The Tribune

By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

MORE businesses are speaking out against the government’s planned Value Added Tax scheme, with one owner firmly stating: “They’re going to have to send me to jail, because I ain’t paying it – bottom line.”

Asking to remain anonymous, the owner of a local LP gas service accused the government of “robbing the people with a gun right to our face” and explained he keeps six persons employed as part of his business. He said it is often a struggle for him to “keep (his) head above water” and his employees on payroll.

His business offers installation and repairs of gas pipes and appliances and also offers rentals.

“That’s a bunch of crap. They’re going to cost us to lose businesses,” he said of VAT. “The cost of living is extra too high now for Bahamians. Your light bill, high; car, gas, high; grocery, high; customs gone up – they said they’re going to reduce customs ,but it’s still high; salaries ain’t going up.

“I charge $75 for my house calls, I got to drop to $65 or $50 just to get a job. How am I going to add to that if I have to drop to get a job. The average Joe them can’t afford to hire you, now. The cost of living is too high and government is trying to kill small business.”

When asked about a Nassau Institute commissioned report which found that VAT may force the Bahamian economy into further decline, causing the cost of doing business to rise through book-keeping and other expenses, the businessman said he simply will not comply with VAT.

“They’re going to send me to jail because I ain’t paying it – bottom line,” he said. “The government is legitimately robbing the people with a gun right to our face. A lot of us dumb and stupid and don’t really understand economics – like me, I ain’t been to no college, but I get knowledge, I know bull crap. I know when you get ripped off and all of us getting ripped off.”

He added: “I tell you right now, it’s a struggle for me to keep my head above water, keep my employees. Through all the recessions, I keep six of my people working and I keep them working every day of the week – five days.  I ain’t lay nobody off. God was so good to me that I was able to make my ends meet.

“Those politicians –- those lawyers and doctors, they a bunch of crooks, they ain’t no business people. They need business people to run the country who know about economics and hardship and how to work with the economy. Them bunch of so-and-sos up there, they legal, they don’t mean nobody well. In my opinion they greasing their own pockets... Let them tax themselves.”

John Brown of John Brown General Maintenance – a fencing company – also voiced his opposition to VAT. Agreeing with the findings of The Nassau Institute’s commissioned report, Mr Brown said he believes the new tax regime will “damage” the economy.

“I definitely, I have some difference with it (VAT),” he said. “I think the economic situation with poverty and the downturn, I don’t think they should introduce anything like that, any time soon.”

Mr Brown said he was unaware of the findings of The Nassau Institute report, specifically that the private sector will have to spend money in compliance costs. He said the government should do more to inform the businesses about VAT and what it will mean to local businesses.

“They need to probably do something to inform the people a whole lot more. I don’t think that’s something that should be pushed on them. They need to educate the people a lot more, because I didn’t even know that,” Mr Brown said.

“But it will do damage to the economy, that’s my take on that. I think with that amount of money coming out of that sector, I think it really do much more damage as opposed to helping out any situation.”