Haiti’s resources are limited by their unstable government

Dear John: I have many friends in Rockland County who are Haitian. I just found out that Haiti is rich in gold and gas mines.

I never knew this. But they don’t export. Why not? God bless you, John. R.L.

Dear R.L.: Thanks for the blessing. I was hoping for one today.

Now, about Haiti. I knew less than you about the Caribbean country that shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.

But now I know. And your friends are right. Lots of natural resources, including gold and natural gas. In fact, it’s been estimated that Haiti might have some of the largest oil reserves in the world. Maybe even larger than Venezuela.

According to a posting on Wikipedia, the Greater Antilles, which includes Cuba and Puerto Rico as well as the Dominican Republic and Haiti, could have about 159 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 142 million barrels of oil.

And Haiti is thought to have gold deposits worth $20 billion. A Canadian company called Majescor Resources bought the rights to prospect 173 square miles for the precious metal.

So why is the island still so poor? Why doesn’t the country exploit these natural resources and feed its people?

Haiti is considered a republic with a central government. There were coups d’état in the country in 1994 and 2004.

My guess as to why the natural resources aren’t as developed as they should be is just that companies aren’t going to invest big money in a country like that — even if riches are believed to exist — if their property might be confiscated by the next government.

Dear John: You asked me to let you know how my tax refund claim worked out. You contacted the head of the Taxpayer Advocate Service office on my behalf early this year.

Well, it hasn’t. I get calls every few weeks from a Mrs. Cook of the tax advocate office saying the refund is coming, but sadly it never arrives.

A couple of months ago, she asked me for my bank details, which I provided. A couple of weeks later, she asked me to mail a void check with bank details, which I also did.

Now I’m concerned. Is asking for bank details typical? IRS employees have my bank account information but haven’t forwarded me the refund for which they had asked in order to process the refund.

What do you think? D.M.

Readers, an update: D.M. says, “The money hit my account yesterday! It’s been two years but better late than never. All thanks to you!”

I think the IRS was waiting for Congress to raise the debt ceiling so it would have money to pay D.M.’s refund. It only took two years, which is fast by Washington standards.

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