Ryan blamed the global economic downturn and escalating construction costs in the Cayman Islands as the driving factors for his inability to meet his obligations.

"We are now operating in an extremely difficult economic environment," Ryan said in a January letter.

The receivership appointment followed a civil suit filed by RC Cayman Holdings in the Grand Court last month seeking an injunction against Ryan's executive team.

KPMG joint receiver Keith Blake said the receivership was a "private contractual matter" independent of the courts but would not elaborate.

While Ryan's companies own the 144-acre property, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. manages the resort operations and would not be affected by the receivership, according to a KPMG statement.

In the last year, Ryan has laid off a significant number of staff as cash flow continues to stall his new Dragon Bay property, an upscale residential development on Grand Cayman targeting millionaires.

Link:
Cayman Islands Ritz-Carlton placed in receivership

14-03-2012 20:49 tinyurl.com

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Tweak in tax residence certificate, GAAR can narrow inflows

March 16, 2012:

Provisions in the Budget can have serious implications for flow of foreign institutional investor funds in to India.

The change in stance with relation to Tax Residency Certificate (TRC) and providing for General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR) in the Income Tax Act may both impede the flow of money camouflaged as FII funds into the Indian market through tax havens.

It is no secret that a large portion of FIIs investing in to India are domiciled in Mauritius. The double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) that India has signed with Mauritius enables tax on securities transaction to be taxed in the country where the company is resident. Since capital gains tax rate in Mauritius is zero, foreign investors buying or selling Indian stocks through the Mauritius route get away by paying no capital gains tax.

The TRC issued by Mauritian government forms the basis for judging if a company could avail itself of the benefits of DTAA with Mauritius. The criteria that Mauritian government applies for issuing these certificates are fairly lax, resulting many shell companies availing themselves benefits under this treaty.

The Budget lays down that submission of Tax Residency Certificate is necessary but not sufficient for availing benefits under these treaties. This could spell trouble for FII money coming in from tax havens as it gives the tax authorities the power to overlook the tax residency certificate and demand further proof of commercial substance.

Implementing General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) in this Budget can also impact some FIIs investing in India through tax havens. Tax authorities will now impose GAAR on arrangements that lack commercial substance or are carried out in a manner which is normally not employed for bonafide purpose. The budget document goes on to say that an arrangement will be deemed to lack commercial substance if it includes round trip financing.

While genuine foreign investors will not be impacted by the change in TRC or GAAR, the flow of illegitimate or black money in to stocks through such conduits will be seriously deterred if not stopped, with the threat of tax-men going after these entities.

lokeshwarri_sk@thehindu.co.in

Excerpt from:
FII flows from tax havens may be impacted