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Bill: Ratification of the North Seleyan Train Operating Company
Details
Submitted by[?]: Socialist Party of Kalistan (SPoK)
Status[?]: passed
Votes: This bill proposes for the ratification of a treaty. It will require two-thirds of the legislature to vote in favor[?]. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: October 4023
Description[?]:
| This bill asks for the ratification of the North Seleyan Train Operating Company. If this treaty is ratified, it becomes binding and will define national law. |
Proposals
Article 1
Ratify the North Seleyan Train Operating Company.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 02:50:54, April 24, 2016 CET | From | Socialist Party of Kalistan (SPoK) | To | Debating the Ratification of the North Seleyan Train Operating Company |
| Message | Prime Minister Martin: The Foreign Minister, Oda Mae Edwards, has requested that the Treaty on the Northern Selayan Train Operating Company be forwarded to the Assembly for consideration and debate. Kalistan is the sole remaining nation outside the Train operating Corporation. As a result, it is likely that we are missing an opportunity to experience a greater degree of integration in the Continent at large. The Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Davjeet Bhattichariya, apparently alienated Lodamun as this treaty was being formed, and so now that Bhattichariya has been retired, we shall now consider it another opportunity to consider the matter. When we looked at the requirement for joining, it would require a fairly significant capital investment on the part of the Republic. We would be minimally required to capitalize our participation in the Train Company at 8,917,500,000 KRB, which is well within our annual National Surplus. The Foreign Minister would, however, recommend an initial capitalization of no less than 16 billion KRB, for the purpose of surpassing Lodamun in terms of investment and becoming the second largest National investor in the Company, and acquiring 21% of the company. We would only be surpassed by Valruzia. As per the treaty, we may designate special privileges for the use of our very extensive rail lines, which are described visually on the map of the Kalistani National Railroad: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c22/doceopterix/Mainland%20Kalistan.png The Minister of Trade and Industry would simply say that all signatory states may use Kalistani Rail without additional import or transit duties, provided that Kalistani teamsters move all production, from the Point of Entry at Addisjah in Vrassa District, or Yoshimi, Suldanor District. The original owner will retain ownership to Port Elga in Sulari, or Port Swedes in Vrassa. In addition, rail links would need to be constructed at Addisjah into Lodamun, or from Yoshimi into Balthusia, but the initial capital outlays for this additional construction will be minimal, given the previous survey and clearing of the right of way when this treaty was first considered a decade and a half ago. We encourage consideration, thoughtful debate and ultimately passage of this bill in the near term. Thank you, Members of the Assembly, for your time. |
| Date | 19:50:20, April 24, 2016 CET | From | Cathartic Crisis Coalition | To | Debating the Ratification of the North Seleyan Train Operating Company |
| Message | The official position of the CCC is in opposition to this bill. Ratification of this treaty would not only in-debt future generations of our great nation but furthermore it flies in the face of the CCC's staunch position in favor of privatization. We cannot support a bill that would make the government so heavily invested in an enterprise we feel needs more privatization. |
| Date | 00:40:10, April 25, 2016 CET | From | Socialist Party of Kalistan (SPoK) | To | Debating the Ratification of the North Seleyan Train Operating Company |
| Message | Comrade Speaker, As a word of clarification, this bill does not ttouch any national industries. It merely allows Kalistan to buy into an international organization, which all other nations in Northern Selaya have already bought into, independent of national ideology. The objection of the Majority is noted, and we will delay moving this bill to the floor. |
| Date | 04:38:00, April 25, 2016 CET | From | Socialist Party of Kalistan (SPoK) | To | Debating the Ratification of the North Seleyan Train Operating Company |
| Message | Furthermore, we are unclear as to how a 16 billion Ruble Buy in will put the Republic in Debt when the Republic has consistently run a budget surplus of over 125 billion rubles a year for more than 100 years. We haven't been in debt ever during the war. Even with our moderate rate of taxation and large public sector. We have consistently maintained a large budget surplus of more than 6 times the buy in every year. |
| Date | 23:37:14, April 25, 2016 CET | From | Cathartic Crisis Coalition | To | Debating the Ratification of the North Seleyan Train Operating Company |
| Message | This is throwing good money after bad, we'd prefer private development to link Kalistan to the rest of Northern Seleya. |
| Date | 07:50:49, April 26, 2016 CET | From | Socialist Party of Kalistan (SPoK) | To | Debating the Ratification of the North Seleyan Train Operating Company |
| Message | Prime Minister Martin: We are not sure why the Speaker claims that the Kalistani National Railroad is "bad" money. It has served our Republic well for a century. As a matter of fact, we would challenge the Speaker to support the claim that the public rail lines have led to higher than average accidents, freight delays, or cost overruns as compared to a privately operated train company. If the Speaker is not able to produce the data, at the very least, we would encourage the Majority to cease maligning the public sector, which always has and will continue to run cheaper than an equivalently comprehensive private system due to the lack of a need to generate profits. But- Let's think about this for a second. Now, the Socialist Party is not adverse to privatization, but if we are going to go that route, at least the Republic should get its initial investment back, as well as some modest return on that investment, rather than just handing some private corporation for free, built entirely on the backs of the taxpayers. Why- that would be socialism for the private sector... The private sector has used Kalistani rail for free for at least 100 years, so we can imagine that a 3% return on investment would be reasonable. The initial outlay, 100 years ago was 34,445,400 Kalistani Rubles. At a modest rate of increase of 3% per year, assuming that no additional capital investments have been made in the infrastructure, which is not actually true, but for the sake of simplicity, the value of the infrastructure today would be 661,993,466.03 KRB. To which we would add, of course the corporate tax rate, which we didn't collect given the public nature of the infrastructure, a simple interest rate of 9%, which would yield a tax figure of 310,008,608, added to the principle, and we get a valuation of the Kalistani National Railway at 972002074.03. Let's give them a break and make it an even 972,002,000 Kalistani Rubles. We would be willing to privatize the Kalistani National Railroad if the private sector ponied up close to 1 trillion Rubles for the massive public investment we have made in the system over the last century. After all- why should the tax payers build corporations a railroad if the only people who are going to reap any benefits from the matter are those who own stock in the company and collect dividends? |
| Date | 20:42:20, April 26, 2016 CET | From | Cathartic Crisis Coalition | To | Debating the Ratification of the North Seleyan Train Operating Company |
| Message | When we speak of privatization, we are not referring to the already existent public railways in Kalistan. Our concern is in subsidizing a multinational public railway company like the North Seleyan Train Operating Company, which is what this bill is about. We would prefer a multinational company be run privately. Under this bill, if corrupt elements in other neighboring national governments have an ill effect on this company that is publicly owned by these governments, the people of Kalistan could suffer. Even if our government acts beyond reproach, which we believe we would. At least under a private scheme, where no taxpayer money is involved and the company is not run by potentially greedy or corrupt government officials in other nations, if the private owners of said company were to be corrupt the people of Kalistan would not suffer as greatly. It seems to be the belief of the SPoK that all governments are devoid of bad seeds, that all public utilities are run flawlessly without corruption of graft, and that the Kalistani people have not suffered a single misappropriation of their hard earned tax money by their government. Even when that government was ruled by a single party! The CCC also wishes such a utopian society exists, but alas we live in the realm of reality. Can the SPoK honestly say that the Kalistani people will face no ill consequences if they join their future (and tax money) to the whims of so many foreign governments? |
| Date | 00:27:34, April 27, 2016 CET | From | Socialist Party of Kalistan (SPoK) | To | Debating the Ratification of the North Seleyan Train Operating Company |
| Message | The Majority has a point here which we feel is quite valid: 1) Their last reason was the cause of our previous hesitation. It would be partially resolved by a significant investment by Kalistan. 2) A Privatized international train company wouldn't give Kalistan any more control over the operation of the company than this option gives. Ultimately, we are at impasse. Perhaps we can ask the Industrial Ministry to research the matter and give us a report. I would hope the Majority would provide some guidance as to what sort of information they would seek in such a report as well, if it is ever feasible... |
| Date | 02:46:49, May 04, 2016 CET | From | Socialist Party of Kalistan (SPoK) | To | Debating the Ratification of the North Seleyan Train Operating Company |
| Message | With the return of One Party rule to Kalistan, we have decided that we will go ahead with an investment in the NSTOC at 20 Bn KRB per year, which will put a dent in the Annual surplus, but will not in any way affect our ability to fund our other programs. |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | ||
| yes | Total Seats: 750 | ||
| no | Total Seats: 0 | ||
| abstain |
Total Seats: 0 |
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