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Digicel
Releases Statement on Education Tax
Money
PORT-AU-PRINCE,
Haiti: Digicel released a note to
the press on Tuesday regarding its
participation in the National Fund
for Education.
Digicel finds
it important to clarify to the
public in general that it never had
the intention to suggest that any
funds were misused.
It is happy
with the Government of Haiti’s
commitment at the highest level to
follow through on its promise to
publish audited reports of the
education fund’s proceeds.
To date,
Digicel has deposited a total of
US$11.1 million which has been
collected through the levy on
international incoming calls and the
money is deposited with CONATEL.
The payment of
1.945m US$ of the levy collected for
December 2011 will take place on
January 20th.
Digicel is also
aware that disbursements were made
to schools in December and looks
forward to seeing those proceeds
help to bring about positive
transformation in the education
system and provide a brighter future
for Haiti’s children.
Contrary to any
claims of a disbursement in
December, the Ministry of Education
has since, as recently as Friday,
January 6, claimed it has not used
any monies from the National Fund
for Education because it was not
established through a legal frame
work.
The
Constitution of Haiti requires that
state funds be deposited to the
nation's Central Bank, the Bank of
the Republic of Haiti, who's
governor, Charles Castel told the
Senate Economic and Finance
Committee in December that only
money transfer taxes were deposited
to that bank and were totaling $4.8
million [US].
Transparency
with the National Fund for Education
remains an issue. Digicel CEO, Denis
O'Brien in a New York Times article
released Friday January 6 requested
President Michel Martelly present
him an audit of the use of the
education funds.
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