All results / Stories / Neil Hartnell
FNM deputy fears ‘bubble pop’ over infrastructure spend
The Government’s lack of investment in infrastructure will be “a bubble that pops” on the next administration, the Opposition’s finance spokesman warned yesterday, adding that this was contrary to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) advice.
Gov't pushes deficit elimination forecast back three years
The Government has pushed back its original projections for eliminating the fiscal deficit by three full years, and is now pinning its hopes on a $449 million, four-year 'swing' into surplus.
PM cuts 2016 GDP growth to just 0.5%
Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday slashed a full percentage point off the Bahamas’ projected economic growth for 2016, cutting real GDP expansion estimates to just 0.5 per cent.
Second mobile operator begins launch process
Cable Bahamas yesterday said the clock had started running on the aggressive roll-out timetable for the second mobile operator to launch services to 99 per cent of New Providence within three months, after the Government approved its licensing.
Revived Mortgage Plan may assist ‘over 1,000’
The Government yesterday unveiled a revised Mortgage Relief Plan it believes could assist “upwards of 1,000 delinquent borrowers”, via a 20-25 per cent cut to monthly loan payments.
Tax break may help 41,000 homeowners
Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday said more than 41,000 homeowners could benefit from the Government’s decision to waive real property tax arrears for owner-occupied homes valued at less than $250,000.
Gov’t plans to narrow VAT payment window
The Government yesterday unveiled plans to shrink the Value-Added Tax (VAT) payment window by seven days, and other revenue enforcement measures, amid the numerous tariff rate cuts consistent with a pre-election Budget.
'Madness': 90% of loan requests are consumer
The Bahamas' consumer loan "madness" is making sustainable economic development impossible, as more than nine out of every 10 credit applications fall into this category.
'Little chance' to lower high debt, bad loan levels
The Central Bank of the Bahamas has admitted the current economic climate provides "little opportunity" to reduce high consumer debt and loan delinquency levels, with only 'qualified borrowers' able to access credit.
Just 12% of mortgages finance 'new buildings'
New Central Bank of the Bahamas date has provided a further insight into the sluggish home construction market, with just 12 per cent of mortgage applications involving 'new builds'.
Florida court blocks $7.59m Bahamas ruling
A contractor’s bid to enforce a $7.59 million Bahamas Supreme Court judgment against a major global hotel chain has been blocked by a Florida appeals court, which ruled the latter was not involved in a $1 billion Bahamian joint venture.
Bahamas breaks global standards with jet fuel tax
The Bahamas is breaching international standards by levying 7 per cent import duty on jet fuel, warns a report produced for the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
Oil explorer: New fiscal regime does not apply to us
The Bahamas Petroleum Company’s (BPC) chief executive yesterday said the Government’s increased ‘take’ from oil exploration would not apply to its activities, because its fiscal terms were already set.
BTC profits slump 26.4%
The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) suffered a 26.4 per cent profits slump for the year to end-March 2015, as its revenues and staffing levels came under pressure in the run-up to mobile liberalisation.
CWC: BTC ‘lags’ region despite $75m investment
The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) controlling owner yesterday conceded that its network quality “lags” much of the Caribbean and wider world, despite increasing its capital investment by 47 per cent last year.
Baha May delay’s 50% cut to growth
Baha Mar’s delayed opening could potentially slash 50 per cent off the Bahamas’ 2015 economic growth forecast, a well-known businessman has warned.
Banks to ‘double’ VAT recovery.... to just 10%
The Bahamian banking industry is hopeful it might be able to recover ‘double’ the amount of Value-Added Tax (VAT) inputs than previously thought, as one institution yesterday revealed its total tax burden will increase by $6-$7 million in two years.
Gov’t agrees ‘few hundred thousand’ in VAT credits
The Government has approved “several hundred thousand dollars” of Value-Added Tax (VAT) credit refunds, a top official yesterday promising that businesses would not endure “a protracted wait” to receive them.
‘Lessons must be learnt’ from Baha Mar’s chinese woe
Lessons must be learned from Baha Mar’s construction woes to ensure other Chinese-led investment projects avoid similar delays, a leading contractor yesterday noting the same company is poised to begin the British Colonial Hilton’s $200 million redevelopment.
Hotel union on gratuity ‘red alert’
The Bahamas Hotel Catering & Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) yesterday said it had placed its members on ‘red alert’, amid fears that other New Providence hotels will attempt to follow Baha Mar’s lead and eliminate the 15 per cent gratuity enjoyed by hotel employees.
