Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Friday 2 June 2017

Cuban entrepreneurs start first private business group

step toward changing that “People have approached
Thursday when Cuba’s Na- with a lot of interest but
tional Assembly approves a they don’t want to join until
series of documents updat- we’re officially approved,”
ing the country’s economic said Edilio Hernandez, one
reform plan and laying out of the association’s found-
long-term goals through ers. Trained as a lawyer,
2030. Those goals include Hernandez also works as a
the first official recogni- self-employed taxi driver.
tion of private enterprise “Many people really un-
and small- and medium- derstand that entrepre-
size businesses, although it neurs need a guiding light,
could be years before any someone who helps them,”
actual changes are felt on he said. Another founder,
the ground in the country. Rodolfo Marino, has a con-
The Havana-based Associ- struction license and has
ation of Businessmen is try- worked privately and un-
ing to move ahead faster, der contract to state agen-
organizing dozens of entre- cies. He said organizers of
preneurs into a group that the association have gone
will provide help, advice, door-to-door trying to re-
training and representation cruit members by convinc-
People shop at the El Egido food market in Havana, Cuba. A handful of entrepreneurs have quietly to members of the private ing them they need inde-
formed communist Cuba’s first private small business association, testing the government’s will-
ingness to allow Cubans to organize outside the strict bounds of state control. sector. The group applied pendent representation.
(AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) in February for government The group says roughly 90
recognition. While the offi- entrepreneurs have signed
By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ state control. Cold War, however, and cial deadline for a response up. Without legal recogni-
Associated Press More than a half million Cu- private business people are has passed, the group has tion, the group is not yet
HAVANA (AP) — A handful bans officially work in the officially recognized only as yet to receive either an OK charging membership
of entrepreneurs have qui- private sector, with tens, “self-employed,” a status or negative attention from fees, the organizers say.
etly formed communist Cu- perhaps hundreds, of thou- with few legal protections authorities, leaving it in the Until then, they meet occa-
ba’s first private small busi- sands more working off the and no access to whole- peculiar status known in sionally in Marino’s Havana
ness association, testing the books. Cuba’s legal sys- sale goods or the ability to Cuba as “alegal” or a-le- home to plan their path for-
government’s willingness to tem and centrally planned import and export. gal, operating unmolested ward, which includes legal
allow Cubans to organize state economy have The government is expect- but vulnerable to a crack- appeals for government
outside the strict bounds of changed little since the ed to take an incremental down at any time. recognition.

Puerto Rico governor protects pensions, promises tax breaks

By DANICA COTO of thousands of retired gov- gling to emerge from a aside $2 billion in the gov- reserve demanded by a
Associated Press ernment workers who de- 10-year recession that has ernment’s general fund to federal control board over-
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico pend on a public pension prompted more than a half ensure that retired govern- seeing the island’s finances
(AP) — Puerto Rico’s gov- system that is crumbling million Puerto Ricans to flee ment workers receive their that threatened to furlough
ernor unveiled a budget amid a deep economic to the U.S. mainland. Ros- monthly pensions as the is- tens of thousands of gov-
this week that prioritizes crisis. sello’s administration is in land’s public retirement sys- ernment workers if the re-
pension payments for tens The proposed $9.56 billion the midst of restructuring tem that is underfunded by serve didn’t materialize.
budget is more than a half a portion of a $73 billion nearly $50 billion collapses. In addition, the governor
million dollars larger than public debt load through To offset that pension pay- said he will soon submit a
last year’s, and Gov. Ricar- a bankruptcy-like process ment, Rossello proposes tax reform bill that will in-
do Rossello said that for the in federal court after pre- cuts such as eliminating clude more than $200 mil-
first time in recent history vious administrations bor- millions of dollars in annual lion in tax breaks and will
the budget would be truly rowed millions of dollars to subsidies to Puerto Rico’s exempt everyone from
balanced. cover the island’s debt for 78 municipalities, prompt- paying taxes on the first
“In the past, money was decades. ing some mayors to start $12,500 earned.
taken from areas, increas- The budget calls for $400 charging for garbage col- He also said retirees would
ing budgeted spending million in debt service pay- lection and possibly other not pay taxes on the first
and hiding debt,” he said. ments. services. $25,000 earned instead of
“That’s over.” Despite the economic Rossello also said he has the current $15,000 if the bill
The U.S. territory is strug- woes, Rossello said he set budgeted for a $200 million is approved.q