Home » Posts » Finance ministry yet to release New Year’s refund cash

Finance ministry yet to release New Year’s refund cash

by Marlon Madden
3 min read
A+A-
Reset

Promoters of the roughly 65 New Year’s Eve events that were cancelled last minute by the coronavirus spike were up to Friday still waiting to see when they will see promised reimbursement from Government, Barbados TODAY has learned.

Despite the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit having identified the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) as the agency to oversee the compensation process some three weeks ago, the Ministry of Finance is yet to make provisions for the funds to be transferred to that entity, Barbados TODAY understands.

It was hours before New Year’s Eve celebrations when Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced a ban on commercial fetes and imposed a midnight to 5 a.m curfew from December 31 to January 14.

She had since promised that the 65 promoters who had applied to the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit to host Old Year’s Night fetes would be reimbursed the expenses for perishable items and some set-up costs.

President of the Entertainment Association of Barbados Rudy Maloney confirmed to Barbados TODAY that the Ministry of Finance was yet to make the funds available to the NCF, but said promoters were ready to start applying for the promised compensation once they are given the go-ahead.

“It is just a wait and see at this point. At the end of the day, you have to wait on the Ministry of Finance to release some funding to the NCF. The NCF is the one now responsible for investigating and disbursing the funds,” said Maloney.

In order to receive reimbursement, the organisers are expected to produce evidence to the NCF of the perishable items they purchased for New Year’s Eve celebrations and cost of set-up. It is not yet clear what percentage of set-up costs may be compensated or how much the overall reimbursement was likely to cost.

“From what I understand you have to register and send in your invoices and the invoices will be based on the perishables. That is the process. It has moved from the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit to the NCF and there is no more movement so it is still a wait-and-see situation,” he stressed.

At the same time, Maloney told Barbados TODAY that promoters were waiting with bated breath for the day when they will be able to put on events again across the island.

Promoters and entertainers plan to meet with the authorities to see how best they could slowly reopen the industry, he said.

Maloney said: “We are looking at having a meeting to see how we can talk to the Ministry of Health on how we can get the sector open once the pandemic is brought under control. That meeting should take place sometime after the curfew.”
(MM)

You may also like

About Us

Barbados Today logos white-14

The (Barbados) Today Inc. is a privately owned, dynamic and innovative Media Production Company.

Useful Links

Get Our News

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

Barbados Today logos white-14

The (Barbados) Today Inc. is a privately owned, dynamic and innovative Media Production Company.

BT Lifestyle

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Accept Privacy Policy

-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00