Isle of Man Newspapers would like to wish all its readers a very merry Christmas.

We are grateful for all your support over the past year and hope that you will continue to come back to the Isle of Man’s leading news website.

Please remember this week’s Isle of Man Examiner, featuring a six-page picture feature on children’s school Christmas concerts, will still be available when shops reopen on Boxing Day.

Have a wonderful Christmas Day and remember to keep visiting iomtoday for the latest news and sports stories over the holiday period.

Staff will be back in our Peel Road office on Thursday morning to ensure the Manx Independent is printed that evening and in shops from first thing on Friday morning.

If you have a story, call the newsroom on 695657. If you would like to place an advert, call 670000.

IT may not yet seem like it, but 2012 might well go down in the history books as one of the most important years in the development of the Isle of Man’s economy in recent decades.

Just when most of us thought that our most important remaining signings of 2012 were the completion of our Christmas cards, the Isle of Man Government has indicated that it intends to sign up a new tax transparency agreement with the United Kingdom, and to complete the formalities early in the New Year.

Whilst to some, such a move might come as something of a culture shock, my view is that the island once again has ‘‘read the tea-leaves’’ correctly and sought to capitalise on both its existing reputation as a co-operative and financially responsible trading partner, as well as to exploit any first mover advantage that may come from the goodwill generated.

Whether you are a fan of tax transparency or not, there can be no doubt that the overwhelming popular sentiment is that, in this time of seemingly unending global recession, everyone is expected to take some of the pain – whether you are a huge corporation like Starbucks or a relatively minor celebrity like Jimmy Carr.

Following the unilateral imposition by the United States of its Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, on effectively the rest of the world, it was clearly only going to be a matter of time before other governments followed a ‘me too’ approach.

This might well mean a change in the business model for some within the overall financial services community in the island – but at the same time probably will go a long way towards ensuring the island can compete in a sustainable way on the international stage, into the future.

One of the island’s key strengths is its ability to quickly respond to these emerging global trends – hence once again proving that the motto of ‘whichever way you throw me, I will stand’ remains as appropriate today as it did in centuries past.

Part of that response to date has been our continued economic diversification – 2012 amongst other things saw the 500th aircraft being registered in the island, and the launch of what is thought to be the world’s first accredited qualification in the e-gaming industry.

This latter sector continues to boom, contributing over one hundred and sixty million pounds to the Manx Exchequer annually – all of which I am sure is being gratefully received, as the government continues to wrestle with the tensions of meeting society’s expectations of public service, but at an affordable cost.

To some extent, I think we have now finished the ‘phoney war’ over budget cuts in the public sector, and the real impact of our changed financial situation is starting to register – whether that is in relation to tuition fees, social housing or salt barns – the one thing we do know, is that changes have to be made. If only we could all agree on what to change first!

There could be a tendency to get a little depressed if one focused purely on the economic aspects of island life, so we are pretty fortunate that once again 2012 had its share of remarkable achievements, which really showcase the extent to which the island punches above its weight.

Whether it is the gold medal gained by Peter Kennaugh in the London Olympics, or Sam Barks’ transition to the silver screen in Les Miserables, we continue to have much to be proud of within our community.

Looking to 2013 then, what will be on the cards?

Well, in my opinion, there is no immediate end in sight to the global economic malaise.

Indeed, pressure on relatively successful economies such as the island’s, can only be expected to intensify as other economies continue to be under the cosh and start turning over the rocks looking for any sources of additional revenue they can find. However, let’s remember – economies are cyclical and at some point, world economic growth will reignite and the island will see benefits as a result. In the meantime, keep your seatbelts lightly fastened – you never know which way we will be thrown next!

THANKS to a scheme run by the Salvation Army and the Isle of Man Bank more than 450 children will have the pleasure of opening Christmas presents tomorrow.

The Salvation Army Toy Appeal has seen collection points set up around the island at local branches of the Isle of Man Bank over the past few weeks so people could donate easily.

The toy appeal collects gifts across the age range to cater for everyone from babies to young adults. The presents are newly bought and can be left at the various collection points.

They are then gathered up by a team of volunteers who will wrap and label them.

A number of referral agencies then take over responsibility for distributing them to vulnerable children and young people.

Salvation Army volunteer and appeal captain Carolyn Clampton said: ‘We wish to express our heartfelt appreciation for all the support given in the Isle of Man during the Christmas period. With regards to the toy appeal we are especially grateful to the Isle of Man Bank for their continued support and the enthusiastic involvement of their staff.

‘Often these toys are given anonymously so it is impossible to thank everyone personally but we would like to reassure the public that every effort is made to help the most vulnerable in our community over the festive season.’

The Salvation Army also undertakes a number of other charitable tasks as part of its annual Christmas appeal.

As Christmas approaches they distribute food parcels and provide Christmas meals in addition to running their toy appeal.

This year more than 1,800 people are expected to benefit from the generous donations by local people.

The charity also meets requests from a number of health and care organisations which refer families and individuals if they ned help over the Christmas period.

Deniese Smith, senior bank manager at Isle of Man Bank, added: ‘This is the eighth year the Bank has supported this initiative and we have been overwhelmed at the way the community has rallied round to support the Christmas toy appeal yet again.’

More details of the appeal are on the Salvation Army’s website at www.salvationarmy.org.uk.

The appeal was launched in 2004 to help those who are struggling financially.

Its objective was to ensure no child in the Isle of Man went without a Christmas present and last year more than 1,000 gifts were donated.

TREASURY Minister Eddie Teare says he remains confident that the island remains on course to meet its financial predictions for this and the next couple of years.

He made the comments as he announced he had embarked on a comprehensive programme of engagement with the local business community as part of preparations for next year’s Budget.

Meetings have taken place with representatives from a cross-section of industries to discuss the Isle of Man’s economic outlook for 2013 and beyond.

Treasury is currently working up a Budget framework and projections for the next three years to assist Government departments with their long-term planning.

The focus will again be on the government’s core priorities of stimulating economic growth, rebalancing government finances, and protecting the vulnerable.

Mr Teare and Treasury colleague Phil Braidwood MLC, together with Alan Crowe MLC, the member of Economic Development with responsibility for financial services, have so far held 40 meetings with key individuals across economic sectors including financial services, engineering, manufacturing, e-gaming, construction, retail and real estate.

Those views will be fed into the Budget process.

Mr Teare told the Examiner: ‘We have a two-legged economy at the moment. One side which is dependent on local spend - construction, hospitality, catering - is coming under pressure but the part that is outward facing - manufacturing, e-Gaming, financial services - are doing well. Taking the economy as a whole it’s still growing and I’m confident we will be able to meet our financial projections.’

The economy is forecast to grow by a heathy 6 per cent, of which inflation will account for three per cent.

Mr Teare said: ‘Preparing a Budget is a complex challenge, with a multitude of domestic and international factors to take into account.

‘We always try to look at the bigger picture and act in the best interests of the island as a whole when drawing up our proposals. The business community obviously has a vital contribution to make and Mr Braidwood and I have gained a valuable insight into current thinking during the course of our many meetings.’

Mr Teare said that while government’s budget strategy remained on target, difficult decisions would still be needed in order to complete the rebalancing process by 2016 as planned.

External factors, such as reduced economic activity in the UK and the threat of a triple-dip UK recession, would also have an impact on the island, he said.

‘We have made solid progress in our work to put public finances back on an even keel, but tough political decisions will have to be made in the years ahead,’ he added.

l Email opinions@newsiom.co.im

AN aspiring screen actor from Santon risks having his hopes of a place on a prestigious course dashed after being refused funding.

Former Ballakermeen High School pupil Tony Eccles trained initially with the Hammond Theatre School in Chester.

But when he inquired about support from the government to complete a screen acting course at the prestigious Drama Centre in London he was told he did not qualify because he had not been a Manx resident for the past three years.

‘It’s hard to get in and I got accepted,’ he said.

‘It’s always been the place I wanted to go. There are some talented amazing actors who have come out of there like Michael Fassbender. The training is very intense.

‘But because I have been in England doing a career I can’t do in the Isle of Man where I was born and educated, I can’t further that because I am not a resident,’ he said.

He said it seemed unfair for him to be penalised when someone born and educated elsewhere but who had been resident for just three years could receive support.

‘It seems like a massive lack of common sense. I can’t get funding from England because I’m not English and I can’t get funding from the Isle of Man because I’m not a resident. It seems as if I’m slipping through the net.’

Mr Eccles, who is 23, was accepted at 16 by the Hammond theatre school, after taking part in a workshop they ran at Ballakermeen.

He completed an NVQ, with government funding, but was refused further funding for a BA course at Mount View Theatre School in London because the courses were too similar so he did not take up his place.

Since then he’s spent three years trying to forge an acting career in London.

As matters stand, the course starts in January so he is researching other sources of funding such as career development loans and bursaries and he hopes to be able to find some means of funding the course which costs £17,000 in fees.

A spokesman for the education department said: ‘We can’t comment on individual applications for funding as that information is confidential. A student must be ordinarily resident in the Isle of Man for three years immediately before the beginning of the course. If someone has been living and working off the island and then seeks support, they would not be eligible.’

Any supporters can follow the link http://www.gofundme.com/1mvxcg

A FAMILY had a lucky escape on Christmas Day after a candle display left burning on the dining table started a fire.

The incident saw two men being given oxygen therapy as a precaution by fire crews for the effects of smoke inhalation.

Two fire crews from Douglas Fire Station and the duty officer responded to a report of a house fire in Ashlar Drive, in Union Mills, at 5.39pm on Tuesday.

Leading firefighter Paul Hunt and his crew were met by the occupants of the property, who had attempted to extinguish the fire using a combination of wet towels and pans of water.

Station officer Nigel Fraser explained: ‘The fire was confined to the dining table and candle display which had been left unattended after the family had finished Christmas Lunch, resulting in smoke logging to the premises.’

Fire crews wearing breathing apparatus used a high pressure hose line and portable extinguisher to dampen down the fire.

A portable ventilation fan was also used to clear the smoke.

CLIVE Dixon, senior partner at Moore Stephens, has been named among the top 50 most influential private client advisors of 2013 by The Private Client Practitioner.

Clive, while being the senior partner in Moore Stephens Isle of Man, is also a partner in Moore Stephens Jersey, Guernsey and Gibraltar and a director of six Moore Stephens companies based in the Isle of Man.

Recognised for his specialisation in private client work particularly family trusts and foundations and generational planning advice, Clive first moved to the Isle of Man in 1989 to join Moore Stephens, now the fifth largest firm of chartered accountants in the island.

He said: ‘This is fantastic – I’m honoured to have been selected, which was genuinely unexpected.

‘I thoroughly enjoy my work and am lucky to have such a talented team of people around me.

‘The award very much belongs to them, but it’s great that people from further afield recognise our hard work.’

The Private Client Practitioner 50 Most Influential celebrates ‘the movers and shakers within the UK private client advisory professions’.

The selection process begins with an open call for nominations followed by the judging process to consider the quality of each of the nominations based on the individual’s achievements, their impact on how wealthy individuals are served, who nominated them and the total number of nominations they received.

‘Clive is a great motivator and supporter of everyone working for Moore Stephens – he’s the main driver behind our continuous growth over 20 years and has created more than 70 roles in the firm since starting in 1989 with just two staff,’ said Ayuk Ntuiabane, one of Clive’s partners, ‘I’m not at all surprised that Clive has been named as one of the top 50 influential people of 2013 - he’s a fantastic asset to the firm and, indeed, to the Isle of Man.’

Moore Stephens Isle of Man offers a broad range of services including: accounting and payroll, accounting, corporate and personal retirement solutions, corporate recovery, fiduciary services, HR consulting, investigations and forensic, local business support, luxury asset insurance/insurance brokerage, marketing, personal wealth management and financial planning, taxation advice and compliance, trust and company administration, yachting and aviation services, VAT and business consulting, all under one roof.

To find out more about Clive and Moore Stephens Isle of Man visit www.msiom.com or follow the firm on Twitter www.twitter.com/MSIOM, Facebook http://goo.gl/g50zd and LinkedIn http://goo.gl/lhsrl

LOCAL authorities have reacted to news that government is to withdraw the current £5.7 million annual waste disposal subsidy, a move that will transplant the cost from taxpayers on to local government as part of Department of Infrastructure (DoI) cost-cutting exercises.

Ramsey and Port St Mary Commissioners have published figures on what the changes could mean for them financially.

Government says the move will save the taxpayer an additional £1 million each year between 2013 and 2018, by which time the local authorities – which are already responsible for domestic collections – will be paying the full cost of disposal at the Energy from Waste facility and Wright’s Pit North.

This effectively means the current gate fees of £35 per tonne for domestic waste and £106 per tonne for commercial waste will rise to £57.35 and £130 respectively from April 1 next year, increasing annually to reach £161.35 per tonne for both domestic and commercial waste by 2018.

This charge does not include the additional levy from Energy from Waste Plant operator SITA, which this year was 2.42 per cent.

Speaking at a meeting last week, Port St Mary Commissioners chairman Bernadette McCabe said, assuming the weight of waste produced in the area remained at a similar level, their bill would go up from £28,500 to £44,000 next year, and as high as £107,000 by 2018, translating into an approximate 76p in the pound rate for Port St Mary residents.

Mrs McCabe said: ‘These additional costs are obviously outside of our control, but the board will continue working towards reducing the impact these increases will have on Port St Mary rate payers.

‘The board has already been very proactive in reducing our overall operation costs in relation to waste via the successful implementation of the joint refuse collection with our neighbours in Port Erin, but that said, we will still continue to investigate all avenues of efficiencies.’

In Ramsey, commissioners scrutinised annual levels of waste produced in the town for the past eight years, the period during which the Richmond Hill Energy From Waste facility has been active.

In the 2004-05 financial year, the average Ramsey household produced 1.0134 tonnes of waste, a figure which has fallen annually to an average of 0.7945 tonnes per household collected in 2011-12.

Commissioners concluded that the 20 per cent reduction in domestic refuse is likely to be the result of greater recycling, reporting previous DoI indications that the bring banks at Station Road are among the highest used facilities in the island, and the new Civic Amenity Site is much more conveniently located to Ramsey.

It was noted that Ramsey is presently ‘fortunate enough not to have a major fly-tipping problem’.

The commissioners’ rates estimates for the current year, included domestic disposal charges, totalling £100,200.

Using the figures collected for the current year so far, and adding the December to March figures from year provide a projected tonnage for the present year of 2,748 tonnes of domestic waste, which also includes the schools.

As for the ratepayer, Ramsey Commissioners calculated that, assuming the trend of reduced tonnage continues, in 2013-14 the Energy from Waste disposal costs for domestic refuse would be £157,700, equivalent to an estimated 23p in the pound rate.

This represents a rate increase of 8.04p in the pound over the current provision , to be factored into the rate setting for 2013-14.

Tonnage charges for commercial waste are presently passed on to producers and it is assumed that this arrangement will continue.

The commissioners agreed the increase in charges over the next six years may justify a further review of the charge process for domestic refuse; wider recycling options were discussed and it was noted that consideration may also be given to the pros and cons of the introduction of charging households by tonnage, as the present system disadvantages those which produce less waste, and does not provide an incentive for households to cut down on waste.

The commissioner’s chief technical officer has also sought a meeting with the clerk of the Northern Refuse Collection Board, to discuss how co-operation between local authorities in the north might help reduce the overall refuse collection service costs.

GOVERNMENT staff are being consulted over plans to cut rates of redundancy pay.

iomtoday reported concerns back in October about whether the government could actually afford to make staff redundant.

We revealed that a civil servant who loses the job could be eligible for a lump sum severance payment of up to three years’ pay.

Now the joint working group set up to look at how the system can be modernised has issued a consultation notice to government staff, outlining the position of both the employer’s and employees’ side.

It stresses that nothing has yet been agreed and so the notice should not be read as the final negotiated position.

Main proposals put by the employers’ side are for cash compensation in cases of genuine compulsory redundancy to be based on length of service subject to an absolute maximum of 12 months’ pay, while in other cases such as voluntary redundancy, the absolute maximum will be 21 months’ pay.

Departments will retain the flexibility to offer early retirement to those aged 55 or more but subject to certain constraints.

Transitional arrangements will apply for those nearing retirement age and the lower paid.

It also proposed there will be no enhancement of pensions in the future but there will be an ability to use an element of the compensation payment to purchase additional pension.

The consultation notice stresses that the proposals will still provide terms for voluntary and compulsory redundancy that compare well with many employers.

It accepts that some may see them as still too generous given that the statutory entitlement for redundancy pay is one week’s pay for each year of service. But it says it is important to strike the right balance between current arrangements, while not imposing costs on the taxpayer that are currently unsustainable.

The consultation notice says employers have sought to reassure staff that the changes will not be a prelude to mass redundancies.

But it insists that change is inevitable. It says most public sector workers have managed to retain existing redundancy compensation levels for a much longer period than expected, entirely because the unions ensured this was part of the negotiating position.

Change will only be introduced after staff have been asked to vote on it and give their views.

Minister Allan Bell told the Examiner: ‘We’ve horrendous settlements in the past which we cannot sustain.’

He added: ‘There is a need for fair and balanced settlements to ensure departments don’t incur levels of expenditure when they reduce the size of their workforce that exacerbates the situation.

YOUR Manx Independent will be in the shops 24 hours later than usual.

It will be printed overnight and in the shops tomorrow (Friday) morning.

A COUPLE who want to make an independent film here in the Isle of Man are still hoping to get their project off the ground if sufficient funding can be raised.

Elizabeth Arends, whose parents live on the sea front in Douglas, and boyfriend Richard Sanderson launched a funding bid for the film on the internet website Kickstarter.

They hoped to raise £12,000 to make their film Longtails, based on a screenplay by Alex Hamilton which was to be filmed in Derby Square using as much Manx talent as possible.

‘Unfortunately we didn’t meet our target on Kickstarter. We did really well raising £6,100 however, as we didn’t meet our target we didn’t receive a penny and nobody was charged,’ Ms Arends said.

But she said they were so encouraged by the support they had re-launched on their own website instead – {http://www.longtails.co.uk|www.longtails.co.uk}

Supporters can pledge money to support the film and claim a variety of rewards in return. Possible donations start at about £1 with higher pledges bringing rewards, for instance a £10 pledge, gets a download of the completed film and for £750 you can be an extra.

‘All the money will go directly into making the film, and we won’t be paying out a massive 10 per cent to Kickstarter if we make our target.

‘Our plan is to lower costs as much as possible, by looking at equipment we can possibly get cheaper and things we can make and create rather than buy, and hopefully we will gain the same if not more interest on our website.

‘We have also launched an Investors section where people can buy shares in the company so hopefully that will generate interest too.’

If all goes according to plan, they will shoot the film in mid February.

‘We are both very determined and just believe this is a great starting point.

‘The island is so beautiful and we have had so many positive responses from the Equity Branch for Actors, media facilities and people wishing us luck that this could just be the start for creating exciting new independent films,’ she said.

Ms Arends said they planned to hold auditions in the island and look for cast and crew.

For more details see their website or email {mailto:movie@longtails.co.uk|movie(at)longtails.co.uk}

‘It would be nice to give people the chance to be involved,’ she said.

YOU could be the owner of a large canvas mural based on CS Lewis’ Narnia.

The artwork has been created by Roy Nixon and can be found in St German’s Cathedral – where it’s been erected to complement an exhibition of contemporary floral art and design.

The winter exhibition takes inspiration from the works of CS Lewis and is titled The Thaw Begins ... Journeying Beyond Narnia and has been organised jointly by cathedral staff and Floreat, a group consisting of members from flower arranging clubs throughout the island.

The exhibition consists of a series of installations created by Floreat, inspired by one of CS Lewis’ lectures in which he encourages people to ‘break free from the rings of society’ and be proud of individuality.

Many of the contemporary floral art and design creations on show at the cathedral feature circles or broken circles.

Alongside the creations is a series of story boards featuring some of CS Lewis’ work offering a self-guided trail around the cathedral.

Finally, the cathedral has created it’s own Narnia – a private space through the wardrobe and it’s inside here that Roy’s mural can be found.

This mural is being offered for sale by silent auction bids, which can be left in the donation wall box at the entrance to the cathedral.

Bidders should include their name, address, phone numbers and the bid amount in a sealed envelope. The winner will be announced after the close of the exhibition in early January. Monies raised will be split between the cathedral and a children’s charity.

A SAFETY warning has been issued over faults in certain Beko tumble dryers and risk of fire.

The Office of Fair Trading said the issue concerns Beko 6kg and 7kg Condenser tumble dryers, though only products made between May 2012 and October 2012 are affected.

In a small number of incidents an electrical component has failed and overheated, giving potential for risk of fire, though Beko has said that the risk is low as these products were each independently tested before being sold and meet all UK and European safety standards. As a precautionary measure however Beko will offer free in-home repairs to all owners of these models.

Owners of Beko dryers are urged to check the model and 10 digit serial number. The first 2 digits of the serial number give the year of production and the last 2 digits give the month of production.

If you own an affected product, please stop using it immediately and disconnect it from the wall socket as a precaution.

Call free phone 0800 917 2018 and Beko will arrange to visit your home and make a free of charge modification.

THE date of the next Roamin’ CoMin meeting has been announced.

First of the Council of Ministers’ community meetings of 2013 will take place at Scoill Ree Gorree in Ramsey on Wednesday, January 30.

It’s the fourth such meeting to have been held and will provide another chance for people to talk to Ministers about issues of national importance.

Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK will once again chair proceedings and says he is looking forward to another open and honest exchange of views.

The meeting in the north of the Island will bring the initial run to a conclusion following similar events in the east (Douglas), west (Peel) and south (Port Erin) during 2012.

But Mr Bell has made a commitment to continue the community events throughout 2013 and beyond – provided there is ongoing support from island residents.

He said: ‘The meetings have proved an effective way of communicating directly with the public, not only to convey government’s messages, but more importantly to listen to the views, ideas and concerns of local residents.

‘They are a genuine attempt to be open and accountable and I think people appreciate what we are trying to achieve.

‘The first three events were well attended and I hope the people of Ramsey will turn out in numbers on January 30th to engage with the Ministers.’

The community meeting at Scoill Ree Gorree in Ramsey will start at 7.30pm, with doors opening at 7pm.

The event is free and open to all members of the public.

There is a limit on the number of people the venue can accommodate and seats will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

No bookings will be taken.

BUILDING Regulation fees are set to rise from January 1, 2013.

The increase in the fees was approved by the Department of Infrastructure (DoI).

But the DoI says that in general, the fees have increased above the rate of inflation. However, the new structure will still mean that the Isle of Man remains more competitive, and cheaper, in its Building Control fees than many other jurisdictions, including England and Scotland.

Howard Quayle MHK, department member with responsibility for planning and building control, said: ‘It is important that Building Regulations fees are increased to maintain a cost-effective and valued service. The move will help the Building Control Authorities to recover a greater percentage of the costs incurred and achieve a reduction on the burden on tax and rate payers in delivering the service we provide and, as a result, help ensure we can continue to maintain the standards of the service.’

Copies of the new regulations will be available after January 1 to buy from the DoI’s planning and building control division, first floor in Murray House, Mount Havelock, Douglas, or from the Government Central Reference Library in Government Offices, Douglas. Alternatively, download the regulations at {http://www.gov.im/transport/planning/build/applications|www.gov.im/transport/planning/build/applications}

Meanwhile, guidance notes for the regulations are available free from the planning and building control division.

AN ancient Manx tradition is flourishing.

Scores of revellers gathered on Boxing Day to celebrate Hunt the Wren festivities around the island.

In Port St Mary, dancers and musicians gathered at the Golf Pavilion for wren pole judging before wending their way around the village, ending at The Albert.

It was altogether more raucous affair in Castletown where members of the town’s Ale Drinkers’ Society were certainly in good cheer as they set from the Square for their traditional circuit of the town.

There was a stop-over en-route at member Mike Kyle’s home in Red Gap for drinks, mince pies and a sing-song.

There was more Hunt the Wren festivities in Ramsey organised by Maughold Social Club and Ramsey Heritage Trust. The singing and dancing began at 10.30am outside St Paul’s Church on Market Square and ended with seasonal refreshments at Quayle’s Hall in Ramsey.

In Douglas, members of the public were invited to meet outside the Woodbourne Hotel on Alexander Drive, others danced nearby in the area around Albany Road and Quarterbridge Road, while one St John’s group met at the Arboretum car park.

The age-old custom of Hunt the Wren is not unique to the island and has been practised in various forms in England, Ireland and even France.

Here it had at one time taken place on Christmas Day but then moved to December 26, St Stephen’s Day.

Originally it was quite a bloodthirsty ritual as gangs of youths would scour the countryside looking for a defenceless wren to trap and kill, but now a more humane option is to use an artificial bird.

The wren becomes the centrepiece for a ‘bush’ – two wooden hoops set at right angles and placed on top of a pole and covered with ribbons and evergreens. This is then carried from house to house while the group sing the Hunt the Wren song and hope to collect money or treats for their troubles.

Margaret Killip in her book The Folklore of the Isle of Man says Hunt the Wren could possibly be the oldest surviving custom in existence.

MORE than 200 representatives of the Manx financial services industry filled the room to hear a high-level analysis of the UK’s 2013 Finance Bill, as well as a response to the scandal currently surrounding Starbucks, Amazon and other large multinational corporations operating in the UK.

A series of experts from KPMG Isle of Man addressed some of the key issues raised by the proposed wording of the draft 2013 legislation.

The KPMG hosted event at the Claremont, Douglas, was opened by director Gregory Jones, before associate director of tax, David Parsons, provided an overview of the proposed changes in the Bill.

In particular, he highlighted the uncertainty surrounding some of the language condemning tax avoidance, such as the ‘double reasonableness’ test under the proposed General Anti-Abuse Rule (or GAAR), but said there was some good news in the area of inheritance tax planning for couples with complex domicile arrangements.

David also summarised the UK and IoM positions on FATCA compliance, as they currently stand.

Sandra Skuszka, head of VAT services at KPMG Isle of Man, explained some of the changes in VAT and how they may affect local businesses. These primarily revolved around changes to definitions regarding the place of supply for services and the removal of the VAT threshold for businesses not established in the UK or IoM. Sandra also discussed the impact of potential changes in certain key business areas, including insurance intermediary services, finance leasing and investment management and advisory.

Finally, she discussed the issue of infringement proceedings by the EU against the UK for the inclusion of holding companies in VAT groups.

Mr Jones then outlined some of the finer details of the Bill, including the introduction of a statutory residence test, changes to certain offshore anti-avoidance rules and the taxation of high-value UK residential property.

Overall, the tone was generally positive, with Mr Jones describing many of the changes as ‘logical’. He said: ‘Today we have looked at a number of proposed changes that have arisen over the last couple of weeks, starting with the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on December 6. One of the most interesting areas is the taxation of high-value UK residential property held by offshore companies, as we believe there will be a significant restructuring of how these properties are held in the near future to avoid some of the pitfalls of the new legislation, probably involving liquidating the offshore companies and moving to direct ownership by non-UK discretionary trusts.’

Robert Rotherham, a senior manager in the firm’s tax practice, offered a perspective on the current row over corporation tax in the UK.

He said: ‘Today we considered some of the recent press coverage of US multinationals such as Amazon and Starbucks and whether or not they are paying the right amount of corporate tax.

‘I believe it has misleadingly been reported that they should be paying a percentage of their revenue as tax, when in fact corporation tax is paid on profits. And in calculating those profits, there is already legislation in place regarding the ‘‘arm’s length rule’’, which quite adequately covers inappropriate siphoning off of profits to low tax jurisdictions via inter-group management charges, royalties, interest payments and so on, so it is simply an enforcement issue.’

On that topic, Mr Jones added: ‘The likes of Starbucks and Google have been vilified recently for structuring their affairs so as to avoid paying UK corporation tax. Today we have simply aimed to dispel a few of the myths that have cropped up in the debate on this issue.’

KPMG Isle of Man holds regular seminars on issues of tax planning and changes to legislation both locally and globally.

For more information contact www.kpmg.co.im

GALE force winds could cause damage across the island today (Friday) the Met Office has warned.

And with rain forecast to continue into the weekend, the Met Office, based at Ronaldsway, is also warning of further localised flooding.

The expected wet and windy spell follows flooding last weekend, which saw emergency services, the Civil Defence and Department of Infrastructure all working together to minimise the damage.

Gales are forecast today, and could reach severe gale force, with a ‘risk of some damage’.

Gusts of 55-60mph are expected to blast the island.

The Met Office is also warning residents that there could be splash-over of rough seas on windward coastal roads and promenades.

There could also be heavy rain at times, and there is a risk of localised flooding.

There is risk of 15mm rainfall and as much as 25mm on hills.

A Met Office spokesman said: ‘Given the state of the ground there might be potential for some fallen trees here and there.’

Tomorrow (Saturday), the forecast is for strong to gale force winds, with gusts of up to 50mph.

There is also a risk of hail, especially on the hills later on in the day.

A dry start is forecast for Sunday but heavy rain is then expected to hit the island in the evening/early Monday morning, and the Met Office has warned of localised flooding.

There could be 12mm of rainfall.

The strong to gale force winds will also continue into Sunday, with gusts up to 50mph.

The unsettled spell is set to continue in the first half of next week.

But the spokesman added: ‘There are indications the second half of the week may become a bit drier and less windy as well.’

The effects of last weekend’s flooding are still being felt.

At Colby Glen, the entrances remain closed off with police tape.

A sign has been put up on one of the gates to the glen by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.

It warns people the glen is closed and people should not enter, stating: ‘DEFA apologise for any inconvenience but the recent flooding has resulted in structural damage which may result in subsidence.’

River levels remain high and the ground is saturated following frequent spells of rainfall, which means it will only take a small amount of rain to cause disruption.

Fire and Rescue Service assistant divisional officer John Murtagh urged residents to check their drains – and those near their properties – to ensure they are free from obstruction and able to flow freely.

And he said it was ‘essential’ to remind motorists not to drive through any flood water, in particular where they do not know the depth and where roads have been closed due to flooding.

He said that it was noted that last weekend drivers were ignoring both advice not to drive through flood water and were also ignoring roads closed signs.

Mr Murtagh added: ‘Cars driving through the flood water were causing bow waves which were breaching flood defences, and affecting personnel working near roads attempting to sort the flooding.’

Emergency services rescued three drivers who had entered flood water and then become trapped and unable to move.

THE Manx Independent today reports some encouraging news.

Darryl McGeown has woken up after being in a coma.

The story is on page one of today’s paper.

The Manx Independent is in shops 24 hours later than usual because of the Christmas holidays.

There’s a warning inside of more bad weather to come.

We look at the issue of potholes, report the latest Christmas holiday drink-driving statistics, talk to Eddie Teare MHK about the Pinewood deal, include photos from readers of the recent flooding and include photos of the finalists of Awards for Excellence receiving awards from members of staff.

Sport includes St George’s third Railway Cup victory in a row.

The Manx Independent is in shops now.

THE island’s ‘open skies’ free market policy of allowing free access for all licensed airlines to use Ronaldsway is being investigated by a Tynwald committee.

The deadline for submissions is January 3. They should be addressed to the committee secretariat at Legislative Buildings.