Editorial
Trying hard to find a satisfactory balance
The biggest challenge every nation faces these days, is how to strike a balance between making sufficient revenue to service its country, without putting a heavy burden of taxation on the people and businesses which are the ones who essentially fund the Government's coffers.
It is with this in mind that many are left to ponder: Should the Government find ways in which to cut expenditure and in fact some of the essential services that its people have become accustomed to, or should it find ways in which to realize revenue without further offending the taxpayer and the society.
One can recall that quite recently in the United States the winner of one of the largest lotteries in the world opted to take a lump sum payout of $120 million and promptly said that he would be making generous donations to at least ten church pastors.
We could then ask, again, because the question is being raised in recent days: Is the Cayman Islands ready for a lottery, one that is not only limited to players locally, but also through the worldwide web?
To many, it seems that this may be one of the most expeditious ways in which the Government of the day could realise extra revenue in order to avoid the imposition of more taxes and meet demanding obligations for health, education and other essential social services.
The question goes further: Following the lottery, if it comes, will there be efforts to expand this form of gambling which virtually pays for most of the education for the entire State of Florida, to legalised Las Vegas-style gambling?
To this, many have registered a firm "no" with a hint of "at least not for now".
The "numbers" game, an accepted form of gambling by thousands right here in Cayman, the rest of the Caribbean and Latin America, is a multi-billion mostly underground economic exercise which continues to proliferate without hindrance, because so many people are prepared to chance playing and have made it part of their lifestyle.
The industry in Cayman alone is reputed to be so richly rewarding to the organisers, that they have become respected for the prowess in convincing the players to come back time and time again to play win or lose.
In places like nearby Jamaica, the Church has been a powerful lobby against Las Vegas-style.
However, if the truth be told, there seems to be a level of hypocrisy with regards to this whole issue of gambling in some countries.
Tolerated gambling is alive and well here in the Cayman Islands. Games of chance, whether there are raffles, lucky dips or a supermarket prize-winning competition, are part and parcel of the community and indeed other countries in the Caribbean and around the world.
Many countries who have legalised lotteries have instituted strict and tight controls while at the same time reaping substantial monetary benefits from them.
In those situations, the presence of lotteries has not prevented religious people from adhering to their strict morals and ethical codes.
There will always be strong arguments for and against the introduction of lotteries. Without taking sides, the pros and cons are well understood.
Whatever decision is made, the administration who makes it will certainly receive exceptionally strong criticism and surely some praise.
A Government cannot be all things to all men. At the end of the day, they are elected to govern and they must be trusted to strike balances and make decisions which they as leaders believe are in the country's best interests.
At the end of the day, the decision about whether or not to have a lottery lies strictly within the province of the administration of the day.