BAHAMIANS will get another chance to protest the implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) when the Citizens for a Better Bahamas advocacy group hosts a motorcade on Saturday.
Those opposed to the implementation of tax at 7.5 per cent on January 1, 2015, are asked to come out to the Western Esplanade, opposite Fort Charlotte, at 9:30am for the “I Ain’t For VAT” motorcade.
The non-profit group is asking Bahamians to “Say No!” and to let their voices be heard by “pimping” out their vehicles with “No To VAT” decorations and banners.
The motorcade is expected to depart at 10am and will travel along West Bay Street, down Marlborough Street, back onto Bay Street through Navy Lion Road; it then travels down East Street until it reaches Fowler Street, where it turns heading to Kemp Road. The motorcade then follows Wulff Road to Marathon Road and east on Robinson Road to Minnie Street, again on to Wulff Road and from there to Poinciana Drive, Nassau Street, before finally returning to the Western Esplanade.
Comments
Tommy77 9 years, 8 months ago
Not good.
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TheMadHatter 9 years, 8 months ago
So does this mean that :
or
If people don't know ahead of time, it will be impossible to determine from the turn-out whether Bahamians are in support of VAT or not, purely based on turn-out.
TheMadHatter
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 8 months ago
Yep efforts of this kind will only succeed with an organized gigantic Turn Out The March effort. Facebook will not do it, it's hot outside.
TheMadHatter 9 years, 8 months ago
This-is-Ours: You are correct. In fact, the sketchy nature of the notification effort makes me inclined to believe that the motorcade is actually the brainchild of the Pro-VAT people. Then when nobody knows about it and only a few dozen people show up - then they can say "See, the people are in favor of it. There are only a few radicals that don't support VAT."
TheMadHatter
PLP_Catastrophe 9 years, 8 months ago
This BAHAMIAN could NOT publicly protest against VAT because I didn’t even know about the protest, until it was too late!
birdiestrachan 9 years, 8 months ago
Where is the money to come from to pay all of the Civil Servants who want increases in pay and health Insurance>?. It is people with money who are starting all of the movements. I went in one store and they had a sign up that said " The Government increased the duty on eggs and that is why the eggs cost so much. These people increase prices every day. they never ever explain why. There are a whole lot of greedy merchants behind these movements. Let those who wish join the display and burn out all of their gas go, and see how it will profit them. They will have an empty gas tank and that is all .
ohdrap4 9 years, 8 months ago
they explained eggs because eggs are "price controlled", they cannot markup beyond a certain amount. this will minize the chance of people sending the govt inspectors there.
they increased the duty on eggs just after rainbow farms closed down, too little too late.
duty on chicken is 30%
ohdrap4 9 years, 8 months ago
the most common reason fro proce increase is the automatic increase in shipping costs. i have questioned some prices at a pharmacy and at a household items store. In both stores, the store managers were kind enough to show me a computerised spreadsheet explaning how the prices are arrived at, the parameters are set by computer programms in major retailers.
being an avid amazon shopper, i often find the items cheaper locally.
it worries me that thre has been talk that the govt would shyt down amazon if they do not register to pay vat.
Bunni 9 years, 8 months ago
A lot of other reason does go into why prices on good increases. I do think some time it is greed from some of these merchants with their high a** mark up on goods. You have freight increases, first cost increases or VAT which will be introduce come next year. Cutting duty will not decrease cost on goods but look forward to good increasing when VAT is implemented.
The_Oracle 9 years, 8 months ago
The level of Ignorance surrounding taxation in general astounds me. All taxes the world over from a business perspective are a cost of doing business. just like the first cost of goods, shipping, insuring those goods, brokerage and duty on ALL THE ABOVE. All these costs, and salaries, Business license,Power and water bills, vehicle maintenance, Licensing of those vehicles, and ALL THE other COSTS of doing business end up factored into what we pay for both goods and services. Taking the long running animosity we as a whole have for anyone successful in this country, whether along racial lines or wealth out of the picture, if the costs increase, the price increases. If the taxes increase, the costs increase. VAT hits every stage of manufacturing, supply and sale, which for us means import and resale. However, VAT has the distinction of requiring serious record keeping, something that Bahamians have never before had to do, nor learn how to do. ( Save trying not to lose drivers licenses passports and documents related to property etc) VAT also has its own detailed penalties system which goes far beyond our current law (unobserved) and apparently accepted practice ( which judging from the recent leaks is horrendous, seems few pay their bills or taxes!) under which The Government has given itself the power to seize both assets and money, and is proposing the power to restrict travel until satisfied. In short, VAT if implemented in January has the potential to hit everyone hard through the increased cost of business but most importantly the general state of unreadiness of both Government and the public at large. Like trying to enter a formula 1 race track with a race in progress in a Chevrolet Aveo, there is going to be much pain!
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