Workers living in fear of being deported
Fact: A young Bangladesian man who was recently deported from Cyprus had good English and basic Greek skills and had been gainfully employed for years.
Fact: A young Bangladesian man who was recently deported from Cyprus had good English and basic Greek skills and had been gainfully employed for years.
The YKAN has reported an increase in individuals involved in drugs and crime settling in Cyprus after the war in Ukraine and due to political instability in the region. Foreigners make up a significant percentage of those involved in drug-related cases, with drug seizures reaching record levels in recent years. YKAN is working to address the rise in minors involved in illegal activities by focusing on providing help and treatment rather than stigmatizing them as lawbreakers. They are mapping out schools and areas frequented by juveniles to monitor the situation closely.
Around 300 people marched in Nicosia against racism and police violence, following the death of Anisur Rahman. The protesters demanded an end to police repression, respectful treatment of immigrants, equal access to healthcare, an end to dehumanization of asylum seekers, and a stop to deportations.
Three people from Syria were involved in incidents in Nicosia, resulting in three of them being hospitalized. Two young men, aged 18 and 22, were taken to Nicosia General Hospital with injuries. The 18-year-old had a chest wound and was kept for treatment, while the 22-year-old had minor injuries and was discharged. A third person also went to the hospital after claiming to have been attacked by a group of people in the same area. Nicosia CID is investigating the incidents.
The Minnesota Legislature is considering several bills targeting corporations, including proposals to require large corporations to disclose their state income tax filings and to cap the number of single-family rental units a company can own. Rep. Esther Agbaje is pushing a bill that would cap the number of single-family homes one business entity can own, primarily corporations. Governor Tim Walz has stated that he is not interested in raising or cutting corporate taxes, but rather maintaining a proper balance. Minnesota has the highest corporate tax rate among the states, but the effective tax rate is lower due to deductions. Several bills are moving in the Legislature aimed at regulating corporations, including those related to single-family home ownership, tax transparency, hospital salaries, debt collection, corporate tax studies, health care acquisitions, and employee classification. Critics argue that the bills and underlying philosophy behind them are anti-business.
– The 2023 budget proposed a refundable ITC for clean electricity, equal to 15% of the capital cost of eligible property.
– The 2024 budget provides the design and implementation details of the ITC, including the eligibility criteria.
– The ITC will be available only to eligible Canadian corporations, including taxable Canadian corporations, provincial and territorial Crown corporations, and corporations owned by municipalities or Indigenous communities.
– Property eligible for the ITC includes equipment used to generate electricity from various sources, including solar, wind, water, nuclear fission, geothermal energy, and specified waste materials.
– The ITC will be subject to potential repayment obligations if the property is converted to an ineligible use, exported from Canada, or disposed of.
– The EV Supply Chain Investment Tax Credit is equal to 10% of the cost of buildings used in electric vehicle supply chain segments.
– The Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit has been updated to include production of qualifying minerals at polymetallic projects.
– An accelerated CCA of 10% is provided for new eligible purpose-built rental projects that begin construction after April 15, 2024.
– Immediate expensing is provided for certain productivity-enhancing assets acquired after April 15, 2024.
– The budget proposes to extend an exemption for certain interest and financing expenses relating to arm’s length financing used to build or acquire purpose-built rental housing.
– The government is considering introducing a new tax on residentially zoned vacant land to spur development.
– The government intends to restrict the acquisition of existing single-family homes by very large corporate investors.
– The government is exploring measures to expand access to alternative financing products for home purchasers, such as halal mortgages.
– Amendments are proposed to the CRA’s information gathering provisions to enhance tax audits and facilitate the collection of tax revenues.
– The budget proposes to remove the tax-indifferent investor exception to the anti-avoidance rule for synthetic equity arrangements.
– Specific amendments are proposed to preclude a corporation from qualifying as a mutual fund corporation if it is controlled by or for the benefit of a corporate group.
– The budget introduces the Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Business, to return a portion of the federal backstop pollution pricing fuel charge proceeds collected from a province to CCPCs with less than 500 employees.
– The budget proposes measures to address tax debt avoidance planning, including joint and several liability for taxpayers who participate in such planning.
– The budget proposes to remove the failure to file an information return in respect of a reportable or notifiable transaction under the mandatory disclosure rules from the general penalty provision.
– The budget proposes to repeal the exception to the debt forgiveness rules for bankrupt corporations and the loss restriction rule applicable to bankrupt corporations.
– The government launched consultations on the existing SR&ED tax incentives and announces a second phase of consultations to focus on specific policy parameters.
Health Minister Michael Damianos praised his ministry’s accomplishments during the first year of President Nikos Christodoulides’ tenure, highlighting the implementation of expenses coverage plan for patients sent abroad for treatment, the increase in subsidy for infertility treatment, and the preparation of new health strategies including better management of patients with mental health problems and nutritional disorders. Additionally, investments in infrastructures and medical equipment in public hospitals worth €22 million were approved.
Cyprus denied allegations of pushing back and threatening migrants during an operation off the coast of Lebanon. The individuals were provided with food and blankets before being sent back, and Cyprus did not push back any of the boats. The UNHCR and EU define pushback as forcibly returning migrants without access to international protection or asylum procedures. The Republic of Cyprus stated that it respects international conventions and acts within the framework of legality. Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou emphasized that their actions regarding migration flows comply with international regulations.