Chamber of Commerce Report: CoC thwarted overseas publishing

Ian Coles hailed the success of the Publishing and Printing Division of the Chamber of Commerce.

One of those successes included the denial of six work permits from an overseas publishing company for their salesmen.

The Division was formed in 2012 to combat against publications that are not produced in Bermuda but suck advertising dollars as well as jobs out of the economy.

Mr Coles, chair for the Division, of which the Sun’s president Lisa Beauchamp is also a member, said in his report that it wanted to “make local businesses aware of the implications of supporting overseas publications — specifically those that allegedly cater to the Bermudian market but are owned by foreign-based publishers, who don’t have offices here, don’t employ local staff, don’t pay local taxes, utilities or for any of the other services that are supported by all Bermudian businesses.”

He said the Publishing and Printing Division lobbied then Business and Tourism Minister Patrice Minors as well as having a major direct mail campaign to advertisers about keeping their dollars in the Bermuda economy.

“Our campaign has produced some success as we have seen a significant downturn in the amount of advertising being carried in existing overseas publications and are aware of several proposed overseas publications that did not materialize due to lack of local support.”

He said Government had lent a sympathetic ear and thanked Joanne MacPhee, executive director, for “her support in ensuring that salesman’s work permits are being issued inappropriately for advertising salespeople, and that these short-term permits are only being used for the purpose for which they were originally intended.

“For example, one foreign-based publisher made application for six staff to visit Bermuda for the purpose of selling advertising.

“One-hundred per cent of any advertising revenue they might have raised would have gone off the island and we are pleased that this application was unsuccessful.”