ARTICLE - GOV'T STATEMENT ON EDUC. TAX

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICIALS RELEASE STATEMENT ON EDUCATION TAX MONEY

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (defend.ht) - The National Counsel of Telecommunications (CONATEL) released a note to the press on Monday regarding its participation in the National Fund for Education (FNE).

The note is in regards to the National Fund for Education (FNE), a tax placed on international phone calls and money transfers to raise money to send children in Haiti to school for free.

The National Council of Telecommunications (CONATEL), for the sake of transparency and in order to inform the public, in general, and all those interested in the issue, in particular; it believes appropriate to draw the attention of public opinion on the relative availability of a surplus contribution of tariffs on incoming calls into the country, in accordance with the laws and especially the clauses of concession contracts between the Haitian government and operators.

As a reminder, this perception is allocated to the financing of the universal education program of the government. The financial resources collected in conjunction with partners in the telephony, are intended to finance compulsory and free education for the most disadvantaged in Haiti.

Thus, the CONATEL is pleased to announce that from June 16 to November 30, 2011, it has already collected, from Digicel and Comcel/Voila, for the moment, the amount of FOUR MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED NINETY SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED FIFTY EIGHT DOLLARS AND TWENTY SIX CENTS (USD 4,897,558.26) in American dollars and THREE HUNDRED THIRTY SIX MILLION ONE HUNDRED FIFTY NINE THOUSAND AND SIXTY NINE GOURDES AND THIRTEEN CENTS (G. 336,159,069.13) in local currency. This makes a total of THIRTEEN MILLION ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED SIX DOLLARS AND FORTY CENTS (USD 13,116,606.40), calculated using the reference rate of 40.90 gourdes for one dollar established by the BRH (Bank of the Republic of Haiti).

This revenue, funded by only the largest operators are available in the CONATEL account and will be transferred to the Treasury, once relevant authorities request them.

CONATEL intends to publish this information periodically, which is in the public interest and on behalf of the understanding of all.

Jean-Marie Guillaume
Director-General