Money Transfer - Haiti Observer Blog

In a report recently released that monitors the amount of Remittances received by the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, the report noticed that an important source of income for these countries came from their Diaspora sending money transfers to millions of families and friends to cover basic needs like food, education, health and housing.

Nan yon rapò ki fèk lage monitè kantite lajan Ayiti. Rapò a remake ke yon sous enpòtan nan revni pou peyi sa yo te soti nan Dyaspora yo ki voye transfere lajan.

According to the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), remittances represent more than 10% of the gross domestic product in countries such as Haiti, Guyana, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Guatemala.

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Upon his election in April 2011, Martelly vowed to provide free education to Haitians. He went on with this plan by launching the National Education Fund (FNE), which was supposed to be funded by taxes collected from international calls and money transfers. Even though the constitution denies the president the power to levy taxes, the government pushed through with Martelly's plan.

The program sounded promising but six months after its implementation, concerns started to arise, with people asking where the fund is being used. Martelly himself said he didn't know the exact amount the plan has collected so far and pointed journalists to CONATEL, which is the one managing the fund. CONATEL then revealed that only Digicel and COMCEL were included in their accounts. No one can say how much the fund is. Some said it's $28 million, while others insisted that it's only $2 million.

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We in the Diaspora are being hit once again. After levying a tax on the money I send to Haiti to pay for my children's education. After taxing the phone call I make to my family to make sure they received the money. Now it's the turn for the government to take part of the money I send to my family itself. The latest scam by the Haitian government is the decision that will require all money transfers in direction to Haiti to be delivered in Haitian Gourdes.

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