Micky Swindale is taking up the role of president of the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce at what she says is an important time both for Chamber and the Isle of Man.

This is not just because of the challenges that we continue to face, but also because of opportunities that are on the horizon, and the dangers of missing those opportunities.

In the run up to the Isle of Man General Election, she said, Chamber has an important role to play in influencing Ministers, back-benchers and the public to focus on the right strategies.

lessons to be learned

There were some important lessons to be learned from the UK General Election, she noted, in particular that the Labour Party’s failure was a clear indication that ‘the vulnerable don’t want to be protected, they want to be enabled’.

‘We need a Government that can spend prudently, tax wisely and pursue pro-business policies’ she said, ‘and back-benchers and a voting public who support them in doing so – nimbyism and small-mindedness never won prosperity and growth.’

It’s not appropriate to talk of economic ‘game changers’, said Mrs Swindale, as the challenges facing the island are far more than just a game – especially in view of the hostility in recent years from G20 nations towards the island and other offshore jurisdictions.

Instead, she believes that Chamber needs to focus on ‘economy-changers’ – the differentiators or opportunities which could really transform the island and allow it to move ahead of the competition.

economy changers

In particular, she cited the key ‘economy changers’ as being the island’s potential as a centre of excellence for digital technology, and the room which it has to house the increased working population essential to sustain economic growth.

On this latter point, she pointed out that the current net inward migration plan of 500 per year was far too low to meet the objectives of the Government’s Vision 2020 strategy and address the demographic time bomb.

‘Let’s be clear,’ she said, ‘if we continue with the current plan, with its inherent demographic pressures and inability to support economic growth, we face a slow, painful decline.’

However, net inward migration of 1,000 skilled workers and families per year would provide business with the increased workforce it will require under Vision 2020 and beyond, and society with the economically active population it needs to support the predicted growth in over-65’s of nearly 50 per cent over the next 10 years.

strategic plan

She said that a strategic plan needed to be put in place now to start the process of reaching this net inward migration target, but with the appropriate controls and protections to ensure that the island attracted the right people with the right skills and motivations.

However, for these economy changers to deliver their full potential we also need a good planning structure; active development of the necessary skills to support growing sectors; efficient affordable transport links; robust but practical regulation; and world class facilities and infrastructure.

The island also needs to make more of an effort to ‘work together’, a rallying call the Chamber president directed at both Government and the private sector to make greater efforts to promote ‘IOM PLC’ rather than pursing individual or sectional interests. ‘If the island doesn’t win,” she warned, ‘we will all lose.’

Having outlined what needs to be done, Mrs Swindale then moved on to explain how Chamber planned to address these issues during her two year term as president.

A key objective will be to change the ‘middle aged’ demographic of Chamber and launch initiatives to encourage younger members to join the organisation.

This will include their new ‘FUEL’ initiative which will look to identify, develop and mentor the future emerging leaders within the member organisations of Chamber.

‘I and the vast majority of people in this room,’ she told the audience, ‘are middle-aged.

‘We are not where the Isle of Man’s future lies – so the sooner we start to engage and involve those who are, the better.’

appeal for unity

Mrs Swindale closed her speech with an appeal for unity with business, civil servants, politicians and the public working for the common good of the island.

The Isle of Man, she said, should also learn a lesson from history: ‘Let’s not be ‘‘Manx crabs’’.

‘Instead, as we did back in the 1970s, let’s be flying fish, leaping above the waves that we all know will continue to drive towards us, and – vitally – let us leap a couple of inches higher than all of the other fish.’

If you see what appear to be naked men cycling around the Isle of Man this week, you shouldn’t be surprised.

A number of men, in skin-coloured costumes, are planning to get on their bikes to raise awareness of cancers that affect men. such as testicular cancer and prostate cancer.

The ‘Near Naked Man’ team from the Male Cancer Awareness Campaign is to stage its second Isle of Real Men cycling challenge on Friday and Saturday.

Founded in 2005, MCAC aims to raise awareness of and reduce the embarrassment connected with male cancers.

Patrick Cox, MCAC chief executive, said: ‘We had a great time in the island last year, and we’re really looking forward to returning. It will be 300 miles cycling in just three days – it’s tough, and last year we had some riders in tears, but everyone loved it!

‘So we are looking for Isle of Man riders who fancy the challenge of donning our eye-catching “Near Naked” cycling kit and helping us raise awareness of male cancer. This year, we are bringing something extra with us; Toyota has supported us with an amazing liveried Land Cruiser, carrying our Awareness Number Plate – BALL CHK.’

The Steam Packet helped MCAC when it held the first Isle of Real Men event and is teaming up with the charity again for this year’s challenge, which runs from July 17-19.

Steam Packet boss Mark Woodward said: ‘The charity’s Near Naked Men certainly caught the public’s attention last year, and we are delighted to be able to help support Male Cancer Awareness Campaign again for this month’s challenge. The tireless work the charity does is crucial in raising awareness and persuading more men to follow the advice and check for tell-tale symptoms.’

To get involved with the Isle of Real Men challenge, contact community support manager Laura Hurding at Laura@malecancer.org

Special article by Andrew Gerrard, director of Harding Lewis Ltd in the Isle of Man, who believes the UK Budget may result in some so-called ‘non-doms’ deciding to live in the island.

What is changing?

The headline is that permanent UK non-dom tax status will be abolished from April 2017. Anyone resident in the UK for 15 of the past 20 years will pay full British taxes on all worldwide income and gains.

Also, people will no longer be able to inherit non-dom status.

What is a non-UK domiciliary and what does it mean?

The concept of domicile is somewhat complex but a simplistic interpretation may be that an individual whose parentage is non UK and who considers their real home to be non UK may be deemed to be non-UK domiciled.

Such a person, as a UK resident, may be able to claim the ‘remittance basis’ for taxation.

On this basis, only monies remitted to the UK are taxed as opposed to being taxed on worldwide income and gains.

Typically, the non-dom will have a Trust structure outside of the UK and this may be in the Isle of Man.

What does this mean for the Isle of Man?

Firstly, there may be a decline in the number of Trust structures required by non-doms which are managed from the island.

This decline, however, is likely only to impact over a number of years rather than immediately.

Of course some non-doms may decide to change their residence pattern so as to maximise their tax benefits.

As the new rules are not yet known in detail, however; this route is not yet clear.

Secondly, the potential good news for the island is that non-doms may decide to change their residence status and live in places such as the Isle of Man to avoid the very heavy taxes they may face in the UK.

Clearly, this would mean a change in their life which is why it is so important that the island can offer a great lifestyle as well as low taxes and a can do business environment.

It may be that in the future our financial services industry work will be sourced more locally than off island, and so we need to work on increasing local sources of business.

Special Business News article by Rob Rotherham, KPMG tax division senior manager, on the effects of the UK Budget.

With effect from April 1, 2015, the UK Government introduced a new tax: the Diverted Profits Tax. (DPT).

The DPT is aimed at countering the use of aggressive tax planning techniques used by multinational enterprises to divert profits from the UK and has been set at a deliberately punitive rate of 25 per cent (compared to the prevailing 20 per cent rate of UK corporation tax).

The background to this new tax was the at-times frenzied press coverage of the UK tax affairs of several well-known corporate groups: Google, Starbucks, Facebook and Amazon, to name but a few.

The UK’s Public Accounts Committee, with Margaret Hodge at the helm, became heavily involved in a wider campaign, seemingly supported by the UK public, to encourage multinationals to pay their ‘fair share’ of tax.

That the perceived perpetrators of such invidious tax planning, and therefore the target of the DPT, were the largest multinational groups was underlined by the media response to UK Chancellor George Osborne’s announcement of the measure – immediately dubbing it a ‘Google tax’ (albeit the Chancellor himself was careful not to refer to any particular target by name, referring only to technology companies in general).

However, on closer inspection, it has become swiftly apparent that the DPT rules have been drawn so as to cast the net at a much wider group of prey than just the ‘big fish’ of the technology world, such that virtually any company with UK links would be wise to sit up and take notice.

There are two types of charge. The first is on non-UK companies (‘foreign companies’) which are considered to have diverted profits from the UK by avoiding a UK taxable presence.

The second is on UK companies (or existing permanent establishments of non-UK companies) which are considered to have diverted profits from the UK by involving entities or transactions lacking economic substance.

Companies are required to notify HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) that they may have a potential liability to DPT. HMRC may then issue a charging notice and the taxpayer must pay the tax charged before it can appeal. If no notification is made and DPT is chargeable, the company is subject to penalties.

This all seems fairly onerous; however, as with most anti-avoidance measures, there are several exclusions to consider. One of those most likely of relevance in an Isle of Man context is that applicable to small and medium sized entities (SMEs). An SME is a company which employs fewer than 250 employees and has an annual balance sheet total of €43m or less and/or annual turnover of €50m or less, with these thresholds being calculated on a worldwide group basis.

The other main category of entities which are likely to be able to rest assured that the DPT won’t affect them are those which do not have any kind of UK presence, be that in the shape of a sister company, a subsidiary, a branch, an agent or whatever.

For the avoidance of doubt, simply transacting with unrelated UK entities in a normal commercial manner will not in itself bring with it a DPT obligation.

Failure to meet any of these criteria is likely to necessitate a ‘deeper dive’ into what are fairly complex and, in places, (deliberately?!) vague rules, with the potential for uncertainty which this brings.

As an example of this uncertainty, HMRC’s view is that the DPT cannot be avoided by reference to a double tax treaty (DTT), for example that in place between the UK and the Isle of Man, due to its (the DPT’s) stated intent of only applying to the more aggressive, contrived situations which are themselves not generally protected by DTTs.

However, this is a school of thought which is not universally subscribed to.

As ever, in the final analysis, the question of whether a company (or transaction) is caught by the DPT depends on facts of the particular case. While smaller companies and groups are likely to avail themselves of the SME exemption, just because a larger business might not fit into the same bracket as those US corporate behemoths mentioned earlier, they shouldn’t fall into the trap of assuming that they remain happily unaffected.

A public inquiry is to be launched how a hit and run driver who killed a walker at Tholt-y-Will had come to be released on parole early.

Donovan Bradley Kitching was jailed for 10 years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving of Gwen Valentine in April last year. He had been released from jail under licence three weeks before the incident.

Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson will ask for Tynwald support for a public inquiry to examine Kitching’s early release.

Cains, the Isle of Man-based law and professional services group, has announced the appointment of Gillian Christian as a divisional Director within the litigation department.

Gillian’s practice focuses on commercial and trust litigation and she has been described as an ‘an associate to watch’ in Chambers and Partners and ‘well regarded’ in the Legal 500.  

A keen sportswoman, Gillian competed in the NatWest Island Games for the sixth time and is also the honorary legal advisor to the International Island Games Association and the Commonwealth Games Association of the Isle of Man.

She is also Secretary to the Isle of Man Law Society. 

Peter Clucas, head of litigation at Cains said: ‘Gillian has had a significant input to the continuing development of Cains’ litigation practice.

‘I am delighted that her contribution to the group and her wider achievements have been recognised by her promotion.’

Treasury is proposing changes to make the income test for child benefit more flexible in response to concerns the current system is unfair to families who experience a sudden drop in income..

Those concerns were highlighted by Douglas couple Deb and Paul Cripps who were told their son James’s child benefit will be cut by 25 per cent this year as it was calculated on their earnings before the baby was born.

Mrs Cripps said she could not understand how it can be fair to penalise stay at home new parents just because they used to have a job.

Assessment of entitlement to child benefit is based on a family’s income in a previous tax year, and currently does not take account of subsequent reductions in circumstances.

At the July sitting of Tynwald, Treasury political member Bill Henderson MLC, will seek approval to a number of changes to the income test for child benefit designed to make the system more flexible for families whose incomes have recently reduced and also to ignore certain one-off lump-sum payments when calculating entitlements. Means testing of child benefit was introduced in April 2014.

The cost of submitting planning applications and appeals is to rise by 5 per cent.

Costs are calculated depending on the complexity of the development so, for example, an application currently costing £80 would increase to £85 while an application costing £250 would rise to £265.

Costs last rose in April 2014.

Councillor Richie McNicholl has told fellow councillors the government has already received more objections to the proposal to put the horse tram tracks down the promenade walkway than to any other previous scheme.

Councillors were discussing a planning application made by the government’s Department of Infrastructure which is in charge of plans to refurbish Douglas promenades.

The plans, if approved, would see a cultural area created by the Gaiety Theatre and a single horse tram track running the length of the promenades between the Sea Terminal and Derby Castle.

>> Revised promenade plans are delayed

‘Two hundred and sixteen objections have been raised to this proposal,’ Cllr McNicholl said.

An earlier scheme to put the tracks along the side of the road had been acceptable, he said, but putting them on the walkway itself was problematic, not least because the walkway narrows near the Palace Hotel. In addition, he said lines drawn on the walkway indicating the proposed route of the tracks were misleading because they did not allow for the width of the running boards on the trams.

A proposal to create a shared space for traffic and pedestrians where no-one had priority also met with disapproval. Cllr McNicholl referred to a survey by UK politician Lord Holmes which found 35 per cent of people avoided areas altogether where such schemes operated. He said many areas were reintroducing pedestrian crossings because of the risk to the blind and disabled.

Councillors cited the volume of traffic on the promenades as a problem and Cllr John Skinner said five legal cases were currently being fought over the legality of such schemes.

Cllr McNicholl said there were problems with a single track in the centre of the road: ‘The only option is down the side of the road,’ he said.

Disabled drivers should soon be allowed an extra hour free of charge in addition to the time paid for at car parks run by Douglas council.

Charges for disabled drivers were introduced at Drumgold Street and Chester Street car parks when the council took them over from the government’s Department of Infrastructure at the start of June.

Charges were also implemented at the council’s other car parks at the Bottleneck, Pulrose Road and Shaw’s Brow.

However, a recent meeting of Douglas councillors acknowledged there had been significant opposition to the new charges. Councillors accepted that while being disabled did not necessarily impact on a person’s ability to afford the charge, disabled people often needed longer to complete their shopping.

In Drumgold Street and Chester Street car parks the concession can be introduced soon and wardens are to be told to allow an hour more than on the displayed ticket. On the other council car parks at the Bottleneck, Pulrose Bridge and Shaw’s Brow, which operate using a barrier system, a precise mechanism for allowing the concession is still to be decided. This is to be debated at a future council meeting.

Isle of Man Bank has recorded a 5 per cent increase in its lending to local businesses in the first few months of 2015.

The bank has an extensive business and commercial banking team serving the needs of the Manx business community.

John Hunter, the Bank’s head of corporate, commercial and business banking, said that there had been significant demand from firms seeking funds to either expand, acquire new businesses or purchase new assets since the start of the year.

The Bank’s lending so far this year has seen a significant increase in the demand across the spectrum of agreed overdraft facilities, commercial loans and lending schemes agreed in association with asset finance specialists at Lombard in the Isle of Man.

marketplace

John Hunter said: ‘We have a strong, experienced relationship management team with extensive expertise in corporate and business banking and local real estate finance, who understand the unique nature of the Isle of Man marketplace.’

One of the recently agreed lending proposals has enabled an Onchan based dentist to expand his practice.

Alastair Owen who operates the Compass Dental Surgery in Village Walk, Onchan, has been able to kit out a further surgery at his premises with funding support from Isle of Man Bank.

Established in Onchan since 2007, the surgery is a generalist practice offering a comprehensive service including the provision of a hygienist and specialist dental implants.

However, to expand the business and meet demand, funds were needed to invest in the premises. A new dentist chair, x ray equipment and lighting were among the essential items required to open an additional surgery which has since enabled the practice to recruit a second dentist, Miles Ritchings.

Alastair Owen, who was previously a dentist in Laxey and moved to the Isle of Man in 1994, said: ‘I have been a customer of the Bank since moving to the Isle of Man and their team has been superb throughout.

We have an excellent relationship with Kelly Fagg and the business banking team who truly understand our business and requirements.’

John Hunter said: ‘We were delighted to support Alastair in his business expansion plans this year, highlighting clearly the value of a strong relationship between the bank and its customer.

‘There remain a considerable number of new lending applications in progress reflecting an upturn in commercial activity locally and pointing to the fact that we have funds available in the right circumstances to support the business community in their investment plans.’

Pictured right, John Hunter from the bank is pictured with dentist Alastair Owen

The latest video from Manx free-runner Will Sutton shows some more death-defying gymnastics.

In one scene, he’s pictured doing a handstand on Milner’s Tower, near Port Erin.

The video is on Youtube now.

He is filmed in various places around the island jumping and running on or near landmarks.

Almost £10.5m has been paid out in lump sums in the last year alone to civil servants and other public sector staff who have taken early retirement.

Figures obtained by Isle of Man Newspapers reveal that a total of 166 government or ex-government employees took early retirement in the 12 months to the end of March.

The highest pay-out to an individual was an annual pension of £49,044 and a cash lump sum of £420,375.

As revealed by the Manx Independent and iomtoday last week, plans to raise the minimum retirement age for members of the government’s unified pension scheme from 55 to 58 have been abandoned.

This had been one measure considered to tackle the huge and growing public sector pensions deficit which has liabilities totalling £3bn and a funding gap of £30m.

Meanwhile, the rest of us are being told we will have to work longer to collect our state pension.

Treasury Minister Eddie Teare will be seeking Tynwald support this month for a package of reforms including a new £180-a-week flat rate pension, phasing out the Manx pension supplement and raising the retirement age.

Under the proposals, we will have to pay National Insurance contributions for 45 years, instead of the current 30 – and 10 years longer than the 35 proposed in the UK – to claim the state pension.

But Tynwald will also be asked this month to approve the transfer of £5.2m from the Public Service Employees Pension Reserve to cover an increase in the number of staff taking early retirement.

Net expenditure on public sector pensions for 2014-15 was £58.4m, against a budget of £26m. Some £27m of taxpayers’ cash was transferred from the reserve in the February Budget but an extra £5.2 million is needed.

Mr Teare explained: ‘The number of public sector staff taking early retirement has increased over the last four years as government continues to restructure and to streamline its workforce.

‘Voluntary redundancy and resignation schemes have been effective in enabling employees, including many senior managers, to retire or leaves the service early. This has resulted in a significant payment of lump sums during the past financial year, particularly in the final two months.’

Mr Teare said the payments are in line with entitlements under the rules of each pension scheme.

But he pointed out this was only one side of the equation as there was a substantial cost saving for the salary budget, as government is now employing fewer people.

Figures supplied to Examiner by the Public Sector Pensions Authority show that in the 12 months to March 31 this year, there were 166 early retirements with lump sums paid out totalling £10,459,073, and annual pensions totalling £1,439,705.

Those 166 were made up of 115 active members of the public sector pension scheme and 51 who had have previously left government employment with a preserved pension and then decided to retire at a subsequent date.

Of the active members, lump sums totalled £8,850,120 and annual pensions totalled £1,230,162. The highest annual pension awarded to an individual was £49,044 and the highest cash lump sum was £420,375.

Normal pension age under public sector schemes is generally age 60 or 65 depending upon when a member joined the scheme. Police and firefighters and some health workers have an earlier normal pension age.

An emergency road closure will be in place early tomorrow (Thursday) morning.

The A3 route from Ballig Bridge in St John’s to Cronk-y-Voddy crossroads will be closed to traffic between 5am and 7am to allow for ‘essential inspections and maintenance of the carriageway’, according to the Department of Infrastructure.

Looking ahead to next week, a project lasting around six weeks will see a bridge being replaced in the north of the island.

The Jurby East Road will close on Friday, July 24, and reopen on Friday, September 11.

An MLC has raised concerns about the drive towards shared services in government.

Michael Coleman, political member for health, said it was important a review was carried out where shared services had been brought in to ensure promised cost savings were being delivered.

He made the comment as member of the Public Accounts Committee which last week heard evidence from senior Cabinet Office officials as part of its investigations into the ‘transforming government’ programme.

The committee heard from chief secretary Will Greenhow, financial controller Caldric Randall and Dan Davies, director of change and reform.

Mr Davies said a review was being carried at the moment to address issues around shared services in some departments.

He said in the past some departments had what could be described as ‘gold plated services’ and there was an inevitable ‘levelling off’ when shared services were brought in.

But Mr Coleman suggested there was nothing wrong with gold plated services.

Mr Coleman said the ‘last thing you want’ when appointing key staff in health was ‘any delays caused by HR’. With certain functions gold service was necessary, he said.

And he claimed: ‘We’ve got very senior people over here who have not been paid for two months. I don’t think that’s gold service – that’s required service. If we are not meeting required services then I think we need to review shared services in the way it operates.’

He added: ‘I’ve been quite a fan of shared services. It works in some situations but from what I’m being told and what I’ve seen there are serious issues within health.’

The government has managed to rebalance its revenue account but is looking at further savings to address the £75m structural deficit and build the reserves back up.

Mr Randall said the loss of £200m in VAT income had been ‘catastrophic’ and the island had been fortunate in having built up reserves.

Treasury Minister Eddie Teare will present a medium term financial management strategy at this month’s Tynwald sitting.

He will say public finances will be sustainable only when general revenue expenditure is met from income without drawing on reserves. Surpluses in the revenue account will be used to replenish reserves.

Scouts from across the island held an adventure camp at Crossags Campsite in Ramsey for various adventurous activities to take place.

Mann-Jam is he annual island camp held so the Scouts could experience adventure outdoors away from home and to have lots of fun with their friends learning new and exciting skills from many challenges.

The weekend was action packed from the Friday night to the Sunday afternoon where the young people took part in a range of events including archery and gorge walking.

The climbing tower, which is 8m high, was definitely one of the popular challenges over the weekend.

A special guest this weekend was Andrew Corrie, the regional commissioner for the north west.

He said: ‘The Isle of Man has a great busy Scouting programme here.’

This was Andrew’s second visit to the island. His first visit was his first visit anywhere when he began the role of regional commissioner.

‘I had a busy, busy weekend my first visit, but the great thing was that all the activities were happening anyways and not just put on for me.’

Isle of Man based gaming licensee, Annexio, has announced the appointment of four new employees including a graphic designer who worked on an Oscar nominated film.

Matthew Oates worked with Isle of Man Film on the animated productionsof Chico and Rita.

The film won the Goya Award for Best Animated Film and was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar at the 84th Academy Awards.

Matthew has been joined by Denis Baciu, Michelle Guthrie and Tom Brew as .net developer, email marketing and social media executive and digital marketing manager, respectively, as part of a rapid expansion programme designed to meet the online lottery services firm’s continued success.

Matthew is a graduate of media production.

He builds upon a varied career in graphic design where he has created on behalf of marketing, web and mobile applications agencies as well as a number of successful Bingo brands.

In a highly competitive and ever changing online marketplace, his role at Annexio will see Matthew maintain and enhance Annexio’s visual identity and create visually effective, intuitive and responsive designs to enhance the user experience, with the goal of ensuring perfect functionality in all he produces.

A graduate in Applied Informatics with a Master’s Degree in Computer Software and Media Applications, Denis Baciu joins Annexio following a career in web and .net development in industries as diverse as global logistics, bespoke software development and business processing services.

In his role as .net developer with Annexio, Denis will utilise established development tools, guidelines and conventions to implement new software as well as maintain and enhance existing systems.

Denis looks forward to developing his skills and taking on new Annexio team projects, particularly within product strategy development as part of what he describes as ‘an organisation where I can build a career’.

Michelle Guthrie joins Annexio from Mayo, Ireland where she has enjoyed a varied career in marketing, PR and e-commerce for major brands.

A graduate in communication studies from Dublin City University, with a Master’s Degree in public relations, a higher diploma in internet marketing and a Level 5 qualification in print journalism, Michelle draws upon her broad experience to create and deliver a range of CRM digital marketing materials while co-ordinating a number of social media platforms.

An ambitious and experienced professional with an appreciation for the exciting and dynamic nature of the eGaming industry, Michelle anticipates a future on the Isle of Man with what she describes as a strong and growing company.

Digital marketing manager Tom Brew joins Annexio following a career in digital and product marketing with the Isle of Man Government and a local licensed gaming entity.

A graduate in Multimedia, Technology and Design with a Master’s Degree in eBusiness and Innovation from Lancaster University as well as a diploma in digital marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Tom will assume responsibility for managing the company’s portfolio of websites while overseeing Annexio’s CRM and search engine optimisation strategies to maximise brand visibility.

As part of Annexio’s continuous emphasis upon product and service development, Tom draws upon his considerable knowledge to optimise the user experience, increase engagement and attract conversions in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Denis, Michelle, Tom and Matthew join Annexio as the company continues on a steep growth trajectory following a number of successes as one of the lottery service industry’s most respected licensees, most recently the launch of a new global lottery service aimed at the UK and European markets, World Lottery Club.

In 2013, Annexio embarked upon a 300 per cent staff increase, with the result that it was declared the fastest growing company in the Isle of Man by the Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development in 2014.

Managing director Jennifer Houghton said: ‘It is a great pleasure to welcome Tom, Michelle, Matthew and Denis to Annexio and to see so quickly the results that such exciting talent can bring to the team.

‘Each is enormously qualified to support Annexio during this important growth period and will no doubt prove invaluable as the company goes from strength to strength.

‘We take great pride in growing our presence on and demonstrating our commitment to the Isle of Man which, with its wonderful reputation for regulatory excellence and consumer protection, is the perfect home for us. I welcome everyone to the team and wish them every success with us.’

Notes to the Editor

Photo Caption: 1. Tom Brew. 2. from right to left: Denis Baciu, Michelle Guthrie, Jennifer Houghton and Matthew Oates

A team of budding entrepeneurs are preparing to have their business skills tested as they try to impress an international judging panel.

With their children’s picture book ‘Isle of Monsters’, the seven-strong team of Year 12 students from QEII High School beat rival small businesses from around the island to be crowned Company of the Year by Junior Achievement Isle of Man.

Known as Elixir, the team of Emma Hodgson, Rachel Tumelty, Clio Caley, Issac Sanderson, Rhian O’Leary, Heather Black and Katie Watterson must showcase their product at the JA’s European Company of the Year grand final in Berlin.

In competition with the winning teams from 38 other countries they must deliver a presentation and face a gruelling panel interview where international judges will dissect their business report and accounts.

The group spent two months developing their big idea - a picture book that aims to teach values and morals to young children - coming up with the story and creating all the illustrations themselves.

With the support of local companies Bridson and Horrox, Swagelok and Marown TV, Elixir printed 500 copies of their book and have sold them at events around the island.

Isle of Monsters is available at the Lexicon bookshop, the Welcome Centre, the gift shop at Noble’s Hospital, The Book Company and the local branches of WH Smith and Waterstones.

Team member Issac Sanderson told the Independent that he was feeling ‘a mixture of excitement and nerves’ ahead of the trip.

‘We don’t know what the other teams will be like, or how good our ideas are compared to them,’ he said. ‘It’s going to be a big challenge and a massive experience. We’re all just glad to be a part of it.’

Formerly known as Young Enterprise, Junior Achievement (JA) is an international charity that encourages young people to exercise real-world skills by starting up their own business. All profits made are either reinvested in the businesses or donated to charity.

Sue Jones, chief executive of JA Isle of Man, said:’ We’re really excited for the team to be travelling to Berlin.

‘We think they have a fantastic product,’ she continued, ‘They’ve done really well to get this far.’

An 18-year-old will appear in court later today charged with theft, possession with intent to supply heroin and supplying £14,000-worth of the drug.

The man from St Helen’s, Merseyside, was arrested on Monday and charged on Wednesday.

Detective Sergeant Paul Holland said: ‘Dealing any controlled drug is serious. However, heroin is a particularly dangerous and damaging substance, not just for the user but also their families and friends.

‘I cannot stress enough the impact heroin has on these members of our community.’

Ballawattleworth Developments Limited, whose registered office is situated at Dandara Group Head Office, Isle of Man Business Park, Cooil Road, Braddan, bought two plots of land at Ballawattleworth Estate in Peel, for £1,603,703.70.

They were bought from Dunbrody Limited, whose registered office is situated at The Red House, One The Parade, Castletown.

Other recent transactions lodged at the General Registry in Douglas are as follows:

Robert Michael Hunt and Margaret Carolyn Hunt, sold 10 Rhenwyllan Close, Port St Mary, for £346,000, to James John Walker and Lucy Walker, of 7 Ballakneale Avenue, Port Erin.

Katherine Maxwell Burrows, of Rockwood, Ramsey Road, Laxey, sold Barn Hey, Main Road, Colby, for £277,000, to Adrian Untisz and Lisa Jane Untisz, of Abbey Cottage, Main Road, Colby.

Peter Clifford Lees sold 29 Furman Close, Onchan, for £249,000, to Samantha Jayne Platt and Richard Edmund Greer, of 56 Groudle Road, Onchan.

Frederick James O’Hara Courtie, of 17 Highfield Crescent, Onchan, sold 2 Hillary Close, Ballachurry Park, Onchan, for £200,000, to Alexander Saunders and Carol Ann Saunders, of Glenngary, 27 Highfield Crescent, Onchan.

Ka-Nam Lay sold 17 Berry Woods Avenue, Douglas, for £193,000, to Daisy Ann Duke, of Merrywinds, 4 Banks Howe, Onchan.

Derek Arthur Such, by executor, and Roland Elliot Hamilton Lacey, of 4 The Willows, Ballasalla, sold Thie my Chree, Cooil Avenue, Kirk Michael, for £190,000, to Michael Derek Taig Hammond and Donna Louise Stewart, both of Friendly Acre, Cooil Avenue, Kirk Michael.

Amanda Mary Douglas, of 16 Albany Road, Douglas, sold 58 Port e Chee Avenue, Douglas, to Fiona Mary Carolan, of 4 Glen Falcon Terrace, Murrays Road, Douglas, and David William Sutherland, of 76 Springfield Road, Spring Valley, Douglas, for £187,500.

Jayne Lockwood, of Kent, and Michael John Clancy, of France, sold 13 Stanley Place, Douglas, for £76,500, to John Wallace Hanson and Glenda Denise Hanson, of Santon House, Main Road, Santon.

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We publish details of all house sales unless we receive a written request from the police or probation services.