FINANCE Minister K Peter Turnquest.
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Deputy Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
FINANCE Minister K Peter Turnquest insisted yesterday the government has no intention to increase value added tax as speculation persists that a hike maybe featured in the impending 2019-2020 budget presentation. He called the claim an unfortunate rumour.
Mr Turnquest refuted the VAT hike after Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper projected the increase in the House of Assembly yesterday as MPs debated the 2018 Fiscal Strategy Report.
Mr Turnquest also revealed that the Ministry of Finance slightly reduced the rate of real economic growth in 2018 and 2019 by 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent respectively.
“This is needless to say. (It is) an unfortunate, recurrent and I got to call it rumour that is being put out and obviously as the member for Exuma and Ragged Island is saying it, it must be from the opposite side,” Mr Turnquest said.
“It’s unfortunate and it has the ability to cause panic, not just locally internationally.
“So I just want to caution the member to be circumspect. But the fact of the matter is the government is not in discussions about raising any VAT. There is no intention on the part of this government to increase the value added tax. There is no such discussion preliminary or otherwise.”
Mr Cooper had argued that his interpretation of the government’s budget projections showed the Minnis administration was not on track to meet forecasts regarding revenue or deficits.
He also accused the government of being too “bullish” in its projections.
He said: “One of my most alarming predictions upon reading the report is that this government will come for an increase in the rate of VAT or other taxes at the mid-term budget or come to borrow even more that’s my prediction and I hope I’m wrong, but that’s my prediction, my opinion and I hope I’m wrong. I predict this not just by examining the revenue shortfalls inclusive of December’s collections, but also the expenditure patterns and the borrowing report. Customs, as a barometer of consumption, is down in all major categories.”
The government developed and introduced the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which came into effect on October 1, 2018. The move was made to secure fiscal gains and provides a non-political institutional framework for fiscal policy to ensure no future government can “ever again engage in flagrantly irresponsible” fiscal policies, Mr Turnquest said.
“We have taken responsive and targeted initiatives to identify, report on, and clear arrears, and implemented steps to strengthen expenditure controls so as to avoid an accumulation of new arrears,” Mr Turnquest told Parliament yesterday.
“This fiscal year, we have begun monthly agency budget meetings, to assess developments with respect to budgeted spending. We have implemented better control and recording of payment commitments, as well as more effective cash management and forecasting.
“We will shortly be introducing the requirement for monthly spending plans by agencies. In combination, these measures are intended to ensure that the government remains on top of what is happening and they support confidence in our fiscal policy stance. Going forward, when we make these kinds of forecasts during the budget debates when the fiscal year would have been more than three quarters complete, all can be assured that – barring the truly unforeseen – the forecasts will prove much more accurate.”
He also said the macroeconomic forecast has been updated to take into account the October 2018 release of the IMF World Economic Outlook, which remained unchanged in the most recent IMF update released just last week.
“Of note, the rate of real economic growth has now been shaded down only slightly in both 2018 and 2019, by 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively,” he said.
“Real growth in 2018 is forecast at 2.3 percent and, in 2019, at 2.1 percent. This largely reflects somewhat softer projected growth in the US. However, forecasted inflation this year and next is now somewhat higher than previously projected. As a result, the growth of nominal GDP is now expected to be higher in both 2018 and 2019 than had been projected in the May budget,” Mr Turnquest said.
Comments
TheMadHatter 5 years, 2 months ago
Of course it's not on their agenda - it's on the WTO's agenda. This is a case of when you swear an oath to tell the "whole truth" and you omit relevant facts. Mr. Turnquest should be quite aware that as he forces us to join WTO and as WTO forces us to remove customs duties, we will have to replace that revenue with higher VAT and/or income tax and/or some other tax. So even if he doesn't raise VAT - other taxes will be raised, and it doesn't matter what they are called. They them "Pretty Little Furry Taxes" - I still don't want to pay them.
Also, he should not speak about any new VAT money whether it will come or not, because he hasn't found the old VAT money yet.
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 2 months ago
So does this mean the planned hikes in our National Insurance and NHI contribution rates are going to be all that much more higher come July 1, 2019???!!! LMAO
K4C 5 years, 2 months ago
Bahamas best start knowing the difference between a politician and a snake oils salesman, the snake oils salesman knows when to stop lying
bogart 5 years, 2 months ago
OVA DA LAST 25 YEARS....ERRY POLITICIAN....DONE SAY TINGS.... .BUT FACT IS....PUBLIC ... VOTING ....CONSTITUENTS...VOTERS.....BIN VOTING FER ERRY DIFFERENT POLITICAL PARTY.....erry 5 years...dis party ...den next party.....dis party next....BAHAMIANS....gets pore ...an pore....highest NATIONAL DEBT IN HISTORY......GOVT Central Bank Report says close to 50% Bahamians gets struggling to meet tings meet.......MORE VAT TAXES....EVEN THAT BEFORE POLITRICANS before say no an AGAINST VAT....but .....LEGISLATED..more..regressive..4.5% VAT taxes...on backs of pore.....EVEN VOTERS VOTED....put purple ink on der finger voting... an wait purple ink wait days to see purple finger in front of face.......... AGAINST GAMBLING....and politocians did Tricked the voters and LEGISLATE........politicians did say plenty but GOSSIED VOTERS. ..plenty voters wid purple ink on finger ......SO GIVEN da..PAST pronouncements....25 years....Reality is...5 alternating gubbermints........likely seem to be unreliable pronouncements.....da...da....da....an paradime shift...
TalRussell 5 years, 2 months ago
Yes, or no - it is done written in constitution that the crown's finance portfolio, doesn't have be be filled by an individual appointed from group elected MP's, so why hell not get biggest bang dollar by hiring an comrade individual - locally or from off Colony of Islands - with actual experience in managing billions PeoplesPublicPurse's dollars, yes, no - Brent be quick sign work permit... is it not time to rethink the hiring few real English, civil service colonialists from across Pond?
FreeportFreddy 5 years, 2 months ago
No
sheeprunner12 5 years, 2 months ago
Raising VAT should not be on their Agenda ............ reforming the present tax structure should be ........... Getting rid of the numbers houses and setting up a National Lottery should be ..... decentralizing collection and retention of selected Family Island taxes for LG should be.
But they are all happy to kick the can down the road to the WTO & IMF sinkhole.
birdiestrachan 5 years, 2 months ago
Only a fool would believe anything that comes out of the mouth of Turnquest or doc. They were against VAT , Against BAR MAR and against the spy bill they were telling LIES. and they continue to lie. every time they open their mouths.
Damifiknow 5 years, 2 months ago
Liars plain and simple !
licks2 5 years, 2 months ago
Well I guess they will NOT BE RAISING TAXES. . .it is a sure thing that you will be on the side of common sense and good judgement when you go contrary to these bunch of political yard chickens on this site!!
WE CAN ALL REST EASY. . .AT LEAST UNTIL AFTER THE NEXT ELECTION AFTER THE FNM WILL BE ELECTED AGAIN. . .THE NUMB SKULL PEANUT GALLERY HAVE SPOKEN. . . THEY CAN'T SEEM TO TELL "ARM HOLE" FROM ARM PIT. . .SO WE CAN TAKE AMPLE PLEASURE IN IGNORING THEIR USUAL "BITCHED-UP" THINKING SKILLS!!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. . . . .hehehehehhehhehe. . .sniff!!
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