All results / Stories / Neil Hartnell
‘Get out of dark ages’, Gov’t and unions told
* Reformer urges end to worker benefits focus * Calls for more productivity ‘to lift GDP growth’ * And wants wages ‘held’ at current levels
The Department of Labour must “get out of the dark ages” and focus on improved worker productivity if the Bahamas is to enjoy higher GDP growth, a governance reformer urged yesterday. Robert Myers, a principal with the Organisation for Responsible Governance (ORG), told Tribune Business that the Labour Department and trade unions needed to stop pushing for increased worker benefits “if we are to lift ourselves out of this socio-economic recession”. Arguing that both were still “singing the same old song”, Mr Myers called for wages and benefits to be “held” at present levels until the Bahamian economy generated improved GDP growth rates.
AML chief: ‘Size of pie yet to be seen’
* Uncertainties over Xmas spending * Hopes December ‘uptick’ will persist * All retailers see October/November fall-off
BISX-listed AML Foods has warned that “the size of the pie” remains unknown when it comes to Bahamian consumer spending this Christmas. Gavin Watchorn, the group’s president and chief executive, told Tribune Business that while it was “very confident” of gaining its due share, the extent of holiday expenditure was difficult to predict given continued economic uncertainty and fragile confidence.
Gaming Board lacks ‘oversight structure’ for numbers houses
* Minister: Changes to make regulator ‘more relevant’ * Gaming Board will ‘look very different’ in five years * ‘92,000 didn’t vote for us to maintain status quo’
RECENT downsizings are intended to make the Gaming Board “more relevant” and help it cope with the “seismic changes” created by web shops, a Cabinet minister said yesterday. Dionisio D’Aguilar, who has ministerial responsibility for gaming, told Tribune Business that the industry regulator will “look extremely different from the Gaming Board of today within five years”.
‘Wild Wild West’ web shop oversight hits Gaming Board
* AG: ‘Difficulty’ undermines ‘blue ribbon’ status * Gov’t ‘seconding’ anti-money launder specialists * Will ‘address forthwith’ web shop money transfers
THE Gaming Board’s “blue ribbon” reputation has been hurt by taking on regulation of the “Wild Wild West” web shop sector, the Attorney General said yesterday. Carl Bethel QC told Tribune Business that the Government was now seconding more experienced anti-money laundering regulators from other agencies to the Gaming Board in a bid to get to grips with a sector deemed “high risk”.
AG: We’ll deal with ‘major slippage’ in anti-launder regime
THE Attorney General yesterday pledged to address the Bahamas’ “significant slippage” in the battle against financial crime through roll-out of its National Risk framework before year-end.
Bahamas ‘on probation’: 17-step action plan cure
The Government has detailed a 17-step ‘action plan’ to strengthen the Bahamas’ anti-money laundering regime, with a top regulator describing this nation as “on probation” over increasing weaknesses.
Gov’t narrows inner city taxation breaks
The Government yesterday appeared to narrow its planned VAT and inner-city ‘tax breaks’, while seeking to deliver on campaign promises of accountability, transparency and good governance.
Governor to ‘bridge gap’ between banks, web shops
The Central Bank’s governor has reaffirmed his commitment to “bridge the gap” between the commercial banking industry and web shop operators, and help ease his licensees’ compliance concerns.
QC: Legalisation of web shops has defied the critics
The web shop industry’s legalisastion has produced the opposite effect to the predictions of many critcs, a well-known QC has argued.
Freeport investment law blasted as ‘anti-business’
Freeport’s new tax incentives law was yesterday branded an “abomination” and “anti-business” by an FNM Senator, who argued that it will undermine both the city’s founding agreement and economic growth.
Green economy gives ‘opportunities galore’
The Government would help create a “far greater” number of “meaningful” Bahamian jobs if it abandoned its current development approach in favour of the ‘green economy’, a well-known QC believes.
Minister to activists: Don’t deny us jobs
A Cabinet Minister yesterday urged environmental activists to be “balanced and responsible” when launching legal actions against legitimate developers, warning that these could deny Bahamians much-needed “economic benefits”.
Ex-Hard Rock franchisee queries transfer to ex-MP
Hard Rock Cafe's former Nassau franchisee has questioned why the business was so readily handed to its Bahamian landlord, when a decade earlier he had been "forced" to pay $1 million to end their partnership.
Bahamasair suffers $8.5m income loss
BAHAMASAIR has warned the trade union rep- resenting its line staff that it faces “stark financial realities”, having lost $8.5 million in income this financial year with the possibility of further setbacks to come.
MSC cruise port: No lease agreement yet
No agreement has yet been reached to transfer the lease of Ocean Cay to Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) for its private cruise port, with the current holder saying of the project: "It won't be done overnight."
Developer seeks $10m in new equity finance
The developers behind Eleuthera’s French Leave Resort and Marina yesterday said they were “cautiously optimistic” about securing an additional $10 million in equity financing to fund the build-out of 20 more villas.
Wilson: Ingraham responsible for Sth. Eleuthera’s ‘demise’
The developer adjacent to a newly-announced $100 million resort project believes they will together make Cotton Bay “the Caribbean’s premier destination”, as he blasted former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham for decisions that caused South Eleuthera’s “demise”.
Baha Mar guest: ‘I’ll only return to look at the ruins’
A Houston entrepreneur says he will never return to the Bahamas unless it is to view “the ruins of the Baha Mar disaster”, after the enforced cancellation of his wedding left him $100,000 “out of pocket”.
Bahamians overlook ‘significant progress’
Too many Bahamians are overlooking this nation’s “significant economic progress” because they are focusing on issues that “have not a Christ thing to do with sustainable development”, a leading businessman believes.
Baha Mar delay: ‘We’re all losers’
A leading businessman yesterday rounded on the “despicable critics” of Baha Mar’s principals, and said of the $3.5 billion project’s delayed opening: “We are all losers.”
