By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
Price Control Commission (PCC) Chairman E J Bowe said that he found it “unconscionable” that bread baskets items were overpriced by more than $3 in some family islands, asking, “How do they expect people to survive?”
Bowe, speaking with Tribune Business, noted that the PCC has carried out inspections in North Andros as well as North Eleuthera, Spanish Wells and Harbour Island in recent weeks. According to Mr Bowe, the PCC found infractions at all seven stores visited in North Andros two weeks ago and all ten stores during the commission’s Eleuthera visit last week.
Mr Bowe said that the commission found items such as sugar, tomato paste, cream, grits, rice, corned beef, cooking oil, mayonnaise overpriced during its visit to North Andros.
“All seven stores we inspected had infractions,” said Bowe. “In North Eleuthera, Spanish Wells and Harbour Island, we inspected ten stores and all of them had infractions.”
“It’s really unconscionable. I don’t know how they expect people to survive. We’re not talking about a few cents. It’s really bad. If you look at the amount they went over $3.41, $2.80, $2.71 and that sort of thing. From my point of view, one cent is too much. It should be right on the mark or below,” said Bowe, pointing out the cost of freight is calculated into the maximum selling price of the items. “Freight is already calculated in and there is no reason for them to go over the maximum selling price on those bread basket items. The items that we found which were overpriced were confiscated and lodged with the island administrator for safekeeping pending a court hearing,” said Mr Bowe.
Comments
The_Oracle 7 years, 8 months ago
Mr Bowe, you obviously have no clue when it comes to costing and business overheads, But, for an answer to your question as to how are they expected to survive, Ask Perry. Ask Cabinet. It is all well and fine to deny profits on bread basket items in Nassau, as the population can stand the extra markups on "luxury" items as an offset, but in Andros or Eleuthera, is anyone importing or buying "luxury items"? Certainly not enough to support business overheads. Your little freight allowance is a joke. In fact, your existence is a joke, although one in poor taste. So go ahead and lock up your shop keepers, but prepare to run emergency food supplies to the people of those islands!
Sickened 7 years, 8 months ago
From what I understand, almost everyone on Spanish Wells owns the food store there, so I'm sure they are not overcharging themselves on bread basket items, just so that they can pay the government more VAT on a higher price. Mr. Bowe - you appear to be a slow donkey.
Socrates 7 years, 8 months ago
Bowe and the socialist PLPs believe the answer to everything is more and more big government. Nothing beats the free market.. Capitalism, competition. There are always folk willing to compete if they believe they will get a fair shake.. Government deciding everything is not the answer... Check Cuba, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, etc. Socialism is dead, we need to accept that reality here and move on...
sealice 7 years, 8 months ago
communism here we come....
BaronInvest 7 years, 8 months ago
You pay 7$ for a gallon of milk which costs less than 1$ in europe. Why are you complaining ? You are not doing anything about the prices even in Nassau. Everything is overcharged at least 5 times - because your import duties ruins your economy on a daily basis, noone wants to import goods and pay these duties before selling the product until you can be absolutely sure it sells even when overpricing it.
realfreethinker 7 years, 8 months ago
Does Mr.Bowe include the freight from Nassau to the family islands? The price control items are priced based in nassau correct me if I am wrong
ohdrap4 7 years, 8 months ago
i think they do include freight to the family island, as explicitly charged by the wholesaler, or paid to the mailboat.
the mailboat is subsidized.
the people in the family islands do complain about price controls, and i think they visit the islands more often than road traffic.
the govt would make much more money sending the people to check for vehicle violations in the family islands.
this is not to say price control is correct.
i avoid cost shift markup by making my own food from price cotrlled or sale items.
people learn, solomons fresh market on harbour bay is a desert most of the time now, people do not pay 9 dollars for half a sandwich anymore.
Alex_Charles 7 years, 8 months ago
are you out of your fking mind? It's been like this for YEARS. This country is in the top ten highest costs of living on the goddamn planet. PARIS is cheaper than Nassau. Our tourism product has been on a steady decline for years, as we get more and more expensive, as Jamaica grows their tourism product larger and larger. Are we governed by baboons?
sealice 7 years, 8 months ago
Baboons are much smarter then the fools running our gov't.
Economist 7 years, 8 months ago
Does Mr. Bowe also consider the high price of electricity caused by years of governments support an over staffed very inefficient corporation?
What about the rent for the shop and the up keep of the shop, a shop with few customers because the government has always ignored the infrastructure that is needed to spur development. And why is Mr. Bowe not complaining about the poor productivity of Bahamian labour that causes costs to be high.
And last of all theft. That has to be figured into the cost as well.
Mr. Bowe is someone who has been given a job by government. I wonder what job he would have been able to get if he had gone to work in the private sector?
Is that why he as a government job?
sealice 7 years, 8 months ago
undoubtedly someone spewing the PLP socialist rhetoric like that wouldn't qualify to live under a bridge in a 2nd or 1st world country
bogart 7 years, 8 months ago
Very good for the Price Control Commission to go to the Family Islands to look into the exorbitant $3 overpricing. However in Nassau they need to look into the $40 dollar late fees charged by the Banks for small repayment amounts paid late, the $10 fee for cashing cheques etc. plus other practices of the Banks. A good start would be as a Govt Agency the PCC would be the govt majority owned Bank of the Bahamas where they can immediately be effective in making changes.
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