Haiti - Politic : Denial and clarification of MAHVE on a new tax on the diaspora
In a note, Stéphanie Auguste, the Minister of Haitians Living Abroad (MHAVE) "strongly wishes to clarify the false information circulating on certain online media suggesting that the MAHVE would have requested from the National Office of Identification the issuance of an identification card that would amount to the addition of a new tax for Haitian citizens living abroad.
The Ministry informs the population in general and Haitians of the Diaspora in particular, that it has no responsibility whatsoever for taxation and tax levies and that, therefore, any information suggesting the opposite is totally inaccurate and erroneous. The Ministry does not have the means or the right to determine the costs of producing an identification card produced or issued outside the country, nor to fix the amount of any taxes required for the granting of this card."
The Minister recalls that the mandate of her Ministry is "[...] to ensure respect for the interests of the fellow citizens of the Diaspora and in order to work for the full enjoyment of their civil and political rights, this Ministry proposes to extend the granting of the national identification card to the Haitians from outside as well as the Haitians of the terroir" stressing that the passport, although an important document, is not sufficient to carry out certain specific transactions and enjoy certain civil and political rights, citing as an example "[...] he national identification card is required : for Passport applications, bank transactions, customs clearance of goods, voting in the polls, being candidates for elective posts" concluding that "These important rights and privileges can not be vested solely in citizens living in Haiti, in defiance of those who live and who are also Haitian citizens in their own right."
