Government Advocates Job Security

This week a petition was published in the Cook Islands News to wind up a company that has been operating in the Cook Islands for more than 15 years. This company is owned by a local woman and employs 20 people with skills in the apparel industry.
The Minister of Finance has begun an investigation into the survivability of small to medium business enterprises in the Cook Islands with the view that they need careful analysis of their existence within the Government’s taxation structures.
The Minister of Finance does not want to compromise the role and duties of Revenue Management officials but he wants to assert that the priority for the Government is to preserve the jobs of people in small to medium business enterprises.
“I believe that the Government should do all it can to prevent people from losing their jobs in the Cook Islands and prevent them from inevitably leaving for New Zealand and Australia to apply for unemployment benefits.”
The Minister of Finance also believes that the New Zealand and Australian Governments would prefer that no more Cook Islanders sign up to the Unemployment Benefit in their respective countries and indeed will support the effort of the Cook Islands Government to keep people employed and living in the Cook Islands.
The Minister of Finance is now aware that there are a number of businesses struggling to keep up with their tax repayments and he is now discussing these matters with his officials in order to endorse the policy of job security in the Cook Islands.
“There needs to be clear policy direction from the Government on small, medium and indeed large business enterprises in the Cook Islands where the Government’s social responsibility to the employees are maintained.”
“We do not want Cook Islanders to lose their jobs in either the private or public sectors and we certainly do not want Cook Islanders to emigrate overseas because of job losses.”
- Minister of Finance Press Release

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