Venezuela hits BP with back-tax bill

[Backatcha Bandit]

Venezuela slaps British oil giant BP with back-tax bill

March 25, 2006

Caracas - Venezuela on Friday ordered British oil giant BP and one of its consortiums to pay $61.39 million in back taxes, the latest in a fiscal crackdown on mostly foreign energy companies.

A court earlier froze the accounts of Italian oil group Eni's local operations at the request of the tax authority Seniat, which is seeking $46.2 million in unpaid taxes for the period 2001-2004.

The Seniat said BP Venezuela Holdings Limited had accumulated its tax debt of $61.39 million during the same period.

The order also affects a BP affiliated consortium in Venezuela called Boqueron, it said.

The British company was given 15 days to pay or face fine increases of between 25 percent to 200 percent, the authority announced...

..Since mid-2005, the government of leftist President Hugo Chavez has strictly applied a 2001 law that increases the tax rate for oil companies to 50 percent from 36 percent.

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3175036&fSectionId=552&fSetId=662

Viva Chavez!

BPs annual profit was $16.2bn (£8.7bn), so I reckon they can afford it.

 

[atitlan]

Enforcing corporate tax laws ... what a novel concept; it'll never catch on!

 

[fela fan]

Enforcing corporate tax laws ... what a novel concept; it'll never catch on!

Not in the corrupt developed nations, no way. That would ruin rampant capitalism, the default of life in such countries.

 

[spring-peeper]

If any one is going to nail the Americans, it will be him.

*official member of Chavez Fan Club*

 

[In Bloom]

Woo! Go centralisation, authoritarianism and millitrism!

He's not even that fucking radical, even if he weren't a cunt.

 

[camouflage]

Woo! Go centralisation, authoritarianism and millitrism!

He's not even that fucking radical, even if he weren't a cunt.

Can you expand on this please? Why do you think he's a cunt?

By the way, in my opinion all three of those things you mentioned can be used for good as well as bad, in themselves they don't necessarily suck, look at the chaos of Iraq, that place could do with some authority that takes its duties seriously, and if your nation may well be invaded by a hostile power, surely it's only sensible to build civil defence forces along the peoples army principal? And centralization, that's like a nob with positive and negative at either end, you can have too little as well as too much so...

 

[fela fan]

Woo! Go centralisation, authoritarianism and millitrism!

He's not even that fucking radical, even if he weren't a cunt.

Bullshit, compared to virtually all leaders in the world, he's a total radical. He calls the US for what it really is. The likes of blair and other spineless weak corrupt gits just want a bit of reflected power. They sell their populations down the market so they can enrich themelves and big up their egos.

 

[In Bloom]

Can you expand on this please? Why do you think he's a cunt?

Well besides the cult of personality surrounding him, he's just another politician who's using a few moderate social reforms to keep up a level of popular support.

 

[spring-peeper]

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez rejected recent attacks by the US administration on his government, and slammed President George Bush as a “coward, murderer and responsible for genocide”, in an outspoken talk on his weekly TV program Alo Presidente on March 19. Chavez was responding to criticism of Venezuela in the recently released US National Security Strategy.

The document alleges that “In Venezuela, a demagogue inundated with petrol money is undermining democracy and trying to destabilise the region”. Chavez replied by blasting Bush over the war on Iraq, and contrasting popular support for himself with the international opposition to the US president.

Referring to the passage of three years since the US-led invasion of Iraq, Chavez reminded Bush that “the entire world opposes his imperialist war, his demented attitude of domination; that 70% of his own people are against him”, according to a report on the television address in the March 20 Diario Vea newspaper.

“God save the world from this threat. You are a coward, murderer, and responsible for genocide. Why don’t you go to Iraq and command your armed forces there?”, Chavez demanded of the US president. He warned Bush that if some day it occurred to him to invade Venezuela, then the whole country would immediately rush to its defence, and that he himself “will be here waiting for you on the savanna, Mr Danger”.

source

I don't think that he likes Bush very much

 

[fela fan]

source

I don't think that he likes Bush very much

This is why the man is so good. He says exactly what i'd like to say about the US and Bush if i was given the voice.

Everything he says about bush and the US is true. He's another castro, and i love him for it.

 

[In Bloom]

Bullshit, compared to virtually all leaders in the world, he's a total radical. He calls the US for what it really is. The likes of blair and other spineless weak corrupt gits just want a bit of reflected power. They sell their populations down the market so they can enrich themelves and big up their egos.

In other words, he says bad things about the US, therefore his motives must be entirely selfless

 

[Kid_Eternity]

He's as selfless as you, I or any other politicised person on this planet; everyone serves an interest/agenda. He's far from perfect but the region is better off with him than Blair/Bush type...

 

[In Bloom]

He's as selfless as you, I or any other politicised person on this planet; everyone serves an interest/agenda.

Yes, and his interests are those of the ruling class, like every other politician. He's no different, maybe slightly preferable to some neo-liberal puppet, but frankly, that's not enough for me to share the liberal left's collective hard on over Chavez.

 

[JHE]

Yes, and his interests are those of the ruling class, like every other politician. He's no different...

How strange, then, that the Venezuelan ruling class hate his guts!

 

[Grego Morales]

It's going to interesting to see how the US will deal with him. Will they tolerate his corporate tax hikes and land redistribution for much longer? Do they already have a plan in operation? 30 years ago Kissenger would have got rid of him without a second glance, but they would never get away with an Allende style coup nowadays.

 

[phildwyer]

Yes, and his interests are those of the ruling class

Now *that* really is ridiculous.

 

[camouflage]

This is why the man is so good. He says exactly what i'd like to say about the US and Bush if i was given the voice.

Everything he says about bush and the US is true. He's another castro, and i love him for it.

Yes but Saddam Hussein also hollars Bush's number from the rooftops- well, courtroom, but that doesn't mean he's the kinda guy you want running the country...

 

[camouflage]

Well besides the cult of personality surrounding him, he's just another politician who's using a few moderate social reforms to keep up a level of popular support.

I don't get that impression. I'm worried, and I've heard it widely echoed- that his reforms are all too dependant on him, Venezuela's Evolution is not systematized, if Jonny Yank got rid of him tommorow, that would be it, party over, the oligarchy would come back in and set everything back as it was setting landowners and corporations and a tiny privaleged 'business community' over the interests of most of the people that live there, and calling it 'Freedom' (freedom to do what we want, Shoeshine).

I think Westerners are unused to politicians with genuine ideals, especially those whose ideals are made in the Barrios and Shanty-towns of the Wests resource gathering areas and cheap labor-camps. Chavez can only really be judged about a decade after he's gone from power, to see what's left, and how the systems he's building have changed life for Venezuelans, Latin Americans, and even Africans and Asians in terms of the Southern Solidarity type stuff he espouses.

Certainly he's worth ten Bliars and Bushes, he's done more for the underprivaleged (majority of Venz population) then those two have done. And he hasn't killed anybody! At least not several thuosand anyway.

 

[likesfish]

he's an egomaniac and some of his economic ideas are slightly dodgy investment in oil infrastructure is down never a good idea if that your main form of income.
but then venuzalia isn't part of the west where you get boring politics
blokes trying to help the majority pisses off most yanks and bush so can't be all bad.
plus the documentry where the coup leaders kept on chavez old unit as the presidential guard was classic

 

[spring-peeper]

he's an egomaniac and some of his economic ideas are slightly dodgy investment in oil infrastructure is down never a good idea if that your main form of income.
but then venuzalia isn't part of the west where you get boring politics
blokes trying to help the majority pisses off most yanks and bush so can't be all bad.
plus the documentry where the coup leaders kept on chavez old unit as the presidential guard was classic

Why isn't Venezuela part of the west?

 

[dylanredefined]

Why isn't Venezuela part of the west?

try looking at a map I thought the west was europe America canada ?
Just because someone hates America and the west dosent make them a good guy .Look at castro not the commie baby eater the yanks say he is ,but,neither the greatist democract either.

 

[spring-peeper]

try looking at a map

pssst - it's west of the British Isles, right there on the American continent.

where do you think it is - in the east?

 

[dylanredefined]

pssst - it's west of the British Isles, right there on the American continent.

where do you think it is - in the east?

Actually west of the British Isles is Newfoundland Venezula is south west in
south america .I doubt they consider themselves in the west .


Hand held gps are cheap I suggest someone with such a lack of navigation
knowledge invest in one .

 

[ViolentPanda]

Yes, and his interests are those of the ruling class, like every other politician. He's no different, maybe slightly preferable to some neo-liberal puppet, but frankly, that's not enough for me to share the liberal left's collective hard on over Chavez.

I think you're a little off-beam with your opening comment. While I'm sure Chavez will come to represent the interests of a ruling class, I think it's inaccurate to state that he represents the interests of Venezuela's current "ruling class" (if we're talking about "the establishment" and the landowners rather than those who formulate governmental policy).

 

[spring-peeper]

Actually west of the British Isles is Newfoundland Venezula is south west in
south america .I doubt they consider themselves in the west .


Hand held gps are cheap I suggest someone with such a lack of navigation
knowledge invest in one .

Well since you are east of me, then that would make the UK part of the East then, right?

So tell me, what does the average Venezuelian consider himself if not western? Easterns? Southerns?

What do you consider them, btw?



"there be dragons"

 

[dylanredefined]

Having never visted Venezuela I wouldnt know . Though as now President
Chavez considers bush enemy no1 guess they wouldnt see themselves as western .

 

[spring-peeper]

Having never visted Venezuela I wouldnt know . Though as now President
Chavez considers bush enemy no1 guess they wouldnt see themselves as western .

A fair number of countries do not agree with US policies - does that mean that they are not western?

Is Mexico considered western? I mean, if I'm in Venezuela (not western) and start walking north - when do I start arriving in the western countries?

 

[phildwyer]

So tell me, what does the average Venezuelian consider himself if not western? Easterns? Southerns?

The average Venezuelan considers himself a Southerner. Having visited Venezuela during the period of Chavez's imprisonment, I can confirm that the vast majority of Venezuelans support him with something approaching idolatry.

 

[ska invita]

Chavez is a "Third Way"'er in a way Blair just hasnt got the guts to do.
Its pure tax and spend, without dismantling private enterprise.
Venezuelan model seems to be good for capitalist business!:
http://today.reuters.com/business/n...9406188_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIZFEATURE-VENEZUELA.xml

I think he's right not too be more radical (for now) - this is the way to do real social reform.
For all the grass-rooters out there, he supports co-operatives too...

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

Doesn't seem to be doing too badly:

Venezuela sees tourist surge

If President Bush's attacks on Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's brand of populism are meant to sour Americans on visiting the latter's homeland, the campaign appears to have backfired. Caribbean beaches of Venezuela's Margarita Island are getting serious competition from mainland destinations that, until recently, many tourists avoided due to safety concerns.

Channeling the spirit of 1980s Nicaragua, 1970s Chile or even Cuba in the '50s, Venezuela is drawing a new generation of students, celebrities, intellectuals and activists. Famous recent visitors include actor Danny Glover, singer Harry Belafonte, anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and Bolivia's new president, Evo Morales.

"People have heard that there's a social transformation going on in Venezuela, they've seen a lot of Hugo Chávez in the headlines, and they want to see for themselves what's really going on," said Andrea Buffa of Global Exchange. The San Francisco human rights organization, whose Reality Tours promote understanding of international issues, has doubled its trips to Venezuela this year.

Chávez, whose popularity has survived repeated challenges, has been using Venezuela's ample oil revenue to provide education, health care and development for the country's poor majority.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/26/TRG02HFH0120.DTL

...Bush looks like he needs a holiday these days...